Stuart posted: Au contraire, cormorants seem to be highly social - ever
seen the squabbles which result when a bird coming into roost on a marker
buoy tries to
displace another - depending on their social status it can be quite a
brutal affair !!!!

I stand corrected. I'd better get out to the S520 boom & do some field
work. Harking back to Dennis' experiment, the paradox he observed (DCCO
primaries were more resistant to initial wetting than other species) may
not be so paradoxical. Perhaps once wetted they're harder to dry, similar
to a down sleeping bag.

BTW, Stuart, nice to be hearing from you again. I get a whole different
feeling birding on the east coast; especially with cardinals, catbirds and
thrashers singing in the summertime. I'm surprised you didn't mention Blue
Jays; they really typify the eastern woodlands for me.

Herb Curl

h.curl at hazmat.noaa.gov "You may be only young once but you can be
Hazmat/NOAA, 7600 Sand Pt. Wy., NE immature the rest of your life."
Seattle, WA 98115-0070
(206) 526-6272