Beautiful black bird sitting on rock along Nisqually River. This bird is all black except for a small (couple inches) white spot towards it back end. Through binoculars we could see red around the eye of the Cormorant. Another cormorant flew by and dived into the water, but then left afterward. The bird had a yellowish beak. Due to distance no picture could be taken.
The Pelagic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus), also known as Baird's Cormorant, is a small member of the cormorant family Phalacrocoracidae. Analogous to other smallish cormorants, it is also called Pelagic Shag occasionally. This seabird lives along the coasts of the northern Pacific; during winter it can also be found in the open ocean.
