ML61570851

Age and sex

Juvenile, Unknown sex - X

Observation details

Continuing juvenile bird found yesterday (13 Aug) by David Vander Pluym. This was a relatively large bird, larger than a Western Grebe and similar to a Double-crested Cormorant. It sat relatively high on the water, with almost the entire body above the water and the tail held up at a 45 degree angle. The neck was long (again, similar to a cormorant), with a rounded crown and forehead that sloped directly into the long, pointed bill (that was definitely longer and heavier than a cormorant's) that was evenly tapered from base to tip. The plumage was entirely brown except for the underwing coverts that were extensively white and readily apparent when the bird flew. When it did fly, its "four corners" profile was apparent, with relatively long pointed wings, bill, and tail. It flew with deep, slow wingbeats with lots of gliding and soaring as it foraged for fish. We were able to observe it plunge-diving several times, during which it would fly relatively low (1-2 meters) over the water, and then dive into the water at a 45 degree angle, pulling its wings into its body just as it entered the water. We saw it consume a fish on several occasions as it emerged from below the surface. The bill was gray and the facial skin was bluish gray, and the legs and feet were pale pinkish or flesh-colored. Two photos from CA below:

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS REBEL T3i

ISO

400

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/11.0

Shutter speed

1/1000 sec

Dimensions

1724 pixels x 1418 pixels

Original file size

1002.1 KB