Bempton birds – violence and aggression
It’s not all mutual preening and sweetness and light at Bempton Cliffs. It’s a difficult life, perched on a ledge surrounded by hundreds of thousands of other birds. Sometimes life there is like this instead:
Even the Kittiwakes are at it, pecking and calling and chasing one another:
The Gannets are the true masters of combat though:
This pair are having a serious territorial dispute:
They lock beaks:
Sometimes the fighting is fast and furious:
They will even grab each other and throw one another off the cliff and fly away, still locked in combat:
It may only be a tiny patch of cliff, but owning it may make the difference between breeding and not. That’s something they all take very seriously indeed.
More birds at Bempton Cliffs
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Bempton birds – coming in to land Landing makes flying seem easy: I love the way this Guillemot is dangling its feet, like two paddles, to provide… read more
Bempton birds – staring at the sky Gannets look astonishingly alien, don't they? They're not inhabitants of this world. When they display to one another they point… read more
Bempton birds – nesting materials A Kittiwake flies past with some grass in its beak. It looks like its nest needs reinforcements: They sometimes carry… read more
Bempton birds – Gannets, Gannets, everywhere Try going to Bempton and getting a photograph without a Gannet in it. Try it. Go on. Here's a Puffin… read more
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