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Attachment 1183

Attachment 1184Northern gannet Morus bassanus

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Identification Tips:

• Length: 31 inches Wingspan: 70 inches
• Sexes similar
• Pelagic bird only coming ashore to breed
• Large bird that dives for fish from air
• Takes 4 years to reach adult plumage
• Largest booby

Adult

• White head, body, tail, and inner wings
• Yellowish wash on head
• Black outer wing
• Large, gray, pointed bill
• Gray legs and feet

Immature

• Dark brown plumage
• White patches appearing as the bird ages

Similar species:


The Northern Gannet is by far the most common booby from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. It is identifiable at great distances by its plunge-diving behavior and large size. The adults are easy to separate from other white boobies by the lack of black on the inner wings. Immatures can be confused with other immature boobies but typically lack white patches on the rump or upper back until they also have white heads.
Length and wingspan from: Robbins, C.S., Bruun, B., Zim, H.S., (1966). Birds of North America. New York: Western Publishing Company, Inc.

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Patuxent Bird Population Studies
Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter

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Custom Built T-Tops/Towers/Hardtops, Etc...
Bluewater Tops, LLC CLINTON, CT

BluewaterTops

After Seeing The Most Spectacular Air Show On Relentless Last Year I Have Been Intriqued With This Bird, Awesome Birds. Thanks Capt Dave

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Custom Built T-Tops/Towers/Hardtops, Etc...
Bluewater Tops, LLC CLINTON, CT

Roy

That was an owesome day. Dave worked his ass off to find the fish.
When he found the birds diving and the whales feeding everything went crazy. I had a great time.

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74Formula233

Dive Bombers.......

Hard to see in the next two pics, but there were way more that day than you can see here:

Attached Images

	100_2935.jpg (515.8 KB, 6 views)
	100_2936.jpg (533.0 KB, 4 views)

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Roy

Eric did you get any pics of the whales that day?

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