Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Guillemots!

It would have been rude not to, seeing as it has come all this way and I was just round the corner. But in all honesty its a dull bird. Slightly darker head than a standard issue Guillemot, slightly thicker bill, a white line down the bill, otherwise your basic winter plumage auk. If instead of Brunnich's Guillemot being given full species staus it had been designated a sub-species I think about three people would have gone to see it.

But it wasn't all dull. There was a Black Guillemot, a very dainty bird easily picked out by virtue of being mainly white. Bizarrely, it is called Black Guillemot in the country where it is mainly white, and in the country where it is mainly Black it is called a Tystie. Should the scots vote for independence then we should rename this bird the White Guillemot.

And then a couple of Black Throated Divers. There is lots more in the harbour at the moment, but time was pressing ...

would I do this in MBYOW? Well yes if its round the corner, but I don't think I'd be going 200 miles for it. I'd prefer to see these in their natural habitat somewhere in the arctic.

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