An afternoon with the Black Guillemots
Black Guillemots are stunning birds in their summer breeding plumage. Here on Westray they nest on the cliffs and crags, with eggs and chicks hidden deep within stone fissures to protect them from marauding predators. It’s a great afternoon to walk along the cliffs and down to the stone pavement beaches to watch them in the sea, see them fly to their nests and find out what they are eating.
This one has a catch already:
They fly fast and low:
The one seems to have caught a Scorpion fish:
I wait. Next time it comes back with a Norwegian Topknot:
I’ve seen Black Guillemots before with flatfish like this:
They must be an important part of their diet.
Out on the water one’s caught a Butterfish:
It paddles and splashes until it flies:
It’s still wriggling:
Butterfish seem to be an important part of the diet of Black Guillemots. There’s an anxious time looking around before taking the fish into the noisy chicks. They don’t want their nest to be discovered:
Later in the afternoon there’s time to sit and enjoy the sunshine. The Black Guillemots seem to be doing that too.
They have a high-pitched call. It’s not the most beautiful singing, but it’s full of character.
It’s been wonderful to share a few hours with them.