These aquamarine-eyed beauties were very nearly made extinct from the use of the pesticide DDT and from hunting. DDT wreaked havoc on avian creatures nationwide and since its ban, the Double-crested Cormorant has made an extraordinary recovery, so much so, that some communities spend a great deal of time and expense planning how to kill, or cull, these remarkable birds. Read here for a very thoughtful article on the topic, “To Kill a Cormorant.”
Pair of Juvenile Double-crested Cormorants at Rockport Harbor
Double-crested Cormorants massing at the mouth of the Essex River in late summer
The Double-crested Cormorant get its common name from the double tufts of feathers seen on both male and females, showing only during breeding season. The crests can be white, black, or a combination of both. Photo courtesy wiki.
Good Morning Gloucester 
Beautiful pictures as always. Thank you so much for sharing your pictures and all the great facts to go with them.
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Very nice pictures indeed and the history and graphs a major plus on travel history! I see the one leg stand on the last one not that’s what I call Flexibility of Gumby! 🙂 Dave & Kim 🙂
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Nice photos Kim. I love watching the Cormorants sitting on the rocks drying their wings when paddling by them on the Annisquam River.
Did you know they use Cormorant to fish in Japan and China? Cormorant fishing (Ukai in Japanese) began about 1300 years ago on the Nagare River in Gifu prefecture. They still use this method 5 months out of the year and these fishermen are honored for their traditional way of fishing.
In Japan, cormorants (called “u”) have become such an important part of folk lore that there is even a saying about them – “unomi”; means to swallow something without question. The boats they use are small wooden boats (called ‘ubane.’)
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Always amazed by your wildlife shots Kim.
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kim are these with your fujifilm camera Fix lens????
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