Possible Australasian Darter, Napier

[Oscar Thomas]

Steve Sutcliffe reports an Australasian Darter near Napier, Hawkes Bay via eBird on 18/11.

Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S122739357
Comments: "Full details submitted. Cormorant sized black bird with dagger like yellow bill and white strip behind eye. Range 20m, sitting low in water in edge of vegetation. Sadly no photo taken.” (but here’s one from the internet to grab your attention)

[Wrybill]

I saw that sighting on e bird rare bird alert earlier this morning

Hopefully its a true sighting and not a over sized black shag.

[Michael Szabo]

Yes, hopefully it can be verified as a darter and not a shag. There's a small number of Spotted Shags on the coast near that location so that needs to be ruled out.

[AlfieB77]

Perhaps a female Australasian Darter could be confused with spotted shag from afar?

[Wrybill]

maybe but 20 meters is ok for a sighting??

[Michael Szabo]

As this photo by Steve Attwood from NZ Birds Online shows, Spotted Shag is a potential confusion species, and one that occurs near the location where this sighting was reported:
https://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/sites/all/ ... a973_o.jpg

[paradoxdinokipi]

Any follow-up?