I spent a lot of time this week at the north end of Boardman Lake in search of cormorants. I ended up taking nearly 700 pictures of these incredible, very large waterfowl.
The first cormorants I saw were perched on a log sticking out of the water. A third bird, probably a juvenile, was enjoying itself in the water. The cormorant ranges in size from 32-72 inches and typically weighs about 64 ounces.
While I was too far away to get a good close up shot, I delighted in watching one of the adults take to the air. He touched off three times before finally getting himself up. I enjoyed watching these birds through my binoculars as much as I did photographing them.
I left the first site and continued my search for more cormorants. They blend in quite well with their surroundings so I didn't see this grouping until I looked through my long lens. Count them, there are twelve of them. They were either preening or napping; I couldn't really tell.
Besides the big group, there were four or five nearby smaller groups, like this threesome. They looked like they were having a conversation.
When I returned to the larger grouping, they were all perked up with necks stretched out in various directions. You could see the variety of colors among them, males and females, juveniles, breeders and non-breeders. They stood there stiffly and made quite the family portrait.
I love the variety of groups and poses!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jan. They were fun to see.
ReplyDeleteThe last photo is my favorite one. They look like they are posing, just waiting to have there picture taken. I've not seen these in my area. Very nice.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mark. That last shot is pretty special. Hard to believe they'd all assume the same pose, but they did, even the one in the water.
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