Sparkling blue eyes

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Sparkling blue eyes

April 21, 2020 by Mike Powell

I never fail to be entranced by the striking blue eyes of a Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus), like this one that I spotted last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Most of the time when I spot cormorants, they are in the deep waters and their eyes are too far away to be seen. Even when they are a bit closer, the eyes are often hidden by shadows.

On this occasion, however, the cormorant was in a small pond, so I was able to track it easily after I spotted it. On one of its dives the cormorant popped up within range of my camera and turned into the light for a moment before it submerged itself again, allowing me to get this shot with a clear view of its sparkling blue eyes.

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife | Tagged Canon 50D, cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Phalacrocorax auritus, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | 11 Comments

11 Responses

on April 21, 2020 at 8:32 am | Reply Reed Andariese

Nice Mike! They do have very blue eyes! Fun to see!
on April 21, 2020 at 10:22 am | Reply mitzybricker

Nice capture, Mike. 😊

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on April 21, 2020 at 11:37 am | Reply mvschulze

Zooming in on that eye, Mike, shows an amazing complexity! Nice shot. M 🙂
on April 21, 2020 at 11:44 am | Reply Dan Antion

Great photo!
on April 21, 2020 at 12:10 pm | Reply Grady

Love this pic! Amazing blue eyes! Thanks for sharing, Mike!
on April 21, 2020 at 1:15 pm | Reply Ellen Jennings

Very nice capture of the eye, and that hooked beak, too!
on April 21, 2020 at 5:08 pm | Reply Ellen

I sent this on to the little observationist this morning. He has three observations : 1) “My favorite two colors, the bluest blue and the bestest orange!” 2) “That beak is really sharp!” 3) “The water looks super duper.” Thank-you, Mr. Mike!
- on April 21, 2020 at 7:22 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  You know how much I enjoy getting feedback from Benjamin and these are all so sweet. I wondered if anyone was going to comment on the hooked beak and I am not surprised that he noticed it. Please pass on my thanks to him.
on April 21, 2020 at 6:17 pm | Reply krikitarts

Sparkling is a great way to describe the eye–it really is startling, and I don’t think I’ve seen this characteristic highlighted before. Great catch, Mike!
- on April 21, 2020 at 7:17 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Gary. I think a lot people focus on the fact that the cormorant’s wings are not waterproof, which forces a cormorant to spread them wide to dry them out. I have captured the blue eyes before, but never quite as well as this time.
on April 25, 2020 at 8:59 am | Reply Molly Lin Dutina

I never knew they had blue eyes. I wonder if underwater in the tropics their eye and orange feathers around it look like just another fish?