I was in Green Hill, RI this past weekend and saw some huge flocks of birds floating about 1/4 - 1/2 mile out. They were there all weekend and numbered in the hundreds. Definitely all black, but from what I could see through the binoculars they didn't look like they had long necks like cormorants. Anyone else see them or have any idea what they were, and why they were there? I've never seen that before, I figured it had to do with bird mating season?? Thanks.

"Lou"

i saw some birds on friday and agian today that i didn't recognize either in and around buzards bay. They almost look like loons. Black head, ring around the neck, dark brown body, Duck shaped. Maybe its the same thing you saw. Doesn't help in the ID, sorry.

Sounds like a Gannet possibly?

i have never just seen a gannet floating out on the water, or just sitting around on dry land. Also, the first time there was just one, and then today I saw five sitting on the grass at fort phoenix. Normally I see 20+ gannets at a time. But, hey always seem to be feeding, so perhaps I was fooled, cause I've never seen one standing still, but I thought they had white body/head and dark wings?
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I scoured the internet, and I think the bird(s) I saw friday and today was a Black Brant...

merganser perhaps

There's a few flocks of those in Narragansett Bay as well. It's kind of odd, I don't usually see any birds like that at this point in the season. Usually they've left the area by now.

scoters probably but maybe oldsquaws if they really looked like ducks. lots of loons around to right now too.

those 3 ducks in that pic above look to 2 male eider's and 1 female....the other's could b coot's...these birds are hanging around longer cause no one is shooting at them..plus the weather really turned warm enough for them to leave.

Mergansers are the ones with the Elvis hairdo, eh Ducktails. Coots are the black/ white splotchy like Tonto's horse birds. You do see a lot of Brants this time of year. The migrating birds are an indicator of what's going on below the surface. This year make it a point to learn what happens when what bird shows. :hihi:

If they were all black they were probably Scoters, especially if they were floating around in a big flock. The Brants have gone North and they are usually seen closer to shore. I don't think coots hang out in salt water, brackish maybe, but not salt. Scoters are plankton feeders, not big fish indicators.

Navy Chief, that looks pretty close to what I saw. They were too far out for me to see in much detail, but they looked like they had more of a duck profile than a loon/cormorant. They were in really big groups. First I thought they were gulls after a bluefish blitz, just sitting there picking up the pieces, then I remembered its just April, or now May.... oh well. Thanks for all the help.

"Lou"