Brandt's Cormorants

We've been seeing these birds out on the cliffs around here forever, and today is the first time I noticed their blue neck pouches. I couldn't figure out what those bright turquoise flashes were until I got home and enlarged the photos, and then I had to google blue beaks. I included an enlargement just so you can see how it works. I absolutely need to go back to this site with my big camera and lens, because I'm not at all happy with the quality of these photos, but I am beside myself with this discovery. Apparently only breeding adults have this blue feature, called a gular pouch, and it is part of their courtship display. They crouch, spread their tail feathers, show their gorgeous throats. The photo shows some birds already sitting on nests; you can also see some wispy white feathers on a few individuals--again, not something I've ever seen before on these birds.