Bruce,
Bob Boekelheide is off on vacation and thus I will rise to answer a
couple of points. The bird was seen by Dave & Julie Jackson with two birding
friends from Virginia. I do not know the Jacksons but Bob B. wrote: "They
reported that it had significantly more red on the face than the nearby
Pelagics, including across the bill. They also clearly saw saw the yellowish
pale bill and one of them remarked about seeing blue at the base of the
bill." Bob also said that they came up with the information without having
to be led. He was impressed and called some local birders to try to relocate
it. I was not one of them as I had left for New Hampshire (there always
seems to be something exceptional when I leave).
Bob told me that they were writing up the bird for the WRBC. I am sure
he leaned hard on them about that since he is on the committee.
Bob Norton
norton36 at olypen.com
Joyce (near Port Angeles), WA
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bruce Moorhead" <bruceb at olypen.com>
To: "Eugene and Nancy Hunn" <enhunn323 at comcast.net>;
<ned.mcgarry at verizon.net>; "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 4:20 PM
Subject: Re: 06-14-04 "Red-faced Cormorant" obs. at Ediz Hook most likely
inaccurate


> 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
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>