It’s Cormorant Time Again!

My obsession with iris is waning with the fading blossoms, but luckily it’s cormorant season so I won’t have any idle moments. Actually, I’m a little confused about cormorant season. I’d heard the birds were nesting at the end of the coastal trail, so I finally got over there to see for myself. Yes on the nests and the ensuing avian chaos that I’ve recorded over the years, but there were rather large babies on hand as well (you can see three fuzzy creatures in the middle of the image). I checked both my memory and my old photos, and it’s way too early for these gawky little things. May is usually filled with glimpses of eggs, maybe a noisy hatchling or two, but I don’t remember ever seeing teenagers this early. The ranger I spoke to didn’t know the whys and wherefores, so I will have to find a birder who can explain what’s happening. There were plenty of birds still sitting on their nests; only three or four families with chicks. You’ll probably be seeing more cormorant shots in the near future. I’ve got to remember how to photograph black birds in bright light.