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Thick-billed Murre @ Fort Macon SP



Hi all,

I am on the phone with Josh Rose as I type this, and he reports a 
THICK-BILLED MURRE from Fort Macon State Park.  The bird was 
found by professor Stuart Pimm of Duke at about 9:00 AM today 
(3/11/2003).  The bird is extremely tame, remaining about 20 feet 
offshore and diving frequently in front of the observors.  It is in a 
patch of shallow water protected by the rocky jetty at the park, in 
the broad area where a raft of about 20 RAZORBILLS were reported 
yesterday.  (Razorbills still being reported from the same location.)

The bird appears to be molting into breeding/alternate plumage - 
while it appears all-black from a distance, closer observation 
reveals scruffy plumage details around the neck and head.  The 
bird is very blackish overall (not brownish like Common Murre), and 
it has a noticeably thicker bill as well.  The white stripe on the 
upper mandible is clearly visible.

I myself do not have further details, but the ID seems quite solid - 
I'm assuming Josh will post a followup when he returns to Durham.

-Sandy
--
Sandy Cash
Durham, NC
scash@mindspring.com