Saturday 8 March 2014

sin or car

There I was in Blyth harbour the other day snapping away at Cormorants as they rounded the jetty returning to their roost on the other side of the river, as you do when it's bleak and cold. On comparing photos I wondered whether I had captured a Continental (Phalacrocorax sinensis) race bird above.
Compare with this one which is the nominate British race (Phalacrocorax carbo). Not being any sort of expert a check on BWPi gave the distinctions sinensis ID of gular patch angle greater than 85 deg, slightly smaller in size especially the bill and tends to reflect green blue in the feathers rather than purple blue for carbo.
Size appears right but poor light for reflection so the gular comparison. 85 degrees? 

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