Double crested cormarant

Description:

One of the most common cormorants on the coast. Often seen drying their wings, which unlike many diving birds can get wet to reduce drag and bouyancy allowing them to make deeper dives

Habitat:

In a brackish pond less than half a mile from the ocean

Notes:

For those looking for a great point and shoot for this kind of work - I took the first shot from about 1/4 mile with my Olympus sp590uz. At that point I wasn't sure if it was a cormorant or a branch. The second shot with the optical-digital zoom setting