Romancing a Cormorant

Cormorant

Why is it, this bright morning,
that the sudden sight
of the cormorant
coming to land on the water
takes me unawares,
startles me open?
The tattered black wings,
stretching back,
the rangy sticks of feet,
the head, sharp as a
stabbing sword.

It lands in a single
fluid act, graceful upon
the slippery shining water,
but for a moment
only,
and then the bird
pierces the brightness
with that fine head
and dives
down into
its darkness.

– Andrea Skevington

“Feel the bird. Be the bird.”
― Amy Tan, The Backyard Bird Chronicles

Cormorants aren’t exactly backyard birds but they live in my broader neighborhood, just a 20-30 minute drive from where I am staying. Once again the spiral of life has brought on the annual breeding season for most birds, including Brandt’s cormorants. As I watch these goose-sized birds I feel drawn into their little dramas and their life evenly split between land and sea. Their awkward waddling along the cliffs, their grunts, and social interactions are all relatable. As Amy says, “Feel the bird, be the bird.” Can you feel them, too?

I have more posts about Brandt’s Cormorant than any other topic on this blog. Why? Because living in the Santa Cruz area gave me the special opportunity to spend time with them, up close and personal. Do you have a cormorant colony in your town?

I sometimes refer to them as “my buddies, the cormorants.” Of course, I’m not THEIR buddy; they have no idea I exist. And that is what I love about them. They have chosen to live out their intimate lives in full view of human spectators. They don’t seem to care about us; they’re neither interested nor fearful, which allows me to be near as they go about their wild agendas in the same way they have for thousands of years.

There are also other nearby colonies to visit. Point Lobos State Park in Carmel has a much larger colony which covers what is appropriately called Bird Island. Cormorants are unique, deep sea divers, able to hunt fish in over 200 feet of water. Their feathers lack the oil of other birds, which allows them to sink readily into deep water. But they must dry those water-logged feathers if they are to fly again. You will often see cormorants standing with their wings outstretched, drying in the breeze.

We can see it all over several months: breeding displays, mating, nest building, egg laying, chick protection and feeding, and the pushing of the juveniles out of the nest and into the open ocean. It is a so pleasing to watch the tiny, fragile, newborn chicks, grow into hulking youngsters, awkward and hungry. As breeding seasons approaches the Brandt’s cormorants sprout white whisker-like feathers on their cheeks and back. Their blue throat pouch (called a gular) becomes even bluer. Their turquoise eyes sparkle even brighter.

Solitary males will communicate their interest in pairing through peculiar body language in a unique courtship display. Squatting down, he will spread his tail feathers and lift them skyward. He will throw his head up and down, revealing his pretty blue chin. His wings spread outward and shake. (See the video below.)

A female will eventually answer his invitation and they will move on to nest building. The male chooses a nest sight and the female gives her approval. Brandt’s cormorants choose cliff tops where few predators can get to them. Double-crested cormorants nest in trees together and pelagic cormorants select openings in sheer cliff walls. The different species live in different neighborhoods.

The late afternoon light that day was able to capture some of the subtle iridescence of their body feathers. Usually, they appear sleek and black. But on this day, hints of green and blue could be detected.

Once paired, the two cormorants spend time deepening their bond. It seems, for a while, that they only have eyes for each other. They express their connection by what I call “necking and kissing.” Necking is when they rub and entwine their long, serpentine necks. Kissing is when they open their beaks and clasp them together. The couple will also mirror each other’s movements.

After some species of birds mate (like hummingbirds), the female is responsible for building the nest and raising the chicks alone. Brandt’s cormorants are full partners in their family responsibilities. The male will gather seaweed and sticks as a gift contribution to the nest. The female will arrange these items into a nest design to her liking. They both incubate the eggs and feed the chicks.

I won’t be able to follow them through the whole process this year but at least I can watch them romancing each other and preparing to raise the next generation of wild birds.

Sadly, cormorants are reviled in many cultures because they compete with humans for the same fisheries. The guano (poop) from their rookeries can kill the vegetation where they nest. And it is feared that cormorants are replacing other native bird species. Cormorant culls – the wanton killing of cormorants – has been a common practice where hundreds of birds may be killed and hundreds of eggs destroyed. There still isn’t conclusive research to show they are guilty of most of what they are accused. Read more about this debate at “To Kill a Cormorant” by Richard King: https://www.naturalhistorymag.com/features/10298/to-kill-a-cormorant.

Slave labor? Cormorants have also been captured and trained to fish for people. In Japan, in particular, there has been a long tradition of using cormorants to harvest fish. A ring is placed on their long neck, allowing them to swallow only small fish. The larger fish they catch are removed from their mouths by fisherman after the seabirds are roped back onto the boat.

Cormorant couture? The novel, Island of the Blue Dolphin, is based on the true story of a native woman who lived alone on an island off California for 18 years. In real life and in the book, this woman sewed a dress of cormorant feathers. It is said that that dress is in the Vatican’s collection.

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