Birdland

Welcome Back, Cormorant

It’s March, and that means the return of the Double Crested Cormorant. Every spring these gangly, squawking birds practically take over Duck Lake in City Park. They build their bulky nests on the island with sticks, and whatever other materials are laying around, including rope, deflated balloons, fishnet, and plastic debris. As the Cornell Lab of Ornithology notes, the Cormorants appear dark from a distance, but up-close they’re quite colorful, with orange-yellow skin on their face and throat, striking aquamarine eyes that sparkle like jewels, and a mouth that is bright blue on the inside. This Cormorant was photographed at Duck Lake by Park Hill resident Mark Silverstein.