Puzzle of avian science

Hello Jim

I'm guessing from observation, don't know.  In North Sea colonies, the guillemots seem to need a lot less shelter than the razorbills and the puffins.
Last spring when birds first arriving at Bempton, I noticed the razorbills were often perched directly in front of puffin burrows as tend to be in the more sheltered cracks.

Kind regards
Jacquie

As oft-seen photographs illustrate, Puffins and Razorbills are adept at holding up to 20 small fish at a time at right angles between the two mandibles, but the Guillemot is limited to a single fish. 

And yet it is the Guillemot which is commonest auk in Britain. What is its secret?

The question is put by Ian Carter, a former staff ornithologist with Natural England, in his informative and entertaining new book, Wild Galloway (Whittles Publishing, £17.99).

Can any brainy member of LBC come up with an answer?