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Monday, July 28, 2014

Black Guillemot, Yes! Very cute Alcid.

Black Guillemot, cute seabird off the coast of Acadia National Park

This is their habitat.

I had to climb out on the rocks and hope one would come closer.

I was in luck. Note their white underwing and top of wing.

They have red feet but who know they had a red bill!

After diving down this one caught a crab.

The white on the wings makes them visible from a distance.

Resting on the rocks.

Finally I got some photos of Black Guillemots after trying to photograph them a number of times when I have been to Acadia National Park, Mt. Desert Island, ME. Usually they are too far away to photograph, but this time one flew somewhat closer to the rocky shore. So I was thrilled but still had to climb out onto the rocky cliffs and my Canon SX 50 with its long zoom lens helped get the photo. Black Guillemots live in northern seas and breed in Maine, Alaska and along the coasts of Canada and Greenland. They forage for fish by diving underwater and can stay there for several minutes.
These are very cute little seabirds in the group known as Alcids. Alcids, which include Dovkie, murres, guillemots, murrelets, auklets, and puffins, spend most of their time at sea and breed on remote islands. Many have breeding and non-breeding plumages and the sexes look alike. Alcids use their wings to propel them during dives.

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