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In each of the last two years I've taken a winter pelagic trip into New York and New Jersey waters, a bracing experience I can
assure you! The primary goal of these trips has been to find various species in the family alcidae, most of which only stray
from subarctic waters during the colder months (at least on the east coast). Alcids occupy the northern hemisphere's ecological niche filled
by penguins in the south, although the two families are not closely related, and alcids can all fly. Alcids tend to flee at the approach of boats, so any decent
look is a bonus, and I was fortunate to capture these modest images of a Razorbill, spotted in Hudson Canyon, New York State waters, in
December of 2004. The second shot shows the bird diving, usually the last one sees of an individual alcid, as they are powerful swimmers.
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