Monterey Harbor on a Quiet Winter Day

Today we went to the Fisherman's Wharf area to see what birds we might see. The Harbor was quiet at mid-day and there were a few birds feeding in the unusually clear water. The mid-day light did have a benefit in that it illuminated the under parts of the cormorants that were close-by. Cormorants in the Harbor are not at all unusual at all but we enjoy capturing the behavior of the local birds.

Shot with the Nikon D7000, 300mm f4 and 1.7x tele. In bright sun this configuration auto focuses very well although it is not Nikon recommended practice. It is hard to fault the new D7000.

This adult Pelagic Cormorant was feeding nearby and displayed the typical head  and body  breeding coloration. Some of the unusual color on his tail and waterline must be an artifact of the feather iridescence and water reflections. This shot shows the breeding condition double crest, nicely raised, and the white flank patches.

Here we again see the typical breeding condition with still some of the iridescent artifact on the head.

Nearby an immature Brandt's Cormorant was feeding and while surfacing we got the action of the water being shaken off as well as a nice portrait shot (below). It's interesting how he shook his head and neck with wings out for balance.

This was a particularly nice pose.