ML57194441

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Media notes

with Double-crested Cormorants; it was never seen again despite several visits by me and others over the next three weeks.

Observation details

YES!!!! An immature with Double-crested Cormorants; only the second record for Pasco County (and my first!). In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I did not notice the Great Cormorant while I was birding. It was not until 3 days later, as I was sorting through my 300+ photographs taken that day, that I noticed the Great Cormorant in the two photographs I took of a few of the Double-crested Cormorants present. The ID has been confirmed by Brian Ahern, Bruce Anderson, Dave Gagne, and Tony Leukering, so I'm counting the record even though I didn't make the call until 3 days later! I waited a month (until 8 May) after finding the bird to add it to this eBird checklist (and to keep it off any Facebook page) to protect the bird and the site (which is privately owned) from undue disturbance. Unethical behavior by some bird chasers -- both locally (i.e., trespassing on private property to tick a Common Merganser at Seven Springs) and statewide (e.g., repeatedly harassing a Federally Endangered Kirtland's Warbler at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park) -- has forced me to adopt this new policy of suppressing some sightings until after the bird has departed (but note that I did contact the seven other active birders of Pasco County about the cormorant as soon as I made the ID from my photographs). The creation of eBird has dramatically increased the ability of unethical bird chasers to harass rare birds -- an activity that I am vehemently against, and an activity that is expressly prohibited by the American Birding Association Code of Birding Ethics. Until eBird HQ dramatically changes its free-for-all attitude about rare birds -- a solution that may be impossible, given eBird's disturbing encouragement of competitive listing -- then I will continue my own birds-first, none-of-your-business policy.

Technical information

Dimensions

1075 pixels x 616 pixels

Original file size

157.49 KB