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Thursday, August 06, 2009

Black Guillemot

While birding in Maine, we sat and ate lobsta' on the patio of the Bar Harbor Inn on Mt. Desert Island and overlooked the harbor. We always take our binos when dining outside.
"Watcha' looking at Don?"

"A Black Guillemot"
These always seem to be in the harbor, when we visit there in the summer. Such cool little seabirds. The white oval on the side really stands out against the black background on its breeding plumage. A member of the family Alcidae, this bird is commonly called an "alcid". They dive down for their prey, using wings and feet for propulsion. We usually see them singly or in pairs. Black Guillemots are found in the northern Bering Sea and eastern High Artic down through New England, rarely below that.
Great view, cool bird, tasty lobsta', our idea of fun.

1 comment:

Mary said...

I'm needing a trip to Maine, lobsters and birding...what could be more enjoyable.