A Brandt's cormorant nesting along West Cliff displays a distinctive blue gular pouch while minding the nest. Hundreds of the birds nested, hatched eggs and had chicks born and fledge at the site beginning in May. Now that the young have fledged nearly all the birds have abandoned their nests. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)
Newly catched Brandt’s cormorant chicks look out from their nest. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)
A Brandt’s cormorant protects eggs in a nest along West Cliff. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)
Brandt's cormorant chicks reach out to their mother as they feed in a nest on the rocks along West Cliff Drive adjacent to Natural Bridges State Beach. Hundreds of the birds built nests, laid and hatched eggs and had chicks born and fledge at the site beginning in May. Now that the young have fledged nearly all the birds have abandoned their nests and many can still be seen on the beach below. The largest cormorant on the Pacific Coast, Brandt’s cormorant is an expert diver that can swim deeper than 200 feet in pursuit of fish and shellfish. In addition to standard cormorant black, Brandt’s sports a vivid cobalt-blue throat patch and eyes during breeding season, along with wispy white feathers on the head. This species nests and forages in the California Current, an area of rich upwelling between British Columbia, Canada and Baja California. It is on the Yellow Watch List for species with restricted ranges. Males select nest sites on windward slopes of rocky islands, steep cliffs and areas of boulders and collect nesting material, and both males and females arrange it constantly during incubation. The females lay three to five eggs and both parents incubate the eggs for about a month. Both parents also feed and take care of the chicks. The chicks fledge in 35-40 days. Brandt’s cormorants are strictly coastal birds and are usually not more than 10 miles from land except during migration. These cormorants dive from the surface and swim underwater, visually hunting fish and squid and grasp prey in the bill, crush it, then swallow it headfirst. Male Brandt’s cormorants usually arrive before females in nesting areas and claim small nesting territories on rocks or cliffs and the territories are tiny, often just 3 feet from the next neighbor, but defended vigorously with threat displays including raised wings and snakelike neck movements, pecks, shoving matches and wing flapping. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)
During breeding season, both male and female Brandt's cormorants have a blue gular pouch, or throat pouch, that's surrounded by a buffy band. The blue color fades quickly after the breeding season. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)
The gulp of Brandt’s cormorants that nested along the cliffs congregates on the beach this week after the chicks have fledged. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)
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A Brandt's cormorant nesting along West Cliff displays a distinctive blue gular pouch while minding the nest. Hundreds of the birds nested, hatched eggs and had chicks born and fledge at the site beginning in May. Now that the young have fledged nearly all the birds have abandoned their nests. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)
Hundreds of Brandt’s cormorants built nests, laid and hatched eggs and had chicks born and fledge along West Cliff Drive adjacent to Natural Bridges State Beach beginning in May. Now that the young have fledged nearly all the birds have abandoned their nests and many can still be seen on the beach below.
The largest cormorant on the Pacific Coast, Brandt’s cormorant is an expert diver that can swim deeper than 200 feet in pursuit of fish and shellfish. In addition to standard cormorant black, Brandt’s sports a vivid cobalt-blue throat patch and eyes during breeding season, along with wispy white feathers on the head.
This species nests and forages in the California Current, an area of rich upwelling between British Columbia, Canada and Baja California. It is on the Yellow Watch List for species with restricted ranges. Males select nest sites on windward slopes of rocky islands, steep cliffs and areas of boulders and collect nesting material, and both males and females arrange it constantly during incubation. The females lay three to five eggs and both parents incubate the eggs for about a month. Both parents also feed and take care of the chicks. The chicks fledge in 35-40 days.
Brandt’s cormorants are strictly coastal birds and are usually not more than 10 miles from land except during migration. These cormorants dive from the surface and swim underwater, visually hunting fish and squid and grasp prey in the bill, crush it, then swallow it headfirst.
Male Brandt’s cormorants usually arrive before females in nesting areas and claim small nesting territories on rocks or cliffs and the territories are tiny, often just 3 feet from the next neighbor, but defended vigorously with threat displays including raised wings and snakelike neck movements, pecks, shoving matches and wing flapping.
