I’d never seen this many together at one time, both at the mouth of Wonson Cove and in Smith Cove yesterday. Maybe they were taking a rest here while on migration, or had heard that the fishing was really good here, although I didn’t see any of them feeding, just swimming and hanging out together. Today I didn’t see any. If you look really close in the sky on the top photo, there is a huge flock of something flying by. I hadn’t even noticed them when photographing the cormorants.
Oops! Spoke too soon. A huge flock just flew in and out of Smiths Cove. It was pretty amazing to see, like those crazy bats flying out of caves videos.
E.J. Lefavour
Good Morning Gloucester 
There seems to be a lot of birds flocking around
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Here is the story on these fascinating birds – available at Maritime Gloucester
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Thanks Al – how are you and Phyllis doing? They are fascinating, and especially to see so many of them at one time. I’ve always thought they looked so prehistoric.
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We saw them on the harbor yesterday when my son and I were playing tennis at SFP. I had never seen so many. But then a rather large flock forming a giant V flew overhead and kept on going. Maybe 60 or so in that flock alone. It was breathtaking.
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I knew someone else had to have seen them – they were breathtaking.
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They have been feeding on a huge mass of peanut bunker ( juvenile menhaden), the baitfish was so thick along the wall of the fort playground you could practically walk on them. There were horse mackerel busting them up and I did see one large striper slash through them. Us surfcasters call this an “army” of cormorants! Great photos!
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“Army” of cormorants – I like that; although air force might be more apropos. I figured there had to be something plentiful and good for them to eat for them to be here in such large force. Thanks!
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Hi EJ. David saw these also and caught a video of them. Lots of them, for sure!
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When I was driving the girls to school yesterday at 7:30AM it was foggy on the back shore and streams and streams of them were flying close to shore and Mark Ring said this is the time of year they migrate. Very cool to see. Thanks for the pictures EJ
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Glad the girls got to see them (you too), it is wonderful to experience such grand things of nature when you are young.
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HI EJ, The kids and I took a video of them yesterday on Wonson Cove…they were resting on the rock in front of the house…pretty impressive ! thanks for the pictures
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I wish I had had the presence of mind to video them when they flew into Smiths Cove, but I was so overwhelmed by the sight and just trying to capture it that I never thought of video until afterwards. There were so many, it is hard to really appreciate the magnitude of them in still shots only capturing one section of them at a time. Weren’t they magnificent! Glad you, Drew and Vlady got to see and capture them.
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Wow!
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Wonderful post E.J.! I think they begin massing towards the end of the summer. There were similarly great numbers at the mouth of the Annisquam and they would come flying in groups from the marshes to the sandbars at Wingaersheek to feed early in the morning, along with a tremendous flocks of migrating Snowy Egrets and gulls. I haven’t seen many egrets and think they have departed. Yesterday morning, a little after sunrise, an “army” began massing at Brace Cove.
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