Thank you, Gene. The bird I saw definitely did not have an obvious "pale
yellowish-white" bill. So I've simply written it off as most likely a
misidentified Brandt's on my part--but it does also make me a bit sceptical
of another RFCO reported in P.A. harbor earlier in the month (and I've heard
nothing of a detailed write-up, etc.).

Bruce Moorhead
Port Angeles, WA

----- Original Message -----
From: "Eugene and Nancy Hunn" <enhunn323 at comcast.net>
To: <ned.mcgarry at verizon.net>; <bruceb at olypen.com>; "Tom Aversa"
<Tom.Aversa at Zoo.org>; "Tweeters" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Cc: "Bob Norton" <norton36 at olypen.com>; "Bob Boekelheide"
<rivercenter at olympus.net>
Sent: Monday, June 21, 2004 2:51 PM
Subject: Re: 06-14-04 "Red-faced Cormorant" obs. at Ediz Hook most likely
inaccurate


> I just got back and am reading these old e-mails, but no one seems to have
> noted the fact that Red-faced Cormorants have pale yellowish-white bills
> which are quite distinctive.
>
> Gene Hunn.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Ned McGarry" <ned.mcgarry at verizon.net>
> To: <bruceb at olypen.com>; "Tom Aversa" <Tom.Aversa at Zoo.org>; "Tweeters"
> <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> Cc: "Bob Norton" <norton36 at olypen.com>; "Bob Boekelheide"
> <rivercenter at olympus.net>
> Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2004 8:16 AM
> Subject: Re: 06-14-04 "Red-faced Cormorant" obs. at Ediz Hook most likely
> inaccurate
>
>
> > Looking at Sibley and reading the note at the bottom of page 52, one
might
> > make a pretty good argument for the Pelagic. They have red at the base
of
> > the bill during breeding (through May), and Sibley notes about Pelagics
> that
> > "large individuals occur throughout range". There's only a 1"
difference
> > between them, and the bill size isn't radically different.
> > ______________________________________
> >
> > Ned McGarry
> > Sammamish, WA
> > ned.mcgarry at verizon.net
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Bruce Moorhead" <bruceb at olypen.com>
> > To: "Tom Aversa" <Tom.Aversa at Zoo.org>; "Tweeters"
> > <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> > Cc: "Bob Norton" <norton36 at olypen.com>; "Bob Boekelheide"
> > <rivercenter at olympus.net>
> > Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2004 8:04 AM
> > Subject: 06-14-04 "Red-faced Cormorant" obs. at Ediz Hook most likely
> > inaccurate
> >
> >
> > > Thanks, Tom, I too wondered about that (i.e., how often has this bird
> been
> > > reported in WA). Therefore, given what I could see of the bird, I'm
not
> > > going to accept it myself as a detailed enough observation to validate
> it
> > as
> > > a Red-faced Cormorant. It was windy and overcast and the light was not
> > > great, so I'm skeptical now that I may have misread the color at the
> base
> > of
> > > the bill as red. But the bill was definitely too long and thick for a
> > > Pelagic Cormorant. So, despite being quite close to the bird, I'm
going
> to
> > > drop it as an observation to try and detail further. Anyone observing
> > > cormorants out there, however, would be well to look more closely to
see
> > if
> > > there could in fact be a "Red-faced" Cormorant around now. But at this
> > > point, with nothing more to go on, I suspect it may have simply been a
> > > Brandt's Cormorant that I misidentified.
> > >
> > > Bruce Moorhead
> > > Port Angeles, WA
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Tom Aversa" <Tom.Aversa at Zoo.org>
> > > To: "Bruce Moorhead" <bruceb at olypen.com>
> > > Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2004 6:56 AM
> > > Subject: RE: Red-faced Cormorant obs. at Ediz Hook
> > >
> > >
> > > > Hi Bruce,
> > > > Thanks for the cc. This bird has only been seen once before in WA.
> It
> > is
> > > extremely rare.
> > > >
> > > > If it's not too much trouble, it would be good to write up more
> detailed
> > > notes, and send them off to the WA Bird Records Committee (accessible
> from
> > > the WOS website).
> > > >
> > > > Thanks,
> > > > tom
> > > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: Bruce Moorhead [mailto:bruceb at olypen.com]
> > > > Sent: Mon 6/14/2004 7:19 PM
> > > > To: Tweeters; Tom Aversa
> > > > Cc: Bob Norton; Bob Boekelheide
> > > > Subject: Red-faced Cormorant obs. at Ediz Hook
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > At 4 p.m. today while walking (near the radio tower) on the outer
Ediz
> > > Hook road along Port Angeles harbor on a windy day, I noticed a
largish,
> > > thicker-billed dark black cormorant about 100 ft from me in the water
> near
> > > the shoreline, with a smaller and obviously finer-billed Pelagic
> Cormorant
> > > nearby about 30 ft from it. White was also obvious on the flanks and
> back
> > of
> > > the larger bird, which didn't seem like a Brandt's (which are common
> > here),
> > > so I put my binocs on it and to my surprise could see red coloring
> obvious
> > > around the base of the bill. The white markings were in rather
dorsally
> > > prominent, ragged streaks along the back and flanks; guide book
> > > illustrations (in Sibley and Harrison) indicate only more delimited
> > patches
> > > of white on the flanks, similar to those on Pelagic Cormorants.
> > > >
> > > > Didn't one of you Bob's see a Red-faced Cormorant here too recently?
> > > What's the past history of them being around here; this is the first
one
> > > I've seen one in all my years here.
> > > >
> > > > Bruce Moorhead
> > > > Port Angeles, WA
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
>
>