Photos and story by Len Nelson
It is very rare to see a Double-crested Cormorant looking straight at you to appreciate why they are so named. A local bird that has an active colony nesting site in the trees on the far east side of Ellis Creek that is not in the viewing area of the public. When seen they will generally be flying at least a few hundred feet off the ground. Some facts: wing span 52”; body length 33” & 3.7 pounds in weight. In the last 2 years, they have had about 30 nests in their colony tree at Ellis Creek in the same trees that the Great Blue Heron & Great Egrets inhabit in the months beginning in mid-March through July. They generally lay 3-4 eggs per nest. Both parents feed the chicks who can fledge after about 6 weeks. They swim and dive and pursue fish, lizards, crawdads and even snakes.
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