By Sally Siko
Back in North Carolina after spending some time birding in Maine.
It was an awesome trip!
I ended up logging six life birds plus spotted some familiar feathered friends too along the way.
One such species I was pleased to see again was the Razorbill.
He came in hot, flying fast right alongside my position on a boat which was anchored off of the island of Petit Manan in the Atlantic Ocean.
Although I do see them frequently offshore during the wintertime along the coast of North Carolina, I’ve never had an opportunity to photograph one so close.
As you can see in these photos, Razorbills are sleek looking seabirds. They have black upperparts, including their heads and backs, and white underparts which gives them a slightly penguin like appearance when viewing from a distance. Their thick bill is well-adapted for catching, gripping and manipulating their slippery underwater prey.
These guys often forage in flocks, which can help them locate and capture prey more efficiently. Their synchronized diving behavior can create a cooperative hunting strategy, maximizing their success.
While Razorbills primarily dine on small fish, their diet can vary depending on the availability of prey. During times of scarcity, they can switch to eating more crustaceans and other invertebrates.
Sporting that hefty bill, they can crunch through crabs another hard shelled creatures with ease.
These handsome birds spend the winter months well offshore, mainly from Grand Banks of Newfoundland down to southern New England, in small numbers south to Virginia and as aforementioned, right here in North Carolina. Occasionally Razorbills can be spotted as far south as the coast of northern Florida too!
This is because their wintertime distribution varies depending on the food supply and ocean weather patterns so the birds go where the food is.
In fact, European populations of Razorbills may winter even farther south, reaching all the way down the coast of northwest Africa which is just astounding considering their proclivity towards cold-water habitats.
Just amazing IMO.
Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty 50 megapixel monster, the @canonusa #5Ds