• 2019 Nautical Explorations
    A beautiful day ... a beautiful place to visit — Gripholmen, Norway.
    Distracted by the colorful scenery, we almost miss the kittiwakes nesting in the bumper tires — Grip2Black-legged kittiwakes — Gripholmen, Norway.2Kittiwakes checking us out — Gripholmen, Norway.1Black-legged kittiwakes — Gripholmen, Norway.2Black-legged kittiwakes — Gripholmen, Norway.Black-legged kittiwakes — Gripholmen, Norway.1This is the youngest kittwake chick we see in the nests — Gripholmen, Norway.

    Kristiansund: Grip Welcome Committee

    July 20, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    Our delightful day on Gripholmen began with an unexpected welcome committee.

    As the Grip Ruta boat approached the pier we were so entranced by the colorful buildings lining the shore that we almost didn’t see the kittiwakes nesting in the bumper tires. Had we been on the upper deck, we definitely would have missed them.

    In North America, these birds, which belong to the gull family, are known as black-legged kittiwakes to distinguish them from the red-legged species. In Europe, there is only the one species so no “color coding” is required.

    The best part of our kittiwake encounter? The birds — be they adults, fledglings, or chicks — were so used to the twice-daily arrival of the boat that they showed no fear of humans. Thus, they were excellent photography subjects as we slowly made our way from the lower deck to the upper deck to disembark the boat.    Read more