Bird of the week - Razorbill

Razor Bill sounds like Sweeney Todd's accomplice.  Razorbills (Alca torda) are much less numerous than puffins and guillemots on the Farne Islands with only 500 pairs - less than 1% of the UK breeding population.  Like puffins and guillemots, razorbills spend most of their lives at sea, only coming ashore to breed.  They pair for life and share duties of brooding the egg and feeding the chick.

I find the razorbill very difficult to photograph.  The very dark eye surrounded by very dark plumage is almost always in shade making it hard to get the eye catchlight that brings a photo to life.

Listen to the BBC Radio 4 Tweet of the Day on razorbills here.