Now, this is the easy way to get a good close-up of a bird! We were just embarking on a walk around Hengistbury head when this bird was being brought in with a damaged wing. It seemed to be perfectly happy to be carried around. (The photo will enlarge).

Back home, it took us some little while to identify the bird, since most of the pictures in the books feature the Guillemot in its Summer plumage. However, as soon as we found a picture of the Winter bird, that fine black line behind the eye was a key identifier.

Photograph - March 2003


It was over seven years later when I spotted a black and white bird fishing close in on the sea at Barton. A little further along, I encountered two more. Although I initially recorded these as Guillemots, I later found out that they were in fact Razorbills.

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