Black Guillemots

2022 highlights of a wilder Orkney life (part 2)

August in Orkney can be quieter than May, June or July when it comes to bird life. In 2022, August was hectic …

2022 was a very happy time for me on my visits to Orkney. I spent hours on the low cliffs and rocks …

Black Guillemots remind me of pigeons in their attitude and body shape. Maybe it’s the position of their wings? Maybe it’s the …

It’s hard to discuss bird behaviour without projecting human values, behaviours and emotions on them. Are birds happy? Playing? Angry? I suggest …

I’ve had a few trips recently to the far north of Westray. It’s a great place to go as it’s too far …

There are 19,000 pairs of Black Guillemot in the UK. I’m enjoying the company of the ones which breed off the coast …

I had a wonderful time on Westray in Orkney in 2021. The Puffins returned to breed and provided constant entertainment with their …

Black Guillemots are one of my favourite birds. I’m told, “They’re the purist’s bird for those who dislike the easy familiarity of …

I can see a Black Guillemot in the Atlantic. It has the familiar shape of a Butterfish in its grasp, held tightly …

If rocks could think and feel and see then life would be very different from their perspective. These rocks are so contorted, …

I’m on a day trip to the Mainland. That’s the mainland of Orkney. In the harbour at Scapa there’s a bird paddling …

It’s a sparkling day on Westray. As we look out we can see a Black Guillemot on the waves. It’s caught a …

Black Guillemots are the connoisseur’s auk. If you find Puffins too gaudy, or Guillemots too dowdy, then Black Guillemots are for you. …

My trips to Orkney in 2018 were full of wildlife surprises. I spent some time in the summer with the Black Guillemots …

I’m walking along the coast of Westray in Orkney when I spot a Black Guillemot come in to land from a fishing …

Black Guillemots are stunning birds in their summer breeding plumage. Here on Westray they nest on the cliffs and crags, with eggs …

2017 was a wonderful year for wildlife experiences in Orkney. In July the seabird city at Noup Head was a whirling, wheeling …

Westray has two sides: a North Sea side and an Atlantic Ocean side. They meet with dramatic consequences at the northernmost and …

The coastline around Westray is wonderful on a glorious summer’s day. We’re on the trail of Black Guillemots, or Tysties as they …

Black Guillemots seem to be called Tysties on Orkney. This one has caught something tasty. It looks to me like a Butterfish. …

The name Guillemot doesn’t sound English at all, and it isn’t. It’s French, from Guillaume, or William. Here then, are a few …