{"id":97225,"date":"2021-11-12T04:57:37","date_gmt":"2021-11-12T11:57:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=97225"},"modified":"2021-11-12T04:57:37","modified_gmt":"2021-11-12T11:57:37","slug":"wondering-about-overwintering-double-crested-cormorants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/11\/12\/wondering-about-overwintering-double-crested-cormorants\/","title":{"rendered":"Wondering About Overwintering Double-crested Cormorants"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ImmatureImmature Double-crested Cormorant drying its wings \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/4000, ISO 800, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Last winter I missed seeing overwintering Double-crested Cormorants at my local ponds and in other locations in northern Utah where I typically see them. We had a mild winter with less than average snowfall and I didn’t understand why I wasn’t seeing these fish-eating waterbirds. Typically I see Double-crested Cormorants in every month of the year here except for last winter and it puzzled me<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

A few days ago I saw several Double-crested Cormorants flying into my local pond as I moved my Jeep from the road to the driveway close to sunset and that started me wondering about them again. I photographed this immature cormorant drying its wings at my local pond in November of 2018.<\/p>\n

I enjoy photographing the Double-crested Cormorants at my local pond on winter evenings because of the golden light that can be found then. I like watching them cruising the pond for fish, interacting with other cormorants, and chasing some of the diving ducks around while trying to steal their prey. I also keep hoping to photograph them flying in formation down to the pond with the snow covered Wasatch Mountains<\/span><\/a> in the background.<\/p>\n

Will I see overwintering Double-crested Cormorants this winter?<\/p>\n

I really don’t know. The Wasatch Mountains are already snow topped and it won’t be long before winter arrives in the valley too. I will have to wait and see.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Double-crested Cormorant photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last winter I missed seeing overwintering Double-crested Cormorants at my local ponds and in other locations in northern Utah where I typically see them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":97222,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,144,709,26],"tags":[970,5548,5200,149,5596,4620,5381,4067,4173,1984,8018,3996,5123,5498,4193],"class_list":["post-97225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-double-crested-cormorant","category-salt-lake-county-utah","category-utah","tag-autumn","tag-cormorant","tag-cormorants","tag-double-crested-cormorant","tag-drying","tag-fall","tag-hatch-year","tag-immature","tag-nannopterum-auritus","tag-pond","tag-urban","tag-water","tag-waterbirds","tag-wings","tag-young"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/double-crested-cormorant-hatch-year-mia-mcpherson-9716.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-pi9","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":100505,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/03\/09\/four-double-crested-cormorants-resting-on-the-bank-of-the-bear-river\/","url_meta":{"origin":97225,"position":0},"title":"Four Double-crested Cormorants Resting On The Bank Of The Bear River","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 9, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"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.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Four Double-crested Cormorants next to the Bear River, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/double-crested-cormorants-four-on-bear-river-mia-mcpherson-0074.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/double-crested-cormorants-four-on-bear-river-mia-mcpherson-0074.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/double-crested-cormorants-four-on-bear-river-mia-mcpherson-0074.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/double-crested-cormorants-four-on-bear-river-mia-mcpherson-0074.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":111204,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/03\/14\/double-crested-cormorant-on-the-bear-river\/","url_meta":{"origin":97225,"position":1},"title":"Double-crested Cormorant on the Bear River","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 14, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"I photographed this adult Double-crested Cormorant at the end of March last spring as it swam by me on the Bear River. The color of its eyes was so striking.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Spring Double-crested Cormorant on the Bear River, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/double-crested-cormorant-spring-bear-river-mia-mcpherson-4968.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/double-crested-cormorant-spring-bear-river-mia-mcpherson-4968.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/double-crested-cormorant-spring-bear-river-mia-mcpherson-4968.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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Wings","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Almost two years ago, I was at a small pond in a city park near where I lived in Utah when I photographed this Double-crested Cormorant drying their wings.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult Double-crested Cormorant drying their wings, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/double-crested-cormorant-wings-mia-mcpherson-3146.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/double-crested-cormorant-wings-mia-mcpherson-3146.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":137325,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/11\/24\/pink-hour-american-white-pelicans-and-double-crested-cormorants-over-the-arkansas-river\/","url_meta":{"origin":97225,"position":5},"title":"Pink Hour: American White Pelicans and Double-crested Cormorants over the Arkansas River","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 24, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Today, I'm sharing a photo of a small flock of American White Pelicans and a Double-crested Cormorant flying by in the gorgeous pink sky at the lock and dam.","rel":"","context":"In "American White Pelicans"","block_context":{"text":"American White Pelicans","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/pelicans\/white-pelicans\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"American White Pelicans and Double-crested Cormorants over the Arkansas River in early morning light, Robert S. 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