Tölpel, Clumsy Fellow

Seldon Scott

When my friend miramann visited Liverpool she found a dead seabird on Crosby beach, At first I miss-identified it as a Great Black-Backed Gull. "No, not a gull." she said. "Too big!"

A quick look through my handbook of British birds and I came up with the correct answer, a gannet. Although the gannet isn't normally native to this area, it nests on seacliffs and there are none locally, I should have guessed right first time. This pair grace a traffic island in Morecambe, I pass it regularly. Part of the Tern Project public art works.

In English gannet is a synonym for a greedy eater, in German, Tölpel, a clumsy fellow.
They greet each other with this graceful dance and tapping of bills.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Gannet

Video of gannets diving for fish.

uk.youtube.com/watch?v=4HlAu-XSY2E&feature=related

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