ID-FRONTIERS for September 19-25, 2010

Messages are displayed in the order they were received.  Subject  From  Date   Time   Re: Odd Cormorant from SE Farallon Island   greatgrayowl(AT)AOL.COM   Fri, 24 Sep 2010   5:10pm

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Subject: Re: Odd Cormorant from SE Farallon Island
From: greatgrayowl(AT)AOL.COM
Date: 24 Sep 2010 5:10pm

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Jim et al.:

Excellent find!  The shape of the rear edge of the gape is perfect for Neo=
trop (NECO) with the angle formed being <90 degrees (or >270, depending up=
on your point of view) and angling strongly forward both above and below=
 the meeting of the mandible and maxilla.  While the upper bound on Double=
-crest (DCCO) also angles forward, the lower bound is usually right around=
 vertical, resulting in a gape angle of well over 90 degrees and usually=
 around 135 degrees.  The bird's bill is also quite small and, though NECO=
 can have orange in the supraloral area, the bird nearly lacks it, as is=
 more typical of the species; obviously, DCCO almost always shows some ora=
nge there (if not lots of orange).  The white feathering below and behind=
 the gular area, while not definitive for NECO (many juv/imm white-necked=
 DCCOs exhibit the trait; see http://cfo-link.blogspot.com/2010/08/current=
-mystery-quiz-363-2010-3-08.html), I believe it is definitive for any dark=
-necked cormorant (between the twosome of NECO and DCCO).  While the tail=
 does not appear very long, it is certainly longish enough for me to not=
 rule out NECO.  Obviously, it would have been best to have the bird in th=
e same picture with some other cormorant to allow for direct size (parts=
 and whole) comparison, but....

Again, congrats!

Tony Leukering
Villas, NJ

-----Original Message-----
From: Southeast Farallon island <farallonia(AT)YAHOO.COM>
To: BIRDWG01(AT)LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU
Sent: Fri, Sep 24, 2010 6:08 pm
Subject: [BIRDWG01] Odd Cormorant from SE Farallon Island

Hello all.  On September 6th, Jim Tietz found and photographed an unusual-=
looking Cormorant on Southeast Farallon Island, San Francisco Co., CA.  Th=
e bird displayed many characteristics of a Neotropic Cormorant, which has=
 never been recorded in California away from the Salton Sink or the Colora=
do River.  Photos can be found here: <http://www.flickr.com/photos/5342564=
7@N02/sets/72157624895655331/>.  Any comments on the identity of this bird=
 would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks and good birding,

SE Farallon Island Crew, 2010
Jim Tietz
Matt Brady
Oscar Johnson

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