Two weeks ago I didn’t even realize that we had Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) in this area and now I can find quite a number of them on the Potomac River. It’s a little difficult to tell from the range maps in my bird guide if the cormorants are migrating through this area of if they may choose to winter here.
The more I observe these birds, the stranger they appear. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology described them this way—”The gangly Double-crested Cormorant is a prehistoric-looking, matte-black fishing bird with yellow-orange facial skin. Though they look like a combination of a goose and a loon, they are relatives of frigatebirds and boobies and are a common sight around fresh and salt water across North America.”
I am still working on getting some shots of the cormorants in the water, but as a start, here are a couple of images of a cormorant in the air. I took the first one before I knew that it was a cormorant—I have a habit of trying to capture anything in flight that is remotely in range. The second one shows a cormorant as he is taking off from the water after some bounding steps across the surface as he gained speed. The location of the light caused much of the cormorant’s body to be in the shadows, but did illuminate the details of some of its feathers.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
The lighting in this one is really beautiful, and you’ve caught the take-off perfectly. Well done!
Thanks, Sue. I’m finding that I have to spend time with the different birds observing them before I can get a feel for when they might be getting ready to do certain things like taking off. For the moment, a lot of my shooting is opportunistic (but I feel like I am getting a bit quicker on the draw).
I like the way he’s dancing on the water. Our two cormorants (that I know of) don’t seem to have come back this year.
Yes, I saw a pair in Seneca Creek State Park this year for the 1st time. Always nice to see a new bird.
Indeed it is. I am not as meticulous in keeping track of what I have seen as some of the birders and often have to wait to analyze my photos to see if I have captured a new species with my camera.
These are beautiful.
Thanks. I am finding all kinds of new birds to see this fall (and am happy when I get a chance to get decent shots of them).
Yes, it’s always nice to find something new. 🙂
Mike, there are three or four who have made Schoolhouse Pond in Upper Marlboro home lately. That would be a good spot to look for them in the water. There’s a boardwalk that encircles the pond. With your lens, you’d probably get a decent shot of them no matter where they would happen to be on the pond. Take some quarters with you. You can park right along the pond, but it’s metered because of the courthouse and county buildings.
Thanks for the tip. It’s a bit of a haul for me (about 25 miles away), but may consider that as another location to check out.
Beautiful shots! I am a huge fan of Cormorants but have only photos of them flapping their wings dry or sitting. Nice job.
Thanks. I am going through my photos to see if I have a couple I can post of them swimming too. It’s amazing how low they ride in the water–in some of the shots all you can see are the head and neck.
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It’s a thrill to find something new in the neighbourhood.
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Always love seeing the cormorant!
Thanks, Phil. I’m working on my technique for birds in flight and hope to get some better shots as I practive (it seems like the ability to track a bird in flight improves with practice–I sure hope so).
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