Birds · Field Record

Double-crested Cormorant

Nannopterum auritum

A Double-crested Cormorant perched on a sunlit log at Grindstone, photographed at close range in calm wetland water with floating vegetation in the background. The sequence includes a compact resting posture and two frames with the wings spread wide, documenting the characteristic wing-drying pose often associated with cormorants. The bird shows a long slightly hooked bill, bright yellow-orange gular skin at the base of the bill, blue eye, dark body plumage, and a long stiff tail. In the wing-spread frames, the full structure of the flight feathers and the broad open posture are clearly visible. The setting includes open water, a partially submerged perch, and patches of floating aquatic vegetation. As a field record, this observation is useful because it captures both species identity and behaviour in a legible wetland setting. The record shows how emergent perch structure within marsh water functions as a resting and maintenance site for waterbirds, not only as a feeding surface.