[cobirds] POSSIBLE ANHINGA in Delta County - update

On May 28 Delta County birder Sandy Beranich saw a possible ANHINGA (Anhinga anhinga) at Sweitzer Lake, near Delta, Delta County and reported it to eBird. 

Sandy has been searching the area and will look again with a park ranger, also a birder. Campground hosts also saw the individual in question. Here is the original eBird  note and all subsequent information from Sandy, whom I know from hotspot discussions.

Original post to eBIrd:

Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) (1)
- Reported May 29, 2018 08:33 by Sandy Beranich
- Sweitzer Lake, Delta, Colorado
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=38.712734,-108.032265&ll=38.712734,-108.032265
- Checklist: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S46138997
- Comments: "I could only see the underside of the bird, which included a striking very light tan to yellow-colored neck and upper breast; the rest of the bird was black. It was soaring and circling over me and I could not see its bill or back. I didn't note the tail length.The campground hosts had told me earlier that they had seen this bird and that it was one they had seen in Florida. Although skeptical, I compared the bird I saw to a Double-crested Cormorant and believe the flight pattern of soaring and real light tan-yellow neck and upper breast was a confirmation for the anhinga. Note that in 2016, there was a Neotropic Cormorant in nearby Montrose all summer, so I do expect unusual sightings."

Joe,

Before entering on eBird, I did go online and looked at images for both of these birds and then asked google to side-by-side compare the DC cormorant w Anhinga- the big thing seemed to be the way the anhinga soared, the tail length, and the bill shape- last two which i did not see- i use a 10x  binocular and the bird was circling quite high with the sun full on it. I will go back soon- the ranger who knew birds wasn't there today. The campgr hosts were from Tx and knew this bird and said they knew it wasn't supposed to be here- (nor was that neotropic cormorant supposed to be in montrose 2 yrs ago!) The convincing part was the way it circled overhead, just kind of floating. I just reviewed images again and note that what also struck me was a clear color change betw the light breast and dark rest of bird.

Sandy's note to me from June 4:

A little status on the Anhinga. I returned to Sweitzer Lake  on May 30 and drove the west and part of the south side of the lake where there are  two jetties. The park ranger thought it might be hanging out there. I stayed in place at several locations. I did not record findings on eBird and saw the usual expected birds similar to what I had found on the north and east sides.  I didn't see cormorants or the anhinga. Today, June 3, I returned to talk with the camp host to get more information (the host was not present on the 30^th) and to walk the dirt road on the north and east sides again. She said that a state park person was out to do a bird survey on Friday, May 25 and thought she had seen an Anhinga.  The camp host who is a birder said that on May 27 (Sunday) she had seen a group of 4 Anhinga's fly over, and then I was first there on May 29  and saw one Anhinga. The state person thought that the one she saw was just a fly over. Each of us saw the bird(s) flying in the same direction to the northwest. The camp host said she was positive that she was not looking at a cormorant and was very familiar with both birds. I thought the way the breast color had a distinct margin and the way it flew made it an Anhinga. The state park person is to return and do another bird survey and I will be notified and hope to meet up with her. I will chase this some more and let you know if something changes. 

Sandy

So in summary we have multiple observers seeing a bird they thought to be an Anhinga. The descriptions are plausible for Anhinga, but I am a little thrown off by the report of FOUR birds by the campground hosts.

BUT who knows? Birds fly.*  

Keep your gas tank full, and prepare an excuse for permission to be gone all day if this pans out.

There is one previous specimen of Anhinga from Aurora, Coal Creek, Arapahoe County on 9/24/1931. Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

That's the only Colorado record so far. Another specimen collected from 1927 is an Australian Darter (Anhinga melanogaster), an escapee from someone's darter collection.

Bob and Bob, p 14; also Bailey and Neidrach, p 92

Joe Roller, Denver

* The Lark Bunting, Sept, 2016

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