I spotted this little family of Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) in the waters off of Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge this past Monday. The adult seemed bothered by something and initIally cried out before finally taking off, leaving the younger cormorants temporarily by themselves.
I am not actually completely certain that this is a family unit, but I think it is a pretty safe assumption when I look at the way that the smaller ones are paying attention to the larger cormorant. It also appears to me that the the adult was potentially reacting to a perceived threat and flew off as a way of protecting the younger ones.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Did not realize you were a family photographer! Nice story with the photos.
Thanks, Molly.
I’ve been sitting here trying to recall if I’ve ever seen young cormorants. I don’t think I have — maybe they take up residence here only as adults, and breed elsewhere. I’ll have to check that out.
I too may need to check out more about the breeding habits of cormorants, because I am not totally certain those were young ones. Interestingly enough, I saw about a dozen cormorants swimming all together the following day–usually I see only one or two at a time.
I often see large groups of them fishing — and there’s a group that roosts on the power lines along a local highway. There might be a hundred or more birds in that group, and they return every year.