37 lines
1.2 KiB
Markdown
37 lines
1.2 KiB
Markdown
---
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id: 2026-02-27T17:11:14-0500
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title: 2026-02-27 17:11:14
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tags:
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- status/complete
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- topic/hobbies/birding
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daily: "[[2026-02-27]]"
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date-created: 2026-02-27T17:11:14-05:00
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---
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# 2026-02-27 17:11:14
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I confidently identified a cormorant
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from a peripheral glance while I was driving.
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I wondered how I was able to distinguish it from the very similar anhinga
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(also a black diving bird with a yellow beak and of the same size)
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despite the distance and poor focus of the sighting,
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and I believe it was the silhouette.
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While on the water's surface,
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Cormorants swim like geese or swans, with a S-shaped neck,
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where anhingas stretch their necks out forward
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with an upward angle to their beaks.
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It's because of this difference in posture
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that I associate cormorants with pride and dignity,
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where anhingas seem more to me
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like they're barely hanging on to their niche.
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I'm reminded of a conversation I had recently with a peer.
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They stated (as I interpreted it)
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that despite how popular it is to pretend otherwise,
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animals do not experience emotion
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in any way meaningfully similar to our own perception.
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To which I agree.
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Certainly cormorants do not feel pride,
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nor do anhingas feel the insecurity I project onto them.
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but sometimes lies are more useful than truth.
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