Thursday, September 07, 2006

Double-crested Cormorant

I hadn't really seen much to note yesterday morning, except one little Spotted Sandpiper on a rock in the middle of the river, and had decided to return home for that second cup of tea. However, before doing that I decided to check out the pond area in the woods down by the river. Just as I was approaching the pond I could see a large bird in the river and at first thought it might be a duck.
Trying to be as quiet as possible, though I kept snagging my feet on the tall grasses beside the pond, I suddenly saw an Osprey splash into the river beyond and catch a fish. Forgetting about stealth I quickly captured the distant action in a burst of picture taking.

Thinking that the large bird I had seen in the river previously was probably gone, I approached quickly and was surprised to see that it was still there; a Double-crested Coromorant! I seldom see those birds here! When it saw me it took a short flight to create some distance between us and then landed again; creating a great photo opportunity for me. A 'nothing morning' of sightings had suddenly turned quite exciting.

Previously this summer I had photographed these Cormorants along the Saint John River.

No comments: