ML162094101

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Nick Lethaby found this individual earlier in the day at Devereux Slough, and a number of people saw it there during the afternoon. Compton and Keefe missed the bird there, but decided to see if it was roosting with Double-crested Cormorants at Campus Lagoon. We spotted it across the lagoon from near the chancellor's house soon after we arrived. We watched the bird in the same location for more than a half hour, from about 100 meters, through the spotting scope. It alternately tucked its head, held it up, and preened. Looks at the body were in profile. Several Double-crested Cormorants were on the same snag for comparison. Light was low, but pretty good for observation (not photography) at first, but was fading during the entire observation. The cormorant was much smaller than nearby Double-cresteds, and rather long-tailed for a cormorant, and obviously longer-tailed relative to its body size than nearby Double-cresteds. The bird was similar in plumage to nearby subadult Double-cresteds, but seemed to be a duller, grayer brown above, and was duskier on the breast. It was dark on the nape and crown and paler on the underside of the neck. It was pale on the throat, and white around the rear of the bare areas around the mouth. The yellow on the face was focused below the line of the mouth, with only a little above, and there was no yellow at all on or near the lores. The bare yellow area around the rear of the mouth formed a distinct angle of less than 90 degrees, forming sort of an arrow pointing toward the back of the head. The white feathers bordering this area were pretty obvious, but did not form a very distinct patch as on an adult. Instead, the white just faded into the brown of the nape. Keefe took the attached photo through the scope with her phone.

Technical information

Dimensions

2346 pixels x 1661 pixels

Original file size

698.84 KB