what would this bird be?

I didn't get a pick of them they are to far a way to tell anything on a pic. We have seen them on the water on MT and the Missouri. They look to be solid black. They are not coots. To big for coots and they have a dark bill. Is there a black duck or black goose that I don't know about? Just noticed them this year. Looked in my bird book and couldn't find anything. Could it just be a color phase they are going through? It is 1 of those things that when the fish aren't biting you set around and observe stuff and then ask questions you don't have answers for.

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Originally Posted by perchplucker

I didn't get a pick of them they are to far a way to tell anything on a pic. We have seen them on the water on MT and the Missouri. They look to be solid black. They are not coots. To big for coots and they have a dark bill. Is there a black duck or black goose that I don't know about? Just noticed them this year. Looked in my bird book and couldn't find anything. Could it just be a color phase they are going through? It is 1 of those things that when the fish aren't biting you set around and observe stuff and then ask questions you don't have answers for.

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I would guess they would be cormorants they are fish eating machines!!!!!!

I second that they are probably cormorants and that they are indeed fishing eating machines. In some countries they train them to catch fish for the fishermen who actually ride them around the lakes or rivers on their boats and once the cormorants find fish... the fisherman give the command and the cormorants dive from the boats and bring back the fish. The fishermen place bands around their necks to prevent the cormorants from eating (swallowing) the fish. The birds are trained to know that the fisherman will reward them with a fair portion of the proceeds. Check it out Fishing with birds! - Wild China - BBC - YouTube

What they said. Seen them everywhere I've been the last couple of weeks. There's a bunch of pelicans on smithville right now also. Their chowing down on the shad like everything else.

what would this bird be?

you mean besides worthless?,,,,,

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Originally Posted by kazualobzerver

what would this bird be?

you mean besides worthless?,,,,,

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not all together worthless, they were hammering the baby asian carp a couple weeks ago. pelicans, too. this is the second year I have seen the cormorants, last year around late october I saw some and had to ask what they were. never noticed pellicans or seagulls until a few years ago when I started winter fishing the Missouri. the bird activity is amazing and everywhere in the wintertime, one of my favorite parts of winter fishing, now.

Yep. When put in at New Haven in the winter and go up to where the bluffs are on the north side of the river you can look over in the trees on the south bank and there is eagles everywhere. It is fun to see just how many there are in the winter.

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Originally Posted by south point

not all together worthless, they were hammering the baby asian carp a couple weeks ago.

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shows that if you look hard enough guess everything has a good side,,,,,,cept olesilversides ,,,:dono :)

That is what they looked like. Had never saw them before. We also saw a bunch of pelicans early in the summer in some Missouri river backwater. Never saw them here before either. Well not in the numbers that we saw that day. They can eat all the carp they can hold. I am really tired of those stupid things.

Great! Now Joedog is learning to be a bird trainer? Wonder if they can retrieve lures from trees? :Rofl

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Originally Posted by keeferfish

Great! Now Joedog is learning to be a bird trainer? Wonder if they can retrieve lures from trees? :Rofl

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Hey, Bill....I got a bird for you.

My vote goes for cormorants as well. They wreak havoc on salmon and steelhead smolt here. I don't think there is a bag limit on them. 😈 If there is there shouldn't be.