This afternoon I swung by Percy Priest Dam in Nashville and found, below
the dam from the Stones River Greenway trailhead, what appears to be the
first Davidson County record of NEOTROPIC CORMORANT.
The water was low, with multiple rocky islands, and I noticed a lone
Cormorant which immediately struck me as more slight and thin than a
Double-crested. When I got a scope on the bird, I noted all dark lores, a
long tail, and a dark brown breast. The bird seemed less bulky even then
surrounding Mallards. I walked down the bank and took photos, which I sent
to several expert birder friends. I have seen quite a few Neotropics in
other states (and countries), but not with great frequency, and generally
not juvenile birds, which I believe this one was. It wasn't a slam dunk for
me, so I wanted to be sure. Initial response was positive for Neotropic, so
I posted it to Facebook's Rare Bird Alert and the Telegram TN Rare bird
group as "possible."
There now appears to be consensus that the ID is good. Abra Osario showed
up from my first report and observed the bird with me, and it was
stationary on a rock by the dam around 4pm. I don't know if anyone tried
for it between then and nightfall, but hopefully it will stick around.
Graham Gerdeman
Nashville
8-20-19