Hi folks,

My son and I went to Violette's Lock this morning to look for the Neotropic 
Cormorant.  We bumped into George Jett there, and a gentleman who led us to 
an overlook where the bird could be seen.  It was pretty much located as 
described before, about 50 - 100 feet upstream from the parking area.  It 
was perched on a log in the middle of the river, but closer to Maryland 
than Virginia.  The log was just beyond the close islands or spits of land 
on the Maryland side.

We viewed the bird for 45 minutes or so.  We noted the smaller size, the 
noticably smaller bill (in comparison to the nearby Double-crested 
Cormorants.  And, the throat pouch was right for a Neotropic Cormorant 
(sharply angled beneath the bill).  I also noted that the eye was 
surrounded by black, not yellow from the throat pouch.

Paul O'Brian arrived and we continued to watch the bird.  George got many 
photos.  The bird than repositioned itself on the log, and we saw the long 
tail (noticably longer than the Double-crested Cormorants).  The bird than 
took off and flew with two Double-crested Cormorants upriver.  they went 
above the trees and were sillouetted against the sky.  The Neotropic 
Cormorant was markedly smaller, both in wingspan and body size from several 
angles.  The bird than appeared to go to the golf course on the Virginia 
side of the river (Lowes Island Club).

In all, we saw the bird for a little over an hour, and I left around 
12:20.  Thank you for all the posts and directions to this bird.

Fred Shaffer
Patuxent MOS