Of the three collective nouns for guillemots, I like the word bazaar the best but in the present context here and based on the behaviours I mostly get to see up close, colony would apply best when observed on land. The weekly census numbers for the guillemots range greatly. I am certain they are under represented in my census counts (blue values below) so today I decided to focus on counting these birds. They are notoriously difficult to survey, coming and going depending on time of day and the tide.

Today I counted 193 and two hours later most of them had vanished. What I counted does not include the birds incubating their eggs in burrows. There are a lot more burrows than I had previously thought and they are not just in the obvious places like the large areas with rocks and boulders where they congregate (whether natural beaches or rock piles created from blasting or construction, like around the helipad). There are nests outside of these areas all over the island in small scattered rock piles or human made structures like walls. Below are some photos of unexpected nesting locations. If I were to hazard a wild guess, I think there could be 40 nests.

A pigeon guillemot nest in the rock wall opposite the compost bins.

A pigeon guillemot nest behind the rock at the edge of the ramp leading to the Boat Shed. The parent is sitting on one egg. Note sure how the spoon got there.

A pigeon guillemot nest under a rock behind the Energy Building. It is right beside a gulls nest. I wonder if the gulls will grant access after their chicks hatch?

The pigeon guillemots form loyal pairs and both parents incubate the eggs. They are very social and vocal birds (listen to their calls) with incredible red feet and mouths. They aren’t the best flyers but are incredible swimmers (video of a swimming guillemot). The incubation period is 26 to 32 days so some may hatch while I am here.

This photo is from July 2024. I am hoping that when the pigeon guillemot eggs hatch and the parents return to the nests with their colourful catches, more burrows will be revealed in scattered places around the island.

Gulls also have a variety of collective nouns (colony, flock, screech, congregation…) depending on what they are doing. Here during nesting season my name for them is a “spectacle” of gulls. For oystercatchers, I found reference to a parcel or colony of oystercatchers. And for eagles, a congress, convocation, soar, hunt, watch, or shrewdness of eagles.

Today I found a gull nest with blue eggs right beside the CODAR installation. The incubating parent looked like a regular glaucous winged gull.

A gull nest with plain blue eggs.

Facility work

• cleaned the panels
• cleaned parts of the house

Vessels

• Ecotourism: 18
• Private: 1

Weather

Skies overcast to partly cloudy. Strong westerly breeze most of the day, near gale force by evening. Daytime temperatures: low 10, high 13.