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The Birds Of South Gloucestershire          Black Guillemot - cepphus grylle

 

In the UK Black Guillemot is a fairly common breeding bird in western and northern Scotland. In the rest of Great Britain they only breed at St. Bees Head in Cumbria, on the Isle of Man and Anglesey in North Wales. These birds often over winter in their breeding areas moving to open waters if necessary but usually not migrating very far south. Some historical names for Black Guillemot include; Tystie (from the Old Norse 'teiste'), Sea Turtle, Turtur, Puffinet and Scraber.

 

There has been just one Black Guillemot reported from S. Gloucestershire;

 

1998: (1)

On October 27th an adult in almost full summer plumage was watched for ten minutes slowly drifting up river off Severn Beach before being lost to view. This occurrence constitutes the first report of this species for S. Gloucestershire. (Brian Lancastle)

 

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