Kittiwake Greeting

Along the cliff, the air is filled with cries and quarrels and the surge of the sea. Kittiwakes love company and are constantly discussing their affairs with the repeated kitti-wake, kitti-wake and variations on that theme.

The nesting and resting ledges are on the steepest and even overhung parts of the sea bird cliff. The cold salt water is their world. Unlike other gulls they are seldom seen flying inland or even over coastal villages. They fly from the cliff to the sea and back. The return to the colony is often marked with a few moments of ritual bowing and crying, like a group of old friends in greeting.