Lisa G Saw • August 31, 2024

Black Guillemots In Oban

31st May 2024

This is the next post in the series about my extended holiday up north in the spring. Having had a great start in Fort William, including looking for the Chequered Skipper butterfly, we then moved on to the Isle of Mull. We travelled south to Oban, where we would be catching the ferry across to the island. We timed it such so that we would have some time to walk around the harbour and look for the Black Guillemots that are known to breed there, right in the harbour wall. We managed to park nearby and it didn't take long before we saw a black head sticking out from a hole in the wall right beneath us.

We were able to walk to a lower position, by the water's edge, to observe their comings and goings. Their bright red legs and feet are stunning against the contrast of their black bodies, which is what differentiates them from Common Guillemots. The latter species were the only ones I'd seen before that day. I was quite enthralled by the Black Guillemots. They're so striking!

We only saw about a dozen of them at most. There were some hiding in the nests within the wall and some were swimming around on the water not far away. At one time, I suddenly spotted a pair mating. The male climbed up onto the female's back, balancing rather precariously. She remained hunkered down low, whilst waiting for him to do his business. Then a few seconds later, it was all over. It really was over so quickly! He slid off as she lifted up and inched forward, looking as though she were wiping her behind along the rock. Then, she stood upright, glancing my way. I felt a little guilty I caught them in the act!

The birds would sometimes fly off just a short distance or further out, and then circle back in. Some even stayed further out, presumably to go fishing for food. It was a great opportunity for me to practice some action shots with my new mirrorless camera. With its advanced tracking capabilities, I was really impressed with the results, keeping the bird in focus as it moved.

I love these kind of action shots, especially when you can see their amazing red legs. They look like they're running on water. What's even more striking is when you see inside their beak. The red is such a surprise the first time.

It was also fun watching them have a bath in the water, semi-submerging themselves, then coming up and shaking off the water quickly. They open out their wings as they do so, lifting up out of the water more than usual, almost as though they're standing up.

It was a lot easier capturing the Black Guillemots flying, when they started off in the water and were taking off. They gradually accelerated and their direction of travel and movement was more predictable. Trying to photograph one of them as it comes in to land, either on the water or on the harbour wall was much harder. They were so quick and difficult to track. But, I had a lot of fun trying and was pleased with the next two photos.

I love how they open out their wings and widen their legs, splaying their tail feathers, all to help them slow down, just before they land in the water.

Bob and I were both sitting on a low wall that jutted out into the water. Evidently, the tide didn't submerge the part where we sat, but to the right of where we were looking, the wall was completely covered in seaweed. Our attention was focused along the base of the harbour wall, but at one point, Bob turned to look at me and saw a Black Guillemot had snuck up onto the wall without us realising. It had to be less than eight metres from me. It certainly didn't seem bothered by our presence. It sat in the amongst the seaweed, preening itself and then shaking off some water. I couldn't even extended the lens out to its full reach of 500mm or the bird would have completely filled the frame.

We also were lucky enough to witness some courtship behaviour. I often saw two birds swimming around in circles. Sometimes it looked a bit more aggresive than I was expecting, with prodding, poking and nipping at each other. I'm guessing this was mostly the male trying to get the female's attention. I can think of better ways to win over a mate! The best part about it was being able to see inside the beak again and to see the red legs underwater moving about frantically as they danced around in circles. It reminds me of synchronised swimmers! You often don't see the frantic movements below water when above it can look so calm.

After a joyful hour of watching the behaviour of the Black Guillemots, we left them to have our lunch. I had so much fun and it was a great way to break up an otherwise uneventful travel day.

The next post in the series is Wildlife at Duart Castle.

