Some Kinda Freaking Frigatebird in Okinawa (Photos)

It Was Supposed to Be an Easy Day

Last night a guy sitting in a bar, watching TV, said "Albatross".

The birds they were showing looked like this one, to me.

So, I asked the guy if he's ever seen one of them in Okinawa.

And, he says, "Nope".

Well, I told him, he just gave me an idea for my blog.

These photos were taken back in 2007.

All I had to do was dig through some old files and post them, along with a good link.

That would mean about 20 minutes of work and I'd be done for the day.

The gal behind the counter was nice enough to loan me a pen.

The word, Albatross was scratched down on a napkin and slipped into my pack of smokes.

It's so much fun knowing tomorrow will be an easy day.

Heck, I bought the whole house a round and maybe, had ten more beers, myself.

Then, today happened.

Probably, a few thousand birds, online and called Albatross crossed my eyes.

None of them looked like this one.

Half a day of research is way more than needs to be wasted on one bird.

It was time to get some assistance or, scratch the blog for today.

I voted for HELP !

Twenty minutes after posting them in the Bird ID Forum, the emails started coming.

The bird isn't an Albatross.  It's some kinda freaking Frigatebird.

Moral of the Story

Don't talk to people watching TV in a bar, if you want to have an easy day tomorrow !

UPDATE:  From the Bird Forum.Net--This is a Great Frigatebird !

 

Based upon this information posted by Chris Butterworth,

"It's a 2nd > 3rd stage juvenile, white-breasted morph, Great Frigatebird. 

Lesser has much less white on the underparts and distinct 'spurs' of white running onto the

 underwing coverts and a tawny head at this stage".



More About the Great Frigatebird (Fregata minor) at ARKive

Wildlife Photos: Birds The Great Cormorant

NOTE: This is a correction. Originally ID'd as a Japanese Cormorant we have an update.

These photos depict the GREAT CORMORANT in Okinawa, Japan.

Their scientific name is Phalacrocorax carbo and they may be seen around the globe.

For informational purposes, only, I will leave the links to Japanese Cormorant here.

It is not my intent to mislead anyone reading this blog.

So, I gladly go back and edit whenever necessary and apologize for any inconvenience.

 Thanks to the good folks at BIRD FORUM for their assistance.

It is a big relief, knowing the birds in Okinawa aren't some sideshow for tourists.

Read About Those Other Cormorants Below:

The birds named Japanese or Temminick's Cormorant may be found in mainland, Japan.

In Japan, they are known as Umui (ウミウ) or, Sea Cormorant.

Phalacrocorax capillatus is the scientific name for them.

There are a few dozen more photos of these birds waiting to be developed.

Then, I'll be able to do a post of these comedians in action.

 While the sun is shining, I have to hurry back out there, before it's too late.

Up in mainland Japan, they became a major tourist attraction.

Now, I'm all for travel and tourism but, ain't so sure I want that happening around here!

Butterfly ID: I FEEL SO DUMB !

The Critter was Identified a long, long time ago; I just forgot !

Well, so much for my idiotic idea to have a Contest: Name This Butterfly.

A whole flock of people, over 300 took a look but, probably really didn't have any more time than I do to research it. Or, they all lived in New Jersey, had Butterfly Phds or something like that and were disqualified. Could be they just didn't want the photo of butterflies reproducing hanging on their wall. Who knows? Anyway, I got the contest thing outa my system, for awhile, until I come up with another brillaint idea.

There really is a winner, sorta. A guy I haven't seen in years posted something about it on my Facebook account. I'll buy him a beer and give him a photo but, won't post his name without his consent. At least the contest got me back in touch with someone I haven't seen for awhile.

Last night I went through all the trouble of resizing, retrieving lost passwords, even making a donation to one of the best sites, I've ever come across for identifying critters.

This one is worth bookmarking. Don't laugh, it's called the BIRD FORUM.

The site, I think may be in the UK, or somewhere like that. They use different English than I do and when you donate money to help them run the place they charge you in pounds, I think.

Whatever it is, they must not be worth as much as the last time I donated because it took less dollars to pay this year than last time I sent them some.

Really, you don't have to pay a dime to use the site; IT'S FREE !

There's probably several million members, from all around the world and real serious bird lovers. They call themselves Birders. Well, I irritate some of them when I tell them I'm not really a Birder. I'm a Wildlife Dude. I like all critters, not just birds. They are a great bunch of people; they tolerate me, humor me and sometimes, tell me what a crackin good shot I made when I post a picture in the gallery.

Some of these folks are probably scientists. A bird, bug or a furry critter, if you want to know what it is, just submit a photo to their ID Forum and you'll get a reply. It won't be some bogus answer like you'd find on the Wiki-peoples sites, either. It'll be TRUE and you'll even get the correct scientific name, everytime.

So, why do I feel so dumb? I'll tell you why:

I POSTED THE RED HELEN (Papilio helenus) ON THE BIRD FORUM OVER A YEAR AGO !

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