I spotted this cormorant in Agua Caliente Park last March. A warm spring feeds the three ponds in this park.I didn't know before that cormorants came inland. Note the turtle sunning itself on the branch in the first two photos.
"The Double-crested Cormorant is the most numerous and widespread North American cormorant. It's also the only one that occurs in large numbers inland as well as on the coast. Growing in numbers throughout its range, this cormorant is increasingly being blamed for declines in sport fisheries and for devastating fish farms. ... [It] dives from the surface of the water and chases prey underwater. Grabs fish in bill, without spearing it." [Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds web site]
[These photos are heavily cropped. Thanks to my Canon 70-300mm zoom lens. I could barely see the cormorant across the pond, and didn't see the turtle until I enlarged the photo.]
2 comments:
It is so interesting to see cormorants inland. I had no idea. Love that turtle, too. What a sweet surprise.
Great Photos. We get the DC Cormorant here in Southern Idaho. They nest in large rookeries next to Great Blue Herons down along the Snake River. I also see an occasional wanderer in some of our lakes.
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