Fresh crab
I’m surprised to see a Black Guillemot with something that doesn’t look like a fish in its beak. I track it through my lens and see it land.
It looks like a naked crab, completely missing its exoskeleton. It looks like it might have been a Velvet Swimming Crab, Necora puber, because of the flattened paddle on its back leg.
Later in the afternoon, another one appears, this time with the crab missing all its legs.
The Velvet Swimming Crab industry in Cornwall, Wales and Scotland would like to know how they got every edible part of the crab out of its shell. And so would I.
More Black Guillemots
Butterfish You need to have a serrated mouth and tongue to keep hold of a Butterfish. They're called that for a… read more
When your fish goes all curly A problem with hunting for your food is that sometimes it carries on wriggling. This Black Guillemot was having problems… read more
Butterfish incoming! I've been enjoying the Black Guillemots on Westray this summer. Here's one bringing a Butterfish, Pholis gunnellus, or Rock Gunnel,… read more
Flatfish What's actually happening isn't what appears to be happening. It's laughing at the other one's fish flapping in the wind,… read more
Butterfish It's great fun to watch Black Guillemots bobbing on the waves off the coast of Westray. And I love it… read more
Incoming Tystie The Black Guillemots are struggling to feed their chick. There's even an outside possibility they have two chicks that they… read more
Tystie takeoff When I first saw a Black Guillemot hanging about on the cliffs with a fish, I was worried. Was I… read more
“Fish!” We've been out to the north end of Westray again, taking photographs of Black Guillemots with their fish. I had… read more
Black Guillemots and Butterfish Butterfish are the Black Guillemot's most common catch. Here's a Butterfish which is deep red and still wriggling. Black Guillemots… read more