July 26, 2015 - Common Murre and Arctic Tern
Read MoreCommon Murres are very sociable, gathering in large flocks to eat along both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. This group was content to sit together on a rock preening and stretching. They nest on rocky islands and lay their one egg directly on the rock. No nesting material is used by the Murre. The egg is pear-shaped which makes it roll in a circle and prevents it from rolling off the rocky nesting area.
This is also a Common Murre, but notice the white eye ring and thin white line extending from the back of the eye. About 10 to 25 percent of Murres have this characteristic. They aren’t a separate species or even a subspecies but are often referred to as Bridled Murres. Look back at the first and second photos and you will see that all Murres have this thin line but the feathers are not white.
A few Arctic Terns were also on Machias Seal Island. With their long, thin wings and long pointed tail, they are very graceful in flight. They are often credited with being the champion migrators among birds. Most of them nest high in the Arctic and fly to Antarctica when nesting is finished. That makes a round trip of over 25,000 miles each year.
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