Hi everyone, was at Birdsland Reserve (Belgrave Heights, Victoria) this morning and noticed a bird I'd not seen there before. I've looked in the birdfinder but can't find it. It has a hooked beak. These shots are about the best I could get as it was in the middle of the lake and I couldn't zoom in far enough. The shots are cropped. Almost looks like it has a worried look on its face. What do you think it is please?
Looks like a Great Cormorant to me.
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
Great, thanks. I knew it was a fairly large bird as I watched it dive into the water but haven't seen it out of the water. And I knew it was different to the other cormorants I've seen there - pied cormorants, smaller with a white breast and yellow beak.
I'm wondering if this one is a young one as the beak isn't grey like the adult images I've seen and its feathers are more speckled that black.
Exciting to see a 'new' bird at the park and I'll be watching for more opportunities to get shots of it.
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
Definitely a Great Cormorant... The orange patch on its throat gives it away... You can also tell by the size to know that it's not a Little-black Cormorant, but we can't see that in the photo. In breeding, the orange on the side of the face is white (with orange on the lower mandible) and you can see the white "underpants" also. LB Cormorant is almost completely black, or dark in colour and no facial markings.
Brandon (aka ihewman)
Thanks Brandon. Yes, I knew the little ones were almost completely black so knew it wasn't one of those but didn't know about the Great Cormorant so I've learned something new
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
Got more shots now and it appears there's a family of 4 living at the lake now. Am I correct in assuming that the ones with the grey beaks are juveniles?
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
Peter
Thanks for that Peter. So the Great and Little Cormorants are hanging around together. I've seen them in a tree together, then on some dead wood in the lake and then gliding around the lake together.
Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria