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)
Possible Australasian Darter, Napier
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Re: Possible Australasian Darter, Napier
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.
Hopefully its a true sighting and not a over sized black shag.
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- Michael Szabo
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Re: Possible Australasian Darter, Napier
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.
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Re: Possible Australasian Darter, Napier
Perhaps a female Australasian Darter could be confused with spotted shag from afar?
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Re: Possible Australasian Darter, Napier
maybe but 20 meters is ok for a sighting??
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- Michael Szabo
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Re: Possible Australasian Darter, Napier
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
https://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/sites/all/ ... a973_o.jpg
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Re: Possible Australasian Darter, Napier
Any follow-up?