Grandmother (she was always known as “Nanny” to us) Audrey Giles Chase was an avid observer and student of nature, especially birds, as well as a lover of language.

She always insisted that the word “guillemot” in the name of the bird known as the black guillemot should be pronounced “geel-ee-mow” to honer what she felt were the word’s obvious French roots.

While some among us may completely forgo the official name and instead know the bird as the “sea pigeon,” those who do use the official name usually pronounce it like “gill-a-mot.”

We’ve tried to do a little investigating ourselves and so far have found only that name is thought to be a derivation of the French word for William — Guillaume.

Why a seabird would be called “William” is lost on us! If any readers can shed any light on this mystery please let us know.

We were out on Monhegan recently and spent some time enjoying the antics of black guillemots as they bobbed in the water just off Lobster Cove and disappeared into the rocks on nearby Manana Island.

Black guillemots are members of the auk family, which means they are the less heralded cousins of the more ostentatious Atlantic puffin. Unlike puffins, black guillemots are much easier to see because they prefer to stay close to shore and, here in Maine, can be seen year-round.

Maine has the distinction of being the only one of the 48 continental states where black guillemots nest (they also nest in northern Alaska), although they have a large global breeding range that extends northward across to Greenland, Scandinavia, Russia, and on the other side of the Atlantic, south to Scotland and Ireland.

At this time of year, black guillemots are well-named as they are all black with striking white wing patches. If you see one up close you may note its bright red legs and bright red mouth lining, most evident when two birds get into a squabble.

Like Maine’s Atlantic puffins, black guillemots nest in under jumbles of boulders along the shore, but unlike puffins they will nest along shores of many islands, as well as on some parts of the mainland where they are not disturbed.

They lay 1-2 eggs that take three to four weeks to hatch. The parents bring small fish to the chicks, which may not leave the nest until 5-6 weeks old. Clearly this is not a species that can increase its population numbers quickly. Any changes that cause decreases in food availability can have disastrous consequences for the young.

In the fall, the adult black guillemot molts from its sleek black plumage to a mostly white plumage with dark mottling on the back and wings. It will remain this way for the winter. Immature birds look similar to the winter adults.

Watch for black guillemots in our area around places like Ocean Point, Linekin Bay, Southport, and throughout the Maine coast, especially in areas closer to open ocean. And remember to point out to visitors this Maine specialty bird that breeds nowhere else in the U.S. except northern Alaska!

Jeffrey V. Wells, Ph.D., is a Fellow of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Dr. Wells is one of the nation's leading bird experts and conservation biologists. His grandfather, the late John Chase, was a columnist for the Boothbay Register for many years. Allison Childs Wells, formerly of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is a senior director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Both are widely published natural history writers and are the authors of the book, “Maine’s Favorite Birds.”