For those of us trying for the bird this evening, exactly where was it seen 
last night?

Mike Burchett
Churchville, MD

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "James Moore" <>
To: <>
Sent: Sunday, June 21, 2009 2:44 PM
Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Neotropic Cormorant


Just wanted to second Fred's excellent analysis of the cormorant
observed Saturday evening.  Fred showed me the bird, and just about
every Neotropic field mark (for a bird with this plumage) appeared to be
present except for the pointed shape of the facial skin at the rear of
the gape -- the light was too dim to determine whether it was pointed or
rounded. In addition, the bird appeared to have the dark lores Sibley
notes as a field mark for Neotropic.  (I'll add that I purchased a scope
recently, and was fortunate enough to obtain a Kowa 883, which has an 88
mm objective. Given the low light conditions, the apparent dark lores
may not have been observable through other scopes.)  I look forward to
seeing what the photos reveal.

Good birding!
Jim Moore
Rockville, Maryland

Fred Shaffer wrote:
> I agree with Leslie Starr's earlier post that many in the group on the 
> evening of 6/20 felt fairly comfortable that we had found the Neotropic 
> Cormorant.  The cormorant in question was located a few minutes after 8:10 
> PM and we were able to study it until the light gave out.  Although the 
> bird was distant (as were all the cormorants), all the structural, size, 
> and plumage field marks that were visible were consistent with a NECO.
>
> More specifically, the cormorant was noticably smaller than all the 
> surrounding Double-crested Cormorants.  This could be seen when the NECO 
> was viewed at a level of magnification where the surrounding birds could 
> also be seen.  The NECO was smaller and more slender than the eight or 
> nine cormorants that were close enough for ready comparison.  This was 
> apparent from various angles and positions over the time we viewed the 
> bird.  The bird also had a tail that seemed longer in proportion to the 
> rest of the body than the other birds.  The bill was also appeared to be 
> thinner, shorter, and less brightly colored than the other birds, although 
> this was particularly difficult to judge (and perhaps subjective). 
> Finally, the plumage of the bird was consistent with an immature NECO, 
> having a decidedly brownish wash to the upper breast and neck, unlike the 
> more pale breasted and more contrasty immature Double-crested Cormorants.
>
> Admittedly, there was no "eureka" moment when everyone agreed that we had 
> found the bird we were looking for, but I think that the marks that were 
> seen and commented on over the 20 or so minutes that we viewed the bird 
> were all consistent with the identification.   For the 2005 NECO, the 
> definitive moment (at least for me) came when I saw the NECO in flight 
> with several Double-crested Cormorants and the structural and size 
> differences were really highlighted.  We did not see this bird in flight. 
> But, nothing in the field notes that I took contradict an identification 
> of a NECO.  I should also note that I never got a good feel or view of the 
> shape of the throat pouch, probably due to the distance and that the bird 
> seemed to be constantly preening.  But, the size, structure, and plumage 
> marks that were noted support a NECO, at least in my estimation.
> As Leslie stated, a further evaluation of the many photos taken may reveal 
> something that we missed or wasn't evident in the field.  However, a 
> preliminary look at Mark Hoffman's photos (at least in the view screen of 
> his camera), seemed to support the NECO identification.  I look forward to 
> seeing any discussion on the photos that were taken.
>
> Fred Shaffer
> Patuxent MOS
> 
>
>
>