Double-crested Cormorant

Double-crested cormorants are found through out much of North America. They are usually found in fresh or salt water habitats where they hunt fish by diving under the water. They are great swimmers, partially because they do not produce preening oils like most other waterfowl. These oils help birds like geese and ducks keep their feathers waterproof. With out these oils the cormorants feathers can get wet, which makes them less buoyant. Having less buoyancy helps them swim better underwater than many other species of waterfowl. Unfortunately it means that they have to dry themselves off by holding their wings out in the sun in order to make themselves light enough to fly. In most places that I have traveled cormorants are quite skittish but things are quite different in south Florida. It was not uncommon to see cormorants perched on the boardwalk rails at locations like Green Cay Nature Center.

Double-crested Cormorant in Flight

 The double-crested cormorant is a dark waterbird that is found through out North America. They primarily breed in colonies on lakes and larger ponds in the the central portion of the continent, although their are also some colonies on the east and west coast and Florida. The cormorants that breed in the central portion of the continent migrate to coastal regions of the East, West and Gulf Coasts during the winter. Doubkle-crested cormorants get their name from dual black and white crests that are visible on their heads during the breeding season.

 Like other cormorant species the double-crested cormorant does not produce as much preen oils as other birds. These oils help to provide birds such as ducks with a waterproof coating for their feathers. Having less preen oils the cormorant feathers can get soaked as they are diving for fish, which is their main type of food. Having their feathers soaked actually help them under the water because the added weight helps to compensate for the buoyancy of their light bodies. After they are done diving they can often be seen perched in the sun with their wings out stretched drying their feathers.

 In the 1960's the double-crested cormorant populations plummeted because of DDT. DDT was an insecticide that affected the production of egg shells in many different species of birds, including the cormorants. Most of the eggs would break while the birds were trying to incubate them because of their thin shells. DDT was banned in 1972 and like other species affected by DDT the cormorants have made a complete recovery.

Double-crested Cormorant

The double-crested cormorant is a water bird that is found through out much of North America. It is often mixed up with the anhinga because both birds are about the same size and color and both have long necks. Both cormorants and anhinga are often found standing in the sun drying their feathers because they do not have the water proofing oils that most waterfowl do. This helps them both to dive under water for fish. Though both species are from the same order of birds they are from different families. The cormorant is actually actually most closely related to boobies and frigatebirds. They are also found in much more temperate climates then anhinga are. They breed as far north as central Canada, migrating down to the Atlantic, Pacific, or Gulf Coast for the winter. This bird was fishing in the Mississippi river near Lock and Dam Number 1.

Double-crested Cormorant

I photographed this double-crested cormorant near the Ford Damn along the Mississippi River this summer. Cormorants are considered sea birds but the double-crested cormorant is widely distributed across much of the central portion of North America during the breeding season. Cormorants are often seen perched near water facing the sun with their wings spread open. This is because cormorants do not have the waterproof oils that most waterfowl use to waterproof their feathers. Instead the cormorant must leave the water and air dry their feathers.

Watery Wednesday: Park Point 10-08

Each year I try and spend some time up around Lake Superior during the fall and early winter. There is usually a lot to look at around this time of the year, fall colors, migrating raptors and warblers and usually some interesting birds out on the lake. Some of these waterfowl are just stopping to rest and feed on their way south while others will be spending their winter here.

As the edges of the lake begin to freeze many birders up around Duluth spend a good deal of time scanning the large groups of gulls that winter there, looking for some of the more rare visitors. Herring and ring-billed gulls, like the one above, make up the bulk of the wintering gulls but if you are lucking you might find a Bonaparte's, Franklin's, Thayer's or something even more rare mixed in.

You might spot a double-crested cormorant on one of those warm fall days in late September but it is most likely just stopping by on its way south, or it has spent the summer there and has not yet left. Cormorants spend the winter in coastal waters, mainly in the south.

Common mergansers are pretty common on much of the open water in Minnesota during the winter. They might stay up on Lake Superior near where the ice forms around the shore or they might move south to the parts of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers that do not freeze up during the winter.

Wet and Wild Wednesday

No this is not a new meme, at least not yet, it is just a new idea that I have had to showcase birds or animals that live, hunt, or just spend time in the water on Wednesdays. This first Wet and Wild Wednesday features some waterfowl that I photographed on the Minnesota and South Dakota border on my way to a shorebird workshop back on August 8th.
As I was about to cross the border into South Dakota, I came across the headwaters of the Minnesota River as it runs out of Big Stone Lake. There in the river I spotted about a half a dozen American white pelicans.

