コウミスズメは朝寝坊

My favorite place in the St. Paul Island was the least auklet's colony. They nest in crevices of big rocks along the shore.  Around three o'clock, they come out to stand on the rocks. I could have watched them for hours and hours.



コウミスズメは朝寝坊だ。11時過ぎくらいに起きてきて岩の上に出てくる。15時頃が一番たくさん見られるらしい。夕方になると海に採餌に出かけ、夜中遅くまで帰ってこないという。



訪れた日は天候のせいか、見られる最大数にはほど遠い数だったようだが、それでも、次々にぴょこぴょこと岩の上に出てきては、あっちを向いて、こっちを向いて、しばらくして飛んで行く姿はとてもかわいかった。



The most abundant species of seabird on the island must have been the thick-billed murre. Some common murres were found among them. The thick-billed one has a white line on its beak and common dose not have it. But more obviously, body colour is different. Thick-billed is a dark chocolate and the common is the milk chocolate, the guide told us.



Murres were still incubating their eggs. It is quite late compared to the seabird colony in Scotland, where common murres or guillemots chicks were already hatched or even left the cliff two weeks before.



Beautiful greenish blue egg taken presumably a fox.