Brant's Cormorants

[EdV]

Last time I was to Monterey, CA (12 years ago), the jetty at the end of the Coast Guard Pier was full of Sea Lions. Twelve years later it was filled with Cormorants. The story is when the Sea Lions head south to their breeding grounds, the cormorants move in and nest. By the time their young have fledged, the Sea Lions are on their way back to reclaim their rocks.

Here are some Brant's Cormorant images from the jetty.

C&C welcome and appreciated.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s1/EdV_02/073_1_1-1.jpg

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s1/EdV_02/049_1_1-5.jpg

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s1/EdV_02/051_1_1-2.jpg

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s1/EdV_02/074_1_2.jpg

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s1/EdV_02/079_1_2.jpg

[Cooper911]

Really nice series. But good grief...that's a lot of Cormorants. #1 is simply a beautiful habitat/landscape capture. Really nice depth of field utilized here. I just hope they are not decimating the sea lions habitat. Good work.

[EdV]

Thanks Coop. Yes there were a bazillion of 'em and I think I took a family portrait of each one! :)

Supposedly, the way it works is that the Cormorant young fledge and eventually they all leave just in time for the return of the Sea Lions. What I don't remember though is all the whitewash from the birds when the Sea Lions are there. That jetty was pretty much awash in white all the way out.

[sugarzebra]

Like Ed days...thats a lot of Cormorants!! The first shot is very nice and has that "March of the Penguins" feel to it. The Cormorants range seems to be expanding....I saw the first one ever on our lake this summer and it was quite a surprise.

[EdV]

Like Ed days...thats a lot of Cormorants!! The first shot is very nice and has that "March of the Penguins" feel to it. The Cormorants range seems to be expanding....I saw the first one ever on our lake this summer and it was quite a surprise.

I've seen Cormorants both along the shore and inland but never in numbers like this. They were everywhere. Around here we see the Double-crested Cormorants. These in California were mostly Brant's Cormorants with the erstwhile Pelagic Cormorant thrown in for good measure.

[Cooper911]

Let me do a slight sidebar on the Cormorant. There is a Lake(or Bay) in Eastern Ontario, Canada that is renowned for its pickerel (walleye) and Bass fishing. A particular landmark known as Snake Island always held a healthy population of fish. When I arrived there this year ALL of the vegetation on the island including trees are dead. The island is completely white and the fish have left the area. The only thing left on the lifeless island are some Cormorants...these guys can be deadly.

[canonloader]

That's a lot of cormorants. Never seen the chicks before. :)

[hTr]

Great shots Ed

You really know how to show a story. Well Done

[EdV]

Let me do a slight sidebar on the Cormorant. There is a Lake(or Bay) in Eastern Ontario, Canada that is renowned for its pickerel (walleye) and Bass fishing. A particular landmark known as Snake Island always held a healthy population of fish. When I arrived there this year ALL of the vegetation on the island including trees are dead. The island is completely white and the fish have left the area. The only thing left on the lifeless island are some Cormorants...these guys can be deadly.

Very true Coop. These guys can take over an area. As I said when it was just Sea Lions, these rock were black. Now they are totally whitewashed. I don't know whether anything would remove all that. Yet supposedly the Sea Lions do return. Maybe they send the industrial cleaning team in first! :)

That's a lot of cormorants. Never seen the chicks before. :)

There were many nests and each had a couple of chicks of one age or another. I tried to show the range with photos 2, 3 and 4. #2 shows a teenager on the left. #3 has little 'uns in the nest under mom. #4 shows a pair a little older than #3 but younger than #2. Or something like that! :)

Great shots Ed

You really know how to show a story. Well Done

Thanks Gary. I know Cormorants aren't the most exciting of birds so I thought maybe a bit of a story to the series would help.

[Gary Fairhead]

Very nice series here starting with the first image and great story. They are starting to become more numerous here but hopefully they won't get out of control.

[EdV]

Very nice series here starting with the first image and great story. They are starting to become more numerous here but hopefully they won't get out of control.

Thanks Gary. I appreciate the feedback/comments. Glad you liked the images and story.

[morehtml]

Wow that's cool

[Maureen Souza]

I love the Cormorants, Ed. The shots are beautiful!

[dancad]

Quite the colony!! I see you had to pull out the Powershot for the first image's wide angle. Looks like you could get quite close...