Geese, Swans, Pelicans, and Cormorants: Part IV

There are seven species of Cormorants in the US. Here I have three: Pelagic, Neotropic, and Double-crested.

The Pelagic Cormorant can be found along the rocky cliffs along the Pacific Coast from Alaska to Mexico. Nests on sheer cliffs and forages in ocean near those rocky shores. More often solitary than other cormorants.

Pelagic Cormorant taken near Leadbetter State Park, Washington Coast

The Neotropic Cormorant has a very small range which includes the Gulf Coast of Texas and Mexico as well as the Gulf of California. It is occasionally found in Southeast Arizona.

Neotropic Cormorant taken at Reid Park, Arizona

Neotropic Cormorant taken at Sweetwater Wetlands, Arizona

The most widespread of the Cormorants is the Double-crested which can be found throughout must of the US, including the interior:

Double-crested Cormorant taken at Lakeside Park, Arizona

Double-crested Cormorant taken at Kennedy Park, Arizona

Double-crested Cormorant taken at Fort Lowell Park, Arizona

Double-crested Cormorant taken at Sweetwater Wetlands, Arizona

Double-crested Cormorant taken at Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge, California

National Wildlife Refuges

Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, Washington, 1936

Willapa National Wildlife Refuge is located on Willapa Bay, one of the most pristine estuaries in the United States. Willapa Bay is the second largest estuary on the Pacific coast and includes over 260 square miles of water surface. Many salmon species are found in the watters of Willapa Bay, including chum, chinook, and coho.

The refuge preserves several unique ecosystems, including diverse salt marshes, muddy tideflats, rain-drenched old growth forests, and dynamic coastal dunes and beaches. Freshwater marshes and grasslands are found along the southern shore of the bay.

The bay's shallow water and mud flats support vast beds of eelgrass and shellfish, providing spawning habitat for fish. During spring migration, more than 100,000 shorebirds are present. Isolated sandbars provide pupping grounds for harbor seals and rest sites for migratory birds.

Seabirds, such as brown pelicans, stream into the bay from the ocean in summer and fall. Other coastal habitats include sand dunes, sand beaches, and mud flats to grasslands, saltwater and freshwater marshes, and coniferous forest, including an old-growth stand of western red cedar-western hemlock forest.

Important species include the threatened marbled murrelet, bald eagles, great blue herons, and Brant. Grasslands and neighboring forests are home to bear, elk, bobcat, woodpeckers, flying squirrels, spotted owls, silver-haired bats, and Pacific tree frogs.

There are 16 National Wildlife Refuges along the Washington and Oregon Coast. All of the following photos came from some of those 16. Not all from Willapa. Truth be told I don't remember which came from Willapa. All were taken back in the 90's and my records weren't very good at the time. Thank goodness for computers and iPhoto (and other organizing photo software). Nonetheless here are a variety of those photos. And, with it the conclusion of my series on National Wildlife Refuges.

Least Sandpiper

Long Tailed Duck

Pelagic Cormorant

Pigeon Guillemot

Caspian Tern

Marbled Godwit

Semipalmated Plover

Wading Birds: A Few Others

The American Bittern is a large brown heron 23 to 27 inches in length and a wingspan of 45 inches. Although common in much of North America the American Bittern is usually well-hidden in bogs, marshes and wet meadows. Usually solitary, it walks stealthily among the dense grass. If it senses that it has been seen, the American Bittern becomes motionless, with its bill pointed upward, causing it to blend into the reeds. (See my photo below).  It is most active at dusk. More often heard than seen, this bittern has a call that resembles a congested pump. Like other members of the heron family, the American Bittern feeds on amphibians, fish, insects, and reptiles. The Bittern's numbers have declined in the southern parts of its range due to habitat loss. The Bittern is thus protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. 

American Bittern

photo taken at Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, Washington

The Double-crested Cormorant  is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds. Yet it is the only cormorant found on fresh water lakes and waterways. Thus it is widely distributed across North America. It is about 33 inches in length with a wingspan of 52 inches and weighing as much as 3.7 pounds. It is all-black except during breeding season when it gains a small double crest of black and white feathers. It has a bare patch of orange-yellow facial skin. Its feathers, like those of all cormorants, are not waterproof and it must spend time drying them out after spending time in the water. The Double-crested Cormorant swims low in the water, often with just its neck and head visible, and dives from the surface. It uses its feet for propulsion and is able to dive to a depth of 25 feet for 70 seconds. After diving, it spends long periods standing with its wings outstretched to allow them to dry, since they are not fully waterproofed. This species flies low over the water, with its bill tilted slightly upward, sometimes leaving the colony in long, single-file lines. Food can be found in the sea, freshwater lakes, and rivers. Like all cormorants, the double-crested dives to find its prey. It mainly eats fish, but will sometimes also eat amphibians and crustaceans. Fish are caught by diving under water. Smaller fish may be eaten while the bird is still beneath the surface but bigger prey is often brought to the surface before it is eaten. Cormorants regurgitate pellets containing undigested parts of their meals such as bones. 

Double Crested Cormorant

photo taken at Puget Sound, Washington

The Pelagic Cormorant is the more typical ocean going cormorant found in the North Pacific. This is a smallish cormorant, measuring 25 to 29 in in length, with a wingspan of about 40 inches and a weight of 52-86 oz. when fully grown. Adults in nonbreeding plumage are all-black with a metallic iridescence. In breeding plumage they grow two short crests (one on top of the head and one at the nape), white thighs, and scattered white filoplumes on the head and neck. (see my photo below). The long thin bill and the large feet with all-webbed toes are black throughout the year, while the patch of dark naked skin below the eye turns a vivid magenta in the breeding season. The Pelagic Cormorant breeds on rocky shores and islands. They do not form large colonies, but smaller groups may nest together. In some cases these birds alternate between two or three nesting sites in a region from one year to another. The nest is built at the cliff face, usually on ledges, less often in crevices or caves. Once the birds have found a nest site they like, they tend to remain faithful to it for the rest of their life. The nest is repaired and improved in each season if need be; it can thus grow up to 5 ft deep.

Pelagic Cormorant (breeding plumage)

photo taken on Olympic Peninsula Coast, Washington

The White-faced Ibis is a wading bird that breeds colonially in marshes, usually nesting in bushes or low trees. It can be found in the western United States into Mexico, southeastern Brazil, southeastern Bolivia, south to central Argentina, and along the coast of Central Chile. The White Faced Ibis is nearly identical to the Long Billed Curlew in size and shape (including the bill), although the plumage is quite unique. The back is dark green while the upper back, breast, and neck are a dark maroon. The bill is gray, and their is a white border around a red iris.

White Faced Ibis

photo taken at Whitewater Draw, Arizona