Cut End Black Guillemot

Having now seen the excellent pics posted by Steve Gantlett the flight shots seem to clearly show white extending into the primary coverts and this, supported by the striking white body (head, neck, rump and underparts), would seem good for Mandt's.

A great record. Garner notes there is some southerly dispersion of Mandtii from September/October. Vagrants have been recorded from Varanger, Norway (early October), Iceland (January and October) and the Netherlands (June) as well as Long Island, New York in December. The winds leading up to its discovery would have been favourable for a bird making it down from its circumpolar high arctic breeding/wintering areas.

Matthew

Not sure i could add to the debate on the wing pattern as the bird was up and down like a yoyo when I saw it . I think it was definitely camera shy on Saturday afternoon

I see that RBA are now reporting this as a Mandt's Black Guillemot. Frustratingly I have not managed to get to see this cracking bird but on seeing some of the initial photos published it struck me as being especially white in plumage tone, perhaps the first indicator of a possible Mandt's. I have no field experience but I consulted the excellent Martin Garner 'Winter' series, where the article on this subspecies is perhaps the best published literature as to what to look for. It seemed the suite of characters of Mandt's were not fully represented from the photos I have seen, especially the upper wing pattern did not seem to match what would be expected in Mandt's. I assumed it was therefore 'just' a very pale arcticus Black Guillemot. I would be interested to know from those that have seen it whether the wing pattern matches that published i the literature and if this is why it is now being reported as this subspecies. Either way it looks a superb bird. And a true Lincs MEGA!

Matthew

Just the one Black one, or should I say Whitish one.
2 Normal Guillemot seen also.
I hope that clears things up for you Chris.

Little bit greedy there Russell with two Black Guillemots or were there two common guillemots there too

I see Brdguides have posted that the bird shows "characteristics of Arctic race mandtii"...

For anyone interested, here is a scanned page from the Birding Frontiers book...