Cormorant Plumage

A few weeks ago I posted some photos of Pelagic Cormorants that we saw on a trip to the Gulf Islands and I remarked on their plumage as more beautiful than the Double-crested cormorants I normally see near Victoria. However, on a recent visit to Thetis Lake Park I was able to take some more close-up photos of a Double-crested Cormorant and as you can see in the above photo, they too have beautiful markings when seen from close up. A little more distance and those splendid dappled feathers simply look black. Also I was pleased to see that the Double-crested Cormorants share those remarkable jade green eyes that so struck me when I first saw the Pelagic Cormorants. While it's good to get up close to see details of these birds, I like to see photos like those posted recently on Mike Laplante's blog "tales from a pale blue dot", that have a wonderful atmosphere. Mike's photo of cormorants in the morning mist over Swan Lake is a wonderfully evocative, timeless scene.