Pigeon guillemots, Cepphus columba, nest in burrows dug into cliffs around Puget Sound, or they lay their eggs on beams under piers. In the breeding season, they are black with large white wing patches and have bright red feet. In winter, they molt into black and white plumage. First winter birds have a few more black feathers on their heads than adults, but there is a fair amount of variation. The white wing patch remains prominent, and their feet stay red.
These are members of the Alcidae family, relatives of puffins. Pelagic in nature, they only come ashore during the breeding season. The few puffins that nest in Puget Sound head to the ocean for the winter, but pigeon guillemots stay year-round in the Salish Sea. They feed on small fish and invertebrates, generally diving to the ocean floor in their feeding excursions. They use their wings underwater to propel themselves along. In essence, they fly underwater, too. Needing to do both created an evolutionary dilemma. As we all know, water is denser than air, and a smaller wing, think penguin, would be more efficient, but then they couldn’t maintain aerial flight.
The compromise is wings that are a little too big for efficient underwater flight and a little too small for aerial flight, too. When one flies, they must flap their wings very quickly to maintain flight. Generally, guillemots are nearshore feeders. They can dive to at least 150 feet, but most dives are less than 70 feet. Guillemots may stay underwater for a few seconds or up to several minutes. They chase down their prey, actively going after fish or grabbing crustaceans. Daily, they need to eat about 20% of their body weight to maintain themselves.
I went to Edmonds Fishing Pier to see if I might spot one of these species. In the winter, you can often find one or more in the vicinity of the ferry terminal or near the marina. At least one was feeding to the northwest of the fishing pier on 6 October. It would sit on the water for a while and then spread its wings slightly, holding that pose for a short bit, before pushing hard with its legs and diving.
This individual would stay down for ten to twenty seconds before popping back up a hundred or two hundred feet from its dive location. Before each dive, it seemed to hold that slightly extended wing pose before making the plunge. After doing several dives, it sat on the surface, preening its back and wing feathers. Daily, they must maintain the condition of their feathers to stay warm in the chilly water of Puget Sound.
#Pugetsound #guillemot #birding #Pigeonguillemot #alcid #edmonds #salishsea
Wonderful!