At 4:30 on Friday 3 Double-crested Cormorants and what looked like an 
immature Neotropic Cormorant where hanging together at Seneca, on the Potomac, 
Montgomery Co. They were last seen about 1/2mile upriver from Seneca.

When swimming the bird was 2/3 the size of the others and its head was only 
2/3 as high as the others. The bill was more slender, with almost no hook at 
the end. The head was smaller. The throat pouch was smaller, came to a much 
sharper point under the eye, and was narrower underneath the bill. There was 
fairly strong whitish feather edging around the pouch. In flight the tail was 
clearly longer

Given that a Neotropic would be ridiculously unlikely, I have to consider a 
stunted, or very young, but flying, Double-crest. There was no trace of downy 
plumage. The lighting was poor, and distance too great for pix. I would like to 
hear of anyone who has spent time at DC Corm rookeries, and has noticed 
smaller, but flying, birds.


Dave Czaplak