Hello Tweeters

On the Pelagic vs. Double-crested Cormorants I think that I can swing my ID
from Pelagic to Double-crested pretty easy. Except, there is one attribute
that is described in "Birds of Seattle and Puget Sound" that led me to believe
they are Pelagic. That book says that when the Double-crested flies "its neck
is kinked in flight." The Cormorants that I see regularly (spring and fall)
on the Green River, fly with their necks very straight. However, in reading
the only other ID book I have, "A Guide to Field Identification BIRDS of North
America" Robbins, Bruum, Zim, and Singer (by Golden), their description of the
neck in flight is a little different. Their description is: "In flight large
head is held higher than neck."

Further, "Birds of North America" shows the Pelagic to have some white on the
side of the body, it shows the Double-crested to have no white. The
Cormorants I have seen at the Green River have no white on them.

Lastly, as I looked at Thayer Birding Software tonight (for the first time to
ID the Cormorant), its photo of the Pelagic shows a significant area of white
on the rear of the body, while their photo of the Double-crested shows no
white -- which is consistent with the Cormorants which I have seen.

So I guess I'm in error with my Pelagic ID. However, there is definitely no
kink in the necks during flight of the birds I have seen. I think that from
the statement in the "Birds of Seattle" book that I was expecting a kink in
flight somewhere as pronounced as the Great Blue Heron. So guess my final
question is: How noticeable is the curvature/kink of the neck in flight of
the Double-crested Cormorant?

Jim Brewster
BrewsPad at aol.com
Kent Washington

Most of the Cormorant thread follows:

First - Hal Opperman's question and my original message about ID:

<<Hal Opperman wrote:

>>*Pelagic* cormorants? In the Green River???

Well, that's what I've ID'd them as. I've seen them in the spring, then again
in the fall for the 4 or so years that I've been here. There's large plastic
pipes that span the Green River at 240th and Russell Road and again at the par
3 golf course. Have seen them sitting on these pipes on numerous occasions
'drying' out with wings at half mast as well as just sitting there. Have also
seen them numerous times while they were diving and fishing.

Any other suggestions?

Jim Brewster>>

Then Hal's further comment:

<<Pelagics are almost never seen out of sight of salt water. They apparently
do not fly from one body of water to another over land. Double-crested is
the one seen away from coasts and estuaries. Juveniles are whitish on the
chin, throat, and breast. Double-crested Cormorants commonly sit with
wings spread out (for drying? thermoregulation? because they think it
looks cool?). Dennis Paulson says that Pelagics never exhibit this
behavior, and in ten-plus years of looking, I cannot contradict him (on
anything else, either!).>>