Four Double-crested Cormorants next to the Bear River – Nikon D500, f11, 1/800, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
After driving the auto tour loop at Bear River MBR two days ago I stopped to photograph four Double-crested Cormorants resting on the bank of the Bear River. I was hoping to take a photo with all four cormorants facing my direction in the lovely morning light. That didn’t happen because a huge cloud blocked the sun not long after I took this image.
I saw other Double-crested Cormorants at the refuge that morning but none of them were as cooperative as these four were. To be fair though these cormorants were on the other side of the river from where I sat in my Jeep photographing them so they didn’t feel threatened by my presence at all. The other cormorants may have felt that I was a danger.
Double-crested Cormorants are extremely efficient at hunting their prey under the water. Since there are so many invasive carp at the refuge these cormorants can help by reducing the numbers of those fish.
I enjoy seeing and photographing Double-crested Cormorants in many locations in northern Utah. I find these water birds at the ponds close to where I live, at Farmington Bay WMA, Bear River MBR, at the far north end of Antelope Island and other lakes, ponds, marshes, and rivers in the state.
Now that the days are growing longer and warmer I expect that I will see these cormorants more often than I have over the winter months. Even though the weather is cruddy here today I may go down to my local pond this morning to see if I can find a few cormorants there to photograph in low light.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Double-crested Cormorant photos plus facts and information about this species.
Hi Mia – Lovely photos of the cormorants. A bird I never have gotten a satisfactory image of. I’m looking forward to exploring Bear River area Tues & Wed. Cheers, Christy
I love watching them in the wing-drying poses. And I love that you photograph them so beautifully, Mia. A lot of photographers seem pass by Double-crested Cormorants because we see them so often. But I adore these birds, their colors and plumage, their behaviors.
They do like to spruce up for spring, don’t they? 🙂
When do their crests come in?
They are in and coming in. It is hard to see in this photo though. I didn’t get to see any of the electric blue in their mouths because of how far away I was and they weren’t opening their bills.