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Books and Courses

By Lisa G Saw • March 11, 2026

THE FIRST SET OF BOOKS AND COURSES THAT HAVE HELPED ME ON MY JOURNEY I began this blog series, Living My The Best Life Possible , back in 2022 after a series of events, and a couple of chronic injuries, quite literally stopped me in my tracks. Having followed conventional approaches to try and turn things around, but to no avail, I felt compelled to seek out help from alternative approaches. I opened my mind to the possibility they could help me, taking a more holistic approach to my healing. Along my journey, I've done some serious soul searching, dug deep to uncover suppressed and hidden trauma, and held a mirror up to myself, realising there were things I needed to let go of and much I needed to change. It's been uncomfortable at times and emotional, but completely worthwhile, as I've worked through things and persevered. Awareness was key . From that I had the power to change my thought patterns and my view of the world. I know all my relationships are better for it, including the one I have with myself, and I wouldn't be where I am today without what I've learned. I've discovered there are many different ways to heal and I've been amazed by what I've learned. It's been surprising, uplifting and most of all, empowering. Along this journey I've been led from one book to another, then another, and on it goes. Sometimes the books have been recommended to me by family, friends or health practitioners, other times they've merely been mentioned in passing or in another book, and I've felt as though it was something that could help me further my knowledge and understanding. In many ways, they were like signs guiding me along at just the right moment when I needed them. My curiosity to learn more has led to a voracious appetite to read, which I've never experienced before. I love it! I feel like I'm on a fast train to somewhere, but the landscape out of the window isn't a blur as I whizz by, metaphorically speaking, but a glorious view of the world around me, simply seen from a new perspective. There is still much I wish to share in this blog series about my experience, in the hope it helps others and not just myself. But, it will take time to write it all whilst I'm still working. So, in the meantime, I decided to share some of the most significant books that have helped me along the way. It isn't the full list, by any means. For now, I'm only including a brief summary and snapshot of the significance to me, but hopefully this will be interesting and/or useful. Perhaps one of them will grab your attention and be something you might wish to read to help you on your own unique journey. I will continue to add to this list gradually, and new entries will appear at the bottom of the post, so scroll down if you're returning to this post and go directly to where you left off. You can also see a list of all the books that will eventually be mentioned in this post by clicking on the button below.

February 26

By Lisa G Saw • March 10, 2026

WILDLIFE HIGHLIGHTS Bob and I have visited West Rise Marsh a few times this month to look for Jack Snipe, but sadly without much success. We did see one, we think, on one visit, but it flew off before we set eyes on it. It's much the same with the Common Snipe, which as their name suggests, we see more of, but they're super skittish and fly off well before we're even close to where they're hiding, around the boggy wet marshes. With so many wet, windy and dull days, plus the fact I still have to go to work, I was starting to wonder if my February Highlights would be virtually non existent, so I was content with photographing and observing a Heron, standing in the water. They can stand motionless for ages, and move very slowly, stealth-like through the water to new areas. Unfortunately, I was just moving into a new position, when it actually caught a fish. I missed capturing that moment when its head quickly and unexpectedly darted downwards and snatched its prey from the water. But, you can see the Heron in mid-gulp (first photo).

January 26

By Lisa G Saw • February 7, 2026

WILDLIFE HIGHLIGHTS January can be a difficult month for many people. I don't usually suffer from the January Blues, but I did notice this year I felt a certain flatness. I think it was largely because there were days when Bob and I would go out for a walk and hardly see anything at all. Well, that is, anything out of the ordinary. There's no doubting it - I get a real lift when nature reveals its beauty to me in its many wonderful and surprising ways. But, it's been a good reminder that even the simple things can give great pleasure if we take the time to appreciate them. Sometimes, it's worth looking with more careful eyes and appreciating even the ordinary. The year actually was off to a great start, when the snow fell early on in the month. I love the snow! I'll leap at any opportunity I have to walk in it! Living close to the coast meant we didn't have any on our doorstep, but Ashdown Forest had a good covering and it wasn't too far away to visit. Even the car park looked lovely, with the sun shining through the wintry trees on this gorgeous sunny day. It might have been crisp and cold, but we were dressed for it and of course had some welcome hot drinks after our walk. The highlight of the day, aside from the snow, was having some brief glimpses of a couple of Crossbills at the top of the fir trees, though not as good as we'd had in December .