Common Murre 4-5-23

     The year of alcids continued this week when a Common Murre was found at Manasquan Inlet along the border of Ocean and Monmouth counties.  Common murre is a difficult bird for Ocean County, as well as much of New Jersey.  It is considered rare, and most sightings are pelagic.  As such, common murre is a NJ Bird Records Committee reviewable species for land-based sightings.  The last common murre for Ocean County was at Manasquan Inlet in February 2011.  If accepted by the NJBRC, this would be the second latest date for a common murre in New Jersey (http://njbrc.com/documents/ARL.pdf).

This alcid was discovered late Monday afternoon.  I was already in for the day and chose not to go for it.  It was still around on Tuesday, but I had family obligations and could not get over to the inlet.  However, since a few people reported seeing the murre after sunset, I felt that was a good sign it would stay around for at least another day.  As I prepared to head out Wednesday morning to find it, there was a fog advisory for the area.  My experience is that fog helps bring sea birds closer to shore.  Luckily, this fog wasn’t too thick since my friend Larry was already at the inlet and let me know the bird was still there.
Common murre in basic plumage, Manasquan Inlet, 4/5/2023.  © S. Weiss

Common murre in breeding plumage, Cape May pelagic, 3/21/2021.  © S. Weiss

The trip to the inlet did not disappoint.  The bird was close to the jetty, giving great views.  It dove frequently, but stayed on the surface longer than it did underwater.  The bird was very cooperative for viewing and photographing.  Most of my murre views from a boat are of distant flyers, or birds moving away from the approaching vessel.  I left satisfied to have such sustained looks at this late visiting murre.  I was also comforted to know that it won’t be long before the spring sea birds start making their appearances.
Thick-billed murre in basic plumage, Barnegat Inlet, 2/9/2022.  © S. Weiss
Compare thick-billed murre with the common murre in below photo.  Its bill is shorter; the head and face are darker; there is a white gape line at the base of the bill, and its flanks are not streaked.

Common murre in basic plumage, Manasquan Inlet, 4/5/2023.  © S. Weiss
Compare common murre to thick-billed murre in top photo.  Its bill is longer; the face is lighter; it has a black line running from the eyes down the cheek, and it has streaked flanks (not seen here).


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