Pic of the Day

       Bridled Murre – Machais Seal Island, Maine: Twenty-seven years ago when I first visited Machais Seal Island, Razorbills and Murres were only seen around the periphery of the island. Murres were uncommon around the blinds, and razorbills stayed a safe distance making them small in the camera viewfinder.
     On my recent trip to the Machais Seal Island Common Murres and Razorbills were common around the blind and easy to shoot. What I did not expect close to the blind were Bridled Murres.
In 2003 when I was on the island I counted only three Bridled Murres, and they were seen at the waters edge, far from the photography blinds. When I arrived on the island this summer I told the naturalist which blind I wanted to be stationed. Preverious experiene on the island had shown me that blind four would present the best opportunity to photography puffins, razorbills and murres.
     What I did not expect close to the blind was Bridled Murres. I was surprised when this Bridled Murre suddenly hopped on a rock about thirty-feet in front of the blind. I quickly shot a series of images as the bird skipped and hop across the rocks. While this is not the first Bridled Mrurre I have seen it is the first Bridled Murre that I have gotten a decent photo. I could have shot this Bridled Murre all day, but did not get the chance. Within ten or fifteen seconds the bird disappeared behind some boulders. As it disappeared my attention was drawn to the Razorbills and Puffins that crowed the rocks around the blind and I began to shoot without missing a beat, knowing I had taken some good shots of the Bridled Murre.
Nikon D300, Nikkor 500 f4, Digital Capture, ISO 200