Rare red eggs of the Common Guillemot (Uria aalge): birds, biology and people at Bempton, Yorkshire, in the early 1900s

Huge numbers of Common Guillemot (Uria aalge) eggs were harvested by local men known as “climmers” (climbers) at Bempton Cliffs, Flamborough, Yorkshire, until 1954 when egg collecting became illegal. Guillemot eggs are more variable in colour and pattern than those of any other bird. Egg collectors (oologists) particularly favoured sets of unusually coloured eggs laid by the same bird. Red guillemots eggs were extremely rare and eagerly sought. An example of one such egg known as the “Bempton Belle” was found in the collection of J. W. Goodall (active between about 1896 and 1909), and was celebrated in a poem. What was probably another red egg, known as the “Metland Egg”, was collected each year at Bempton between 1912 and 1938. The current whereabouts of the Metland eggs is unknown. We estimate that females laying red eggs occur less than once in a thousand (or ten thousand). We also speculate about the factors responsible for red eggs and why such eggs are so rare.

Balancing under the high wire; a study into PTT antenna effects on the Common Guillemot Uria aalge

External tags fitted to diving birds can affect them in many ways with the most critical effect being an increase in drag. The effects of transmitters can be even more acute due to the presence of a protruding aerial. The study assesses the impact of PTT antenna on the behaviour and energetics of device-equipped guillemots (Uria aalge) in captivity. Birds with antenna-devices appeared to consume about 20% more energy than non-antenna birds during the descent phase of the dive. The balance of the birds while diving or resting on the water also appeared to be compromised by the presence of an antenna. Based on these first results and because transmitters are one of the most common methods used to track animals, it appears critical to determine what impact these devices, and particularly antenna, can have on their bearers and try minimize it.

Balancing under the high wire; a study into PTT antenna effects on the Common Guillemot Uria aalge

External tags fitted to diving birds can affect them in many ways with the most critical effect being an increase in drag. The effects of transmitters can be even more acute due to the presence of a protruding aerial. The study assesses the impact of PTT antenna on the behaviour and energetics of device-equipped guillemots (Uria aalge) in captivity. Birds with antenna-devices appeared to consume about 20% more energy than non-antenna birds during the descent phase of the dive. The balance of the birds while diving or resting on the water also appeared to be compromised by the presence of an antenna. Based on these first results and because transmitters are one of the most common methods used to track animals, it appears critical to determine what impact these devices, and particularly antenna, can have on their bearers and try minimize it.