The camera's date is wrong, but the cameraman's mad ID skilz are in full force.I've studied it for several hours now and feel I can conclude with complete confidence that the motion detector on the camera caught an image of a flying alcid. To be completely, awesomely specific in this identification: It's a razorbill!
Now why would a razorbill end up on a dry ridgetop in southeast Ohio?
Then I remembered! I threw some old sardines out on the compost pile the other day.
Mystery solved! Eat your heart out David Caruso! And take those stupid shades off your face. You look like a leprechaun in a Blues Brothers movie.
Nailed it! Razorbill, baby! Sweet!
11 comments:
What else could it be?
--Raises palms skyward and rolls eyes--
Pew! Pew! Pew!
Keep rocking, dude!
I HOPED you'd pipe in with that very statement, amigo. Thanks for confirming this tough ID.
Razorbill, eh?
In Minneesoda we call them juncos! ;-)
Ruthie: We're MUCH closer to the ocean here in SE Ohio! ;-)
BOTB:
This is HIL-arious!
Judy
Yup. Definite Razorbill, all right. That's what I thought the moment I saw it. That thing SCREAMS Razorbill. You can see the thing around the whatchamacallit. I had one land on my apartment windowsill the other day, but I wasn't home at the time. You can tell those things from a mile away, though...Razorbills!
What about the plastic Adelie penguin that lives in our front yard? Mightn't it have lured the razorbill in with its similar coloration, acting as a giant supernormal stimulus?
As a semi-novice, 196 species and counting, the sparrow excited me as much as the razorbill...which I have on my to-do list just above Puffin (just kidding).
Anyhow, congratulations. Now on to the Ivory Bill...
Rod
Wow - that has to be about the best ID I've run across lately. My first thought was that it might be a Dovekie, based on the size comparison with the sparrow. But then remembering that Fox Sparrows up your way are simply HUGE, it definitely puts your bird in the realm of Razorbill. (Of course there is that big honkin' bill too)
Best to stay home and watch for distant Albatross now. (or would that just be ridiculous?) ;^)
I hate to dispute an ID with a master like BOTB, however, based on where it was seen, the flight characteristics, coloring and body shape I believe it is a passenger pigeon.
Now I could be mistaken as I have not seen a P.P. in person.
I readily admit it COULD be a razorbill. Or maybe just Bills razor.
R U sure it's not a Great Auk?
Post a Comment