A small flock of Pelagic Cormorants Phalacrocorax pelagicus at the Dunes Peninsula Park in Tacoma, WA today.
On a bright, sunny, fairly warm morning I hurried to get out this morning in order to safely visit this popular park before many walkers got there. In this time of Covid-19 social isolation, even with my home-made mask and efforts to keep >6'away from any other walkers I am trying to only visit more remote areas.
Me with my homemade mask.
Pelagic Cormorants are one of three species of cormorants we see here in WA regularly. The other two, Double-crested and Brandt's Cormorants are larger, have much larger heads, and in breeding plumage lack the white flank patches of these Pelagic Cormorants.
Note the red facial skin, and the large white flank patch on this breeding plumage Pelagic Cormorant. In the winter it can be a challenge to tell the species apart, but in the spring like today, it's easy.
I hope you had a good and safe day. Here are a couple of other photos from this morning's walk.
A Coyote that had just finished eating an Eastern Cottontail rabbit.
Dunlin Calidris alpina are the only common wintering Calidris sandpiper in WA, though we see a few Lesser Sandpipers and Greater Yellowlegs. Some of these birds today were in their early molt, with the back starting to get reddish color and their bellies having a few blackish feathers
Good birding. Good day!
Be sure to check out the Bird Banter Podcast to hear birders talk birding. http://birdbanter.com/
