This photo of a Black Guillemot was “lost” among photographs taken during paleontology field work in Nova Scotia in 2018. It was one of the few bird photos I took since we were busy with our fossil recovery work. It had a nest in the cliffs right over our heads and was bringing back a catch. I happened to be on a break with my camera at hand. Very fortunate timing! We don’t see Black Guillemots in their full black plumage when they visit Massachusetts during the winter. These duck-sized alcids live in arctic and sub-arctic regions of North America and Europe. They move a bit southward in the winter but not very far. The North Atlantic off Massachusetts is the furthest south that they migrate in the eastern US.
Birds in My Viewfinder 