An extremely rare visitor to Western New York State this week is a Neotropic Comorant. The bird was first spotted in our area on early Thursday morning and is still here as of today. This is only the second time one has been reported in all of New York State. This is a bird native to Central and South America with a range that normally extends as far north as Texas. The first sighting of one in NYS was a few years ago on Lake Ontario.
NICE in-flight shot of the bird, showing several key features: tail longer than any other cormorant's tail and roughly as long as the neck; v-shaped white border surrounding the gular pouch; relatively short bill.
ReplyDeleteI wish we could ask the bird what brought it so very far north and east of its range.
Awesome, Gale! Great job re-finding this bird too! Amazing, actually!
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