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Japanese/Temminck's Cormorant? 綠背鸕鷀

Japanese/Temminck's Cormorant? 綠背鸕鷀

The cormorant I have been watching over the last two weeks came closer early this morning and I managed to get a few reasonable photos.



Pictures taken at Po Toi today, 18/1/2007 蒲台

I think this is Temminck's, for the following reasons

1. the yellow skin behind the bill forms a point at the gape and also goes around the eye.

2. the lower mandible is a pale pinkish colour, particularly at the base, and the upper mandible is darker grey.

3. the tail is shorter than Great, which means the wings are in the rear half of the body rather than central as in Great.

This bird appears to have a regular early morning habit. It flies over to Po Toi from Dangan Island, crossing the S point of Po Toi and flying NW along Po Toi past the harbour, then up the channel between Po Toi and Beaufort Island. I don't know where it goes after that. I have now seen it on my last three early morning sea watches at 7.40am on 11th, 8.10am on 17th (a wet morning) and 7.45am today.

[ Last edited by wgeoff at 18/08/2010 17:27 ]

TOP

Well done for getting these photos.

I would agree that this is a Temmick's for the reasons stated.

2nd winter bird (i.e. now just into its third calendar year?

Mike Leven

TOP

Thanks for confirming the id Mike.

Let's hope it stays around and more people can see it.

TOP

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