I stopped by Nelson Park about noon today to see if I could get some photos of the Dark-bellied (Black) Brant reported by Kathy Doyon last weekend. There were at least 100 Brant on the grassy area by the parking lot. They were feeding quietly only occasionally chasing one another about which made for good picture taking. Another birder arrived a few minutes after I did and dir a great job of keeping track of the bird as it moved about in the sea of "regular" Brant while I fumbled with my camera and various field guides(Age isn't kind sometimes and I must offer my apologies for not being able to recall his name but he is from Canton, MA. I'll add his name as soon as I get it!) About 12:20 a dogwalker came by and the birds quickly flew to settle just a bit offshore.

This series shows the field marks mentioned in the various guides juxtaposed with various plumages of the "regular" Pale-bellied Brant. I've put comments with some of the photos to point them out.