Razorbills

 

 I went to Newport today because of rumors of Mackerel being caught around Fort Adams. The reports were a week old, but today was the first day I could get down there. It was rainy and crappy out but it was also warm, I figured I had nothing better to do. So I took a chance to try to catch a species I've never caught before (snagging them at the Canal for bait does not count)

   Needless to say, I didn't get any macs. I tried for over ninety minutes casting into deep water. The tide was fairly low, so maybe they were out deeper. Maybe they moved on, or they were hiding on the bottom just out of casting distance, I will never know.

   All is not lost! When I walked up to the bulkhead I saw a couple of Razorbills. Razorbills are an ocean going species that nest north of us. They only go on land to  nest during the breeding season. They stay out in deeper water rarely straying within 500 yards of shore. You are much more likely to find them on the open ocean. They are in the alcid family of birds. The most famous species in this family are puffins.

   Every year Razorbills make it to Rhode Island. The most consistent place to see them is Beavertail. Still, Beavertail is no sure bet. The birds are usually way out over a quarter mile. When you do see one, you usually have to wait for it to come up on the next wave to see it again, while also hoping it doesn't dive down. They are almost impossible to see in rough water. If you've been to Beavertail, you know how unlikely it is to have placid conditions. Between early February and late March I made at least ten trips to Beavertail to find them and other winter specialties. I didn't see one in any of my attempts.

On Christmas while birding, I ran into my friend Mike Tucker. I mentioned how I wanted to see Razorbills since I have missed them so many times during the colder months. I had my two hundred dollar scope while Mike had his $3000 spotting scope. Needless to say, I was counting on his bright, crisp, clear glass to find me a Razorbill way out. Luckily, he did. At Point Judith, Mike found two Razorbills flying about a quarter mile out. I found them in my binoculars and watched them until they flew out of site. Mission accomplished. An hour later I found one on my own at Beavertail. It was sitting on the water about 300 yards out. This is pretty close for these guys. I could see it naked eye. In my scope, I watched it preen and clean itself. At that distance there is no point in trying for a picture, but I got great views of it in the scope.

Fast forward back to today. I was working my way up the shoreline casting my spoon into the drink. When I got to the bulkhead I noticed two Razorbills right near it. I'm talking within 20 feet of shore!!! I eased my way back out of site and walked back to my car to get my camera. I hadn't taken it because it was raining. If I did catch any mackerel I was just going to use my phone camera. The round trip took me about ten minutes. I was fairly confident that I did not scare them. However, when I got back to the bulkhead, they had disappeared. I put my camera in a trash bag (which I had brought in case I found any mackerel to take home.

For the next half hour I watched the water as I continued fishing. I kept my eyes shifting in the 180 degrees I could see from left to center to right. I kept walking the bulkhead while fishing. At one point, I glanced behind me toward the boat docks. There were my little friends behind me between where I was and the docks but still hugging the shoreline. I ran back to get my camera out of the trash bag and waited until the Razorbills to pop up.

They popped up almost at my feet. They were so close I had to back off my zoom. They were probably less than ten feet from where I was standing. They were actively feeding. They would dive down and I would run twenty feet in the direction they were headed. When they'd pop up I'd take a bunch of pics and repeat the process. For fifteen minutes this went on. My heart was racing with excitement and I had to control my breathing to keep the camera still.

During my time photographing them, I never stopped thinking how lucky I was to be this close to a seabird that should be a mile offshore.