We do not see American white pelicans in most of Minnesota except during migration. They spend their summers on interior lakes in the north central and western portions of North America. This would include areas from western Minnesota to northern California and up into Canada.
White pelicans eat mainly fish. They catch their prey by dipping their head under water and scooping fish up with the pouch that is connected to the lower mandible of their bill. This pouch can stretch about six inches allowing it to expand to hold approximately 3 gallons of water and fish.
White pelicans are fairly social birds. They are often found hunting together in small groups. These hunting groups will swim in a circle gathering the fish together and then will all dip their bills to scoop up the fish at the same time. American white pelicans nest in large colonies with the nests located on the ground. When they migrate south for the winter, to Southern California, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Mexico and Central America, the pelicans will also travel in large flocks, most often flying in a V formation.
Another bird that was mixed in with the pelicans was a double-crested cormorant. Although they spend a lot of time in the water, or under the water diving for fish, the cormorants feathers are not waterproof like those of other waterfowl. That is why you often see cormorants standing with their wings stretched out, typically exposed to the sun. They actually need to do this to dry their feathers so that they can fly.

Birding Makes a Return at the Bass Ponds

If you are a fairly new visitor to Ecobirder you might be a bit confused. After all with a name like Ecobirder you are probably expecting to see pictures of birds, instead of all of the insects that I have been posting lately. That is why we, Michelle helped to chose the name, called it Ecobirder because the eco part represents all of the non-birding nature pics that I post. However, how about if I post some bird pics that I shot at the Bass Ponds in July so you bird purists out there do not totally walk out on me.
While I was traveling around the ponds, checking the trees for passerines and the tall grass for butterflies and dragons, a double-crested cormorant made a big splash on the scene.
The double-crested cormorant is the most widely seen cormorant in North America. Where most cormorants are only found near the coast the double-crested cormorant are found in large numbers on inland lakes and water ways. The double-crested cormorant was listed as a species of special concern by the Audubon Society back in the 70's but since then there numbers have exploded. This increase in population has caused conflict with fisheries, who claim that the cormorants eat their fish as well as some park management, fecal matter from nests has a tendency to kill trees.
The sudden arrival of the cormorant startled a great egret who was fishing on the pond, either that or the guy with the big camera eye staring at it.
The great egret is a member of the heron family and is found across much of the world. The great egret, like many members of the heron family, was decimated by plume hunters in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They rebounded after federal laws were put in place to protect them. Today the great egret is the symbol of the National Audubon Society.
All of the racket over at the pond, what with that prima donna symbol of the Audubon Society and the paparazzi photographing it, caught the attention of a cedar waxwing that was trying to take a snooze.
The cedar waxwing gets its name from the red, waxy appearing, tips on some of the secondaries. The tips are clearly visible in both photos above. The purpose of the red tips is not known for sure however some believe that they may come into play during mate selection. Cedar waxwings are berry eaters and can get intoxicated from eating fermented berries.

Black Dog Lake

After making a quick stop at the Minnesota Nalley NWR Visitors Center on the 10th I decided to run down to the Black Dog Unit and see if there was anything on the open water that would be interesting to photograph. I was hoping to get some eagles fishing or at least down on the ice but there were not any eagles around. The trumpeter swans that have been on the lake all winter were still there so I walked out the trail around the lake and took a couple of pics.
While I was walking back a double-crested cormorant landed on the channel that runs between the lake and the Minnesota River. While it moved down the channel it held its wings up in the air in order to dry them. Unlike most water birds the cormorants feathers are not water proof and so they often need to dry them out before they can fly.

It was unusual to find a cormorant still in the area in January. Cormorants typically migrate to a winter range in the south gulf states, Mexico, or California.

Ding Darling NWR

The Ding Darling Refuge on Sanibel Island is considered by many birders as the top birding location in the US. It was first set aside as the Sanibel National Wildlife Refuge in 1945 by Harry Truman. Later, in 1967, it was renamed for Jay Norwood Darling, environmentalist, political cartoonist and creator of the first duck stamp, who was instrumental in getting the land preserved.

Located on Sanibel Island on the gulf coast of Florida the 6400 acres refuge consists mostly of submerged seagrass beds, mangrove forest, cordgrass marshes, and West Indian hardwood hammocks and is habitat for over 220 species of birds. Many waterfowl from all over North America migrate to their wintering grounds in the Ding Darling NWR, these include American white pelican, double-crested cormorant, snowy and great egrets, and well as many other types of birds.

If you visit Florida and you are at all interested in birds Ding Darling is a place that you must visit.

Birding the Black Dog Unit of Minnesota Valley NWR

Sunday morning (Oct 7) it was still sunny out so I headed out to the Black Dog Unit of the Minnesota Valley NWR. I parked at the River Hills Drive entrance, which is on the west side of the park, and headed north on the trail. Right before the trail took me into deep woods I spotted a red-tail circling in the sky over the lake. Once I was in the woods I spotted quite a few sparrows, warblers, robins and chickadees. Unfortunately it was too dark, in the woods to get many pictures.
At one point the trail led out to the railroad track. A ways down the tracks I spotted a couple of wild turkeys crossing. In the tall grass next to the tracks I spotted a green darner landing so I snuck in and got a couple of shots.

I could tell that this one was a female by it's red abdomen. Since I was in the open I noticed that the sky had begun to cloud up. Since I did not have any rain gear for the camera I decided to turn back and drive to the other side of the lake. By the time I got down to Black Dog Road the skies where threatening rain so I decided to drive around the lake and see if there was anything that I could get pictures of from the car. While I was going past the power plant I noticed a double-crested cormorant perched high in the trees on the side of the river.Further down Black Dog Road I found a spot that I could park where there was a field next to a channel that allows water from the river to flow into the lake. It was not raining yet so I decided to explore. There were a few sparrows around and about a half a dozen cormorants in the lake. I was chasing a clouded sulfur around trying to get a picture when I caught sight off a pearl crescent butterfly. The crescent was a lot more cooperative then the sulfur who was fluttering around like a toddler on a sugar high.Shortly after I got back to the car it began to lightly rain so I decided that I would prolly not get any more pictures so I headed home.

Lake Superior boat trip

On Saturday Michelle and I took a birding trip on Lake Superior organized by Mike Hendrickson. We drove up to Duluth on Friday evening, after work, and stayed in a motel in Superior, WI. We were up early Saturday morning and over to Duluth in time to take a short trip around Park Point before getting on the boat. The main purpose of the trip was to try and find jaegers. There had been reports of all 3 types of jaegers having been spotted earlier in the week so we were all hopeful. As we left Duluth harbor on the L.L. Smith Jr. research vessel we were already spotting gulls and double-crested cormorants in the harbor waters.

From his experience on his past trips and info from other local birders Mike decided to take us along the southern coast and follow Park Point to the east. After a bit of chumming the water we soon had a few gulls around the boat. Most of the gulls that we saw were herring gulls
or ring-billed gullsSoon we found that we had a couple of bonaparte's gulls mixed in also. They were easy to spot because of their much smaller size.Soon we came to the Minnesota / Wisconsin border. The border marker walls where filled with gulls but also had a few shore birds like this ruddy turnstone.

Suddenly the gulls that where following the boats seemed to get nervous and even more noisy then they already were. That is when we spotted an eagle traveling fairly low over the lake.
After the eagle flew past the flock of gulls got back to feeding and that was when Mike spotted an incoming lesser black-backed gull flying in to join the party.So the trip was going well. We had spotted 4 different gull types, cormorant, white pelican, several different types of shore birds and even had a nice eagle fly by but we still had not found any jagers. Then Mike got a call from some Wisconsin birders who had spotted a couple parasitic jaegers further to the east of our position. So we headed off to the east into Wisconsin waters and it was not long before we spotted an adult parasitic jaeger. Unfortunately he was to far away to get any sort of picture. I was disappointed but then Mike received another call, from the bird watchers who were on the beach in front of us, that there was a juvenile parasitic in the water between us and them. After a few minutes of searching the waters we located the bird and started to slowly sail towards it. It took off before we got too close but I did get a picture as it began to fly away.It flew to the west and began harassing a herring gull trying to steal some food.The boat trip was a good time. We did not get to see all 3 types of jaegers but the weather was gorgeous and I had some good opportunities to get some great shots. Mike has one more boat trip going on October 6th. As of the time I posted this there were still a few spots open so if you are interested you can get more info at Mike's site http://webpages.charter.net/mmhendrickson/.