Double-creased and Brant’s Cormorants, La Jolla Cove, California

The Double-crested and Brant’s Cormorants are in breeding plumage at La Jolla Cove north of San Diego California…all along the coast of course, but La Jolla is where I can see and photograph them at close range. Not the best light on the cliffs when I visited, but the birds were displaying nicely. This is a Double-crested posturing, apparently for the Brant’s benefit. The Brant’s has that striking blue pouch on the outside. The Double-crested seems to be showing off the equally striking blue lining of its throat. And of course the Brant’s straggly white breeding plumes are no match for the Groucho Marks eyebrows on the Double-crested. 🙂 Sony RX10iv at 600mm. Program mode. 1/250th @ ISO 125 @ f4. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.