Cormorants!

[brewmaster15]

These Birds are really not much liked by many people. They are the bane of boat owners as they make a mess roosting on boats. They aren't pretty and showy in their colors. They are common and really not something most people notice except when they are making a mess. Its really not a bird most people really strive to photograph. Still, I have a soft spot for them, especially this time of year when they are courting.


Double-crested cormorant ( Nannopterum auritus) by Al Sabetta, on Flickr

Splash Down! by Al Sabetta, on Flickr

Double-crested cormorant ( Nannopterum auritus) by Al Sabetta, on Flickr

Double-crested cormorant ( Nannopterum auritus) by Al Sabetta, on Flickr

Up Up and away! by Al Sabetta, on Flickr

Double-crested cormorant ( Nannopterum auritus) by Al Sabetta, on Flickr

Double-crested cormorant ( Nannopterum auritus) displaying by Al Sabetta, on Flickr

Double-crested cormorant ( Nannopterum auritus) Displaying by Al Sabetta, on Flickr

Peak a boo! by Al Sabetta, on Flickr

Aren't I lovely? by Al Sabetta, on Flickr

I really love their eyes, and the ear tufts they get for breeding season. Watching them spread out their wings in display while floating is really amazing, I can't imagine how hard that must be to stay a float! Just amazing creatures.

al

[bluelagoon]

Nice pics, thanks for sharing. You're correct about folks not liking them much. They're ok in small numbers but..... I grew up on a harbor with lush green islands and nowadays the trees are all dead and the common terns have left from being guanoed on.

[brewmaster15]

Thank you Mervin.

Yes unfortunately these birds can really alter their environment... anywhere birds roost in large numbers can. rookery areas are generally not the greatest place under trees. What makes some birds more of a problem though is how well they adapt humans.. Birds that can thrive near us are usually going to have an effect on their environment. Cormorants fit that bill perfect.

[LizStreithorst]

I've never seen these birds, but from the pictures, they are very beautiful.

[Second Hand Pat]

Wonderful photos Al and I really like cormorants and they are beautiful in their own way.
Pat

[dagray]

Great photos Al.

We have a few varieties of Cormorant here, and they are fun to watch.

[Iminit]

Lol as a past boat owner I’ve got nothing good to say about Cormorants. Really just ugly birds that just one can wreck havoc on your boat. Viewed by many here as worse than rats and pigeons .

[bluelagoon]

I think most of us like birds. I guess the most least liked bird by me would be the European Starling. They eat chicks of our local song birds and take up niches that our own birds use; a parasite pest that was brought here. I'd shoot everyone of those that I could but not with a camera. By the way I don't have a gun.

[brewmaster15]

Lol as a past boat owner I’ve got nothing good to say about Cormorants. Really just ugly birds that just one can wreck havoc on your boat. Viewed by many here as worse than rats and pigeons .

Here you go Tom... took this a awhile back

Waiting out the rain by Al Sabetta, on Flickr

al

[Iminit]

Lol! Bet if the owner of that boat saw that he’d be at Dicks buying a 22.

[brady]

Al,Where did you take those pictures? I may be wrong but I'm betting LI sound.
Jay

[Charlyc11]

I use to have a fake owl on my sailboat in East Setauket Long Island to keep them away after replacing my sail cover. Still had to hose the deck down every time. Very nice pic's Al they bring a little nostalgia from the Long Island North shore. 5 Minutes from my moored boat in Setauket Marina.

[brewmaster15]

Al,Where did you take those pictures? I may be wrong but I'm betting LI sound.
Jay

Hi Jay,
All the pics this thread except the one with the boat were taken on the pond at Chatfield hollow state park, the boat pic was from a small town in New Hampshire from a few years back.

[brewmaster15]

I use to have a fake owl on my sailboat in East Setauket Long Island to keep them away after replacing my sail cover. Still had to hose the deck down every time. Very nice pic's Al they bring a little nostalgia from the Long Island North shore. 5 Minutes from my moored boat in Setauket Marina.

Thank you Chuck!

[Iminit]

These must be European cormorants!!19E4A21B-ADF1-420F-8846-2DDA3ECBFB15.jpg they dive under water and seem to have crowns!!