Hi Marcus and all: I've read too the western birds are supposed to have white crests but have only seen dark crested birds in Washington. Marcus' count data are great and seem to contradict the the BNA account and field guides. From the BNA account:

"New feathering on head, neck, and upper back acquired by partial molt in Jan?Mar. Includes the ... nuptial crests, source of the specific name auritus . These crests, located above and behind eye, are lost by Jun, before breeding is completed. Not known if they are replaced for remainder of cycle by inconspicuous feathers. The crests are modified contour feathers, narrow, with separated barbs; color variable?black in east, mostly white in west; length to 78 mm in western birds, to 38 mm in east. "

Perhaps the exploding population in the middle US is infiltrating the west? I just returned from Michigan and it is all out war on dc crested cormorants in the Great Lakes. Egg spraying and shooting of adults are in full swing in response to demands from commercial, tribal, and recreational fisheries interests.

Gary Shugart, Collections Manager,
Slater Museum of Natural History
University of Puget Sound
Tacoma, WA 98416
253 879-3356 (museum) 206 463-2169 (home)
gshugart at ups.edu, gwshugart at hotmail.com
http://www.ups.edu/slatermuseum.xml
http://digitalcollections.ups.edu