How boobies fish off the coast of the Shetland Islands
Boobies are still gluttons. Ready to eat and eat your favorite dish — fish. Although it is worth paying tribute to them — for this they are ready to work hard, dive into cold waters and even fight with each other. These photos of the "fish feast" were taken by Richard Shaksmith off the coast of the Shetland Islands.
(15 photos in total)
1. Hundreds of boobies dive into the sea, trying to catch fish off the coast of the Shetland Islands. (Richard Shucksmith / BarcroftMedia)
2. Agile birds hunt mackerel and herring, and then take the prey to their chicks in nests on sea cliffs. (Richard Shucksmith / BarcroftMedia)
3. Richard had to practically hang off the edge of a steep cliff to capture this. (Richard Shucksmith / BarcroftMedia)
4. And he also had to ignore the birds that practically fell on his head when he took pictures underwater. (Richard Shucksmith / BarcroftMedia)
5. Every year in summer, birds flock here to build nests and give offspring. (Richard Shucksmith / BarcroftMedia)
6. "It was both exciting and phenomenal to watch them dive, to hear them go under the water loudly and disappear into a sea of bubbles and foam," says photographer and environmentalist Richard Shaksmith. (Richard Shucksmith / BarcroftMedia)
7. Hundreds of boobies on a rock above the sea. (Richard Shucksmith / BarcroftMedia)
8. Family quarrel? (Richard Shucksmith / BarcroftMedia)
9. "Hundreds of boobies circled around the boat in search of fish, which we threw overboard. Suddenly one bird dives under the water at full speed, others see this as a signal for action, and 20, 30, 40 birds follow its example." (Richard Shucksmith / BarcroftMedia)
10. "When diving, the bird reaches only a few meters, but they swim perfectly underwater with the help of wings and paws - this allows them to catch up with fish at a depth of up to 30 meters." (Richard Shucksmith / BarcroftMedia)
11. Fight for fish. (Richard Shucksmith / BarcroftMedia)
12. Hundreds of boobies on the cliff. (Richard Shucksmith / BarcroftMedia)
13. "Boobies dive in different ways too. There is a V-shaped dive, which lasts only a few seconds, and there is a U-shaped one, when a bird swims with the help of its wings and can go under water for 20 seconds. A U-shaped dive is usually 50% more likely to end in luck than a V-shaped one." (Richard Shucksmith / BarcroftMedia)
14. "Boobies swallow fish underwater in order to eat as many fish as possible in one dive, and so that other boobies do not take away their prey." (Richard Shucksmith / BarcroftMedia)
15. Richard Shaksmith has been photographing boobies off the coast of the Shetland Islands for the third year in a row. (Richard Shucksmith / BarcroftMedia)
Keywords: Fish | Shetland islands