Dennis and