Hi Gail and Everyone,

Carol and I were among the birders who saw the Neotropic Cormorant yesterday evening (21 June 2009, Sunday) at the previously described roost site.  We barely (and I mean barely) managed to squeeze it into the tail end of a full, non-birding weekend.  Other birders (Mike Burchett and about 5 others) were returning to their cars when we arrived, and they reported success.

We hurried to the roost site, which has been variously estimated to be 0.5 to 1 mile downriver from Violette's Lock.  I just used http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ to verify that the distance to the location is about 1 mile from Violette's Lock.  (I'm not the greatest at estimating distance, so I find this website handy; thanks to eBird for the heads-up).

Mike B. quickly described the bird's location to us as we passed by him in the opposite direction--at the upriver end of the island perched among some bare branches.

Directions from Nico Sarbanes and posted by Leslie Starr:

"About 1/2 or 3/4 of a mile down the trail that goes south along the canal,  
you will start to see cliffs on the opposite side of the canal (not the 
river). Keep walking  until you see the path curve to the left significantly.  
Walk to the end of  the curve, or close to the end of it, and look out into 
the river, and you  should see a couple of islands with elms, sycamores, and 
most likely  cormorants."

And from Jim Brighton's earlier post:

"We found the cormorant roost about a mile south of the parking lot.  There were an
estimated 75 cormorants perched in the trees.  For those who are going to
chase the bird, I feel your best chance is in the evening after the birds
have come to roost.  Viewing was really easy.  The majority of the birds
were easily scoped from the tow path and the Neotropic stood out amongst the
larger Double-crested.  Hans first found the bird and we were able to get
killer looks and discuss identification.  We viewed the bird from 8pm till
8:15pm.  There was plenty of good light.  If the birds go to roost between
7:30 and 8pm you should have an hour of good light to find the bird.  Good
luck!"

Carol and I reached the roost site at about 8:40 pm and observed and photographed the bird until 8:50 pm when light was giving out.  Light was more than ample for good scope views when we arrived, but our digiscopes are super-dark (still useful though).

Like the many folks who preceded us, we scanned the cormorants for the small one with the brown throat.  The bird was perched high and in the open; this, combined with Mike's helpful directions, allowed us to locate the bird quickly.

Main id points noted:

1. dark lores (no orange skin here as would be expected in a Double-crested)

2. gular skin narrowed to a point posteriorly, the shape of the bare skin here being determined in part by the forward extent of the dark feathering below it

Points 1 and 2 were compared directly on adjacent Double-cresteds to ensure that the traits expected on DCCO would be visible under the light conditions and at the distance we were dealing with.  Orange lores and more extensive gular skin were easily seen on the DCCOs.

3. compared to nearby DCCOs, the tail of the Neotropic was (relative to body size) noticeably longer

4. compared to nearby DCCOs, the Neotropic was smaller and more slender

Good stuff!  Thanks to all: Dave Czaplak for the initial discovery and photos; Zack Baer, Jim Brighton, Hans Holbrook, and Mike Ostrowski for locating the reliable roost location; and everyone else for posting updates and discussion.

Please let me know if you'd like additional information...

Have fun,

Ron Gutberlet
Salisbury, MD
 



>>> Gail Mackiernan <> 6/22/2009 10:38 AM >>>
Hi all --

Mark notes that the Neo was seen Sunday evening -- could folks continue
please post this information (time, circumstances of sighting and ID) so
others can make plans? (Like me, who was out of town all weekend <gr>)

Thanks,
Gail Mackiernan
Colesville MD

on 06/22/2009 10:34 AM, Hoffman, Mark at  wrote:

> Just to clarify, my post pertained to Sat pn (not Sunday). Some dely with my
> mail server, as it went to my outbox yesterdat around 2 pm.
> 
> Sources tell me the NECO was seen Sunday pm at the roost site.
> 
> Mark Hoffman
>