Where to See Guillemots in Scotland

4 July 2024

Would you like to witness the spectacle of a busy, bustling common guillemot colony? This blog lists several places you can spot them in Scotland in late spring/early summer! The following locations are just some of the incredible places you can visit to have a good chance of spotting them. From the remote Canna to the local Forth islands, read on to find out where you can go to spend some time with these lively seabirds.

Where to See Guillemots in Scotland
Illustrations (c) Emma Marriott

  1. Handa Island
  2. Sumburgh Head
  3. Canna
  4. Fowlsheugh Nature Reserve
  5. The Firth of Forth
  6. St Abb's Head National Nature Reserve NTS
  7. Mull of Galloway Nature Reserve

1. Handa Island (Scottish Wildlife Trust) Located off Scotland’s NW coast, Handa Island is home to thousands of guillemots, with the Great Stack off the island's South coast playing host to a particularly impressive seabird city. A passenger ferry service runs from the mainland during the summer.

Guillemots nesting on a cliff ledge.
(c) Hilary Dyson

2. Sumburgh Head (RSPB Scotland) This RSPB reserve on the Southern tip of mainland Shetland is home to thousands of breeding guillemots. They nest in tight colonies on the cliff ledges and stacks below the headland. Shetland can be accessed from mainland Scotland via ferry.

Guillemots nesting on a large rock stack.
(c) Jamie McDermaid

3. Canna (National Trust for Scotland) Part of the Small Isles in the Inner Hebrides, Canna is home to over 20,000 seabirds, with around half of these being guillemots. Passenger ferries are regularly available from Mallaig, on the West coast.

A busy guillemot colony.
(c) Greg Macvean

4. Fowlsheugh Nature Reserve (RSPB Scotland) This seabird colony in Aberdeenshire is one of Scotland's more accessible guillemot sites due to its location on mainland Scotland's East coast. It's also packed with seabirds, with over 60,000 guillemots in late spring/early summer!

A common guillemot stretching.
(c) Jamie McDermaid

5. The Firth of Forth The Firth of Forth's many islands are the perfect refuge for breeding seabirds in the summer, and islands such as the Isle of May, Craigleith, and the Bass Rock provide the perfect cliffs and stacks for guillemots to nest on. Our guided wildlife boat trips from North Berwick explore many of the Forth's islands and guillemots can be spotted from all of these trips!

A guillemot on the Isle of May.
(c) Susan Davies

6. St Abb's Head National Nature Reserve NTS Located on the Berwickshire coast in the Scottish borders, this impressive seabird colony (with thousands of guillemots) is easily viewable from the mainland.

A guillemot swooping by at St Abb's Head.
(c) Jamie McDermaid

7. Mull of Galloway Nature Reserve (RSPB Scotland) This RSPB reserve at the Southern tip of mainland Scotland is an incredibly scenic spot and a brilliant place to see seabirds. The steep headland cliffs are the perfect site for the thousands of guillemots that nest here.

A guillemot close-up.
(c) Jamie McDermaid

We also run boat trips around the local islands from which guillemots can be regularly seen! Check them out here.