Rathlin Island lies about six miles off the north coast of Northern Island. Only about 150 people live there, but it is home to Northern Ireland’s largest seabird colony, and its steep cliffs provide ideal nesting sites for birds such as Common Guillemots Razorbills, Atlantic Puffins, Black-legged Kittiwakes, and Northern Fulmars.
This year (April 2024) I was lucky enough to sail past the island on a beautiful calm evening and watch some of the seabirds out on the water near the majestic cliffs. I was on a cruise with the Norwegian company Hurtigruten, on the MS Maud (shown below), around the British Isles, and the captain decided to bypass the island.
The RSPB Rathlin West Light Seabird Centre stood out clearly as we approached from the north.
The following is mainly a photographic essay; for more details on the birds and the wildlife in general, follow the link at the bottom of the blog.
The sea was remarkably calm, and the birds made pleasing ripple patterns as they swam away from the passing ship.
Guillemots and Razorbills seem to intermingle very freely, so some groups comprised both species.
As we sailed closer to the island, I was taken by the beauty of the rocks, painted in different colours by the vegetation: grass, algae and lichen.
As we rounded the island, the sun lit the water with colourful reflections off the cliffs.
It was possible to see the birds nesting, and resting, on the cliffs, including large flocks of kittiwakes, which were also floating on the water in their characteristic rafts (below).
The following images shows guillemots and razorbills taken elsewhere to show their features in more detail.
It was a pleasure to see this island in such nice weather, the only other time I visted and steped ashore it was covered in mist and raining!
So we will say goodbye to this lovely island, which is easily visited by boat from the mainland, with a few colourful images.
All photographs taken by Raymond JC Cannon.
Link
The seabird nesting season on Rathlin Island: what to look out for and when.
Ray Cannon's nature notes 
Thank you for this brilliant photoessay. Those rocks must have been rather noisy. 😊🎵🎶🐦
Lovely photos Raymond! It’s great to see you enjoying the spectacular seabird cliffs of Rathlin as much as we do. Many thanks for including the link to our blog too.
Lovely photos Raymond! It’s great to see you enjoying the spectacular seabird cliffs of Rathlin as much as we do. Many thanks for including the link to our blog too.