This past Monday I spotted some Double-crested Cormorants (Nannopterum auritum) in the waters off of Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge and once again they took off immediately, even though I was quite a distance away from them. Fortunately I anticipated that this would happen and was able to react quickly enough to capture the action. The second photo below shows the way that cormorants bounce across the water, leaving a trail of small splashes, to gain the speed needed to lift off from the water.
The first photo, my favorite of the two, depicts the cormorant on its last bounce, making final preparations for takeoff with its feet just barely in the water. I really like the position of the extended wings in this image and if you zoom in and look at the face, you will get a look at the brilliant turquoise eyes of the cormorant.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Fantastic action shots!
Thanks, Laura. This was one of those cases when my quick reaction helped me capture the action. It takes a bit of practice to see the action at a distance and to be able to point the zoom lens at the right spot–a bit like looking at the world through a drinking straw. 🙂