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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mark Bruce" data-source="post: 692574" data-attributes="member: 23565">James, the black bill tip is about the most difficult ID feature to check. While viewing the birds from a deck on choppy seas at a fair distance you begin to question if you are seeing a black tip on the shaky image in your bins. I found that the paler mantle and smaller size were far more striking ID features than the bill tip. Thankfully, you are viewing the CCT in a colony of Greater Crested Terns and there is always one close by for a direct comparison.  I found that once I knew what I was looking at I could pick out the CCT from its profile and lighter, almost white appearance. The one CCT flew off in a group of GCTs and we lost it. It came down well to the right and quite a bit higher than where it had been previously. I was able to pick it out as Peter shouted there on the right. Just at that moment both Peter and I said it's lifting its wing. We were onto the same bird.</blockquote>