Is This the Year of the Guillemot?

Last year was the year of the Western Grebe, now I’m beginning to wonder if this is going to be The Year of the Pigeon Guillemot. I noted in an earlier blog entry that I suddenly saw an amazing number of Pigeon Guillemot’s after John said something about trying to get a photograph of one in Port Orchard. I think I’ve seen more Pigeon Guillemots in the last month than I’ve seen in the entire time I’ve been birding.

The trend continued in a big way in Westport. While I was out stalking loons and Pelicans I saw this Pigeon Guillemot and instinctively pointed my camera at it. Instead of diving as it would normally do, it started swimming directly toward me, getting closer and closer.

Pigeon Guillemot

It was extremely close, when it struck this pose, which I assume is a mating pose since it reminds me of a similar Goldeneye pose.

Pigeon Guillemot

Strangely, there wasn’t another Pigeon Guillemot close to us.

A few days ago I had another strange encounter with a Pigeon Guillemot. I’d walked the entire dock as the Port Orchard Marina and hand’t seen a single bird. I’d just turned around and started back when this Pigeon Guillemot flew in and landed a few feet from me.

Pigeon Guillemot

As I was photographing it, it raised up and displayed, another action I usually associate with mating rituals but, again, there wasn’t another bird in sight anywhere.

Pigeon Guillemot

I’m assuming that there must be a rise in the Pigeon Guillemot population that accounts for my huge increase of sightings, but I’m not counting on it.

2 thoughts on “Is This the Year of the Guillemot?”

  1. It’s as if they know you’re among the best birding photographers out there and they’re posing for their portraits. Pigeon Guillemots are normally very shy birds.

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