As you round the cliffs at the south end of Eday, keep a lookout for members of the Auk family such as Razorbills, which are the closest living relative of the extinct Great Auk. They are black on top and white below and have a large blunt beak with white striped markings. The beak will help you to tell the Razorbill apart from the similar-looking Common Guillemot, as Guillemots have a much narrower pointed beak and they are a dark shade of brown, not black. Black guillemots are smaller and have very distinctive red legs and feet, as well as a white patch on the wing.
You might also see puffins fishing in these waters from late April to early August. In winter, these auks change their plumage quite considerably, with whiter colouring appearing for some, and puffins’ faces turning darker. This can make them more difficult to identify. The auks are all excellent swimmers and divers, using their wings to propel them underwater.
These birds all have Orkney names:
