Double-crested Cormorant, La Jolla CA

Being an east-coaster, I have, on occasion, wondered what the “double-crested” in Double-crested Cormorant was all about. Crest? Double crest? When I saw this bird on the cliffs of La Jolla, California I knew it was a cormorant…pretty unmistakable…but it did not occur to me that it might be a Double-crested until I looked it up. It was a real “ah ha!” moment. So that is where the name comes from! Though, in all honesty, I might have called it Double-eyebrowed Cormorant, still, I get it now! It turns out that eastern Double-crested Cormorants never get the “crests” the bird is named for. Ah ha! And the western birds only have the crests for a short season in late spring and early summer, breeding season. They must have crested out early this year because I have been visiting San Diego every February/March for 13 years, and this is the first time I have seen them. 🙂 Ah ha! Gotta love that eye too…

Sony HX400V at 1200mm equivalent field of view. Shutter preferred. 1/320th @ ISO 80 @ f6.3. Processed, and cropped for composition, in Lightroom on my Surface Pro 3 tablet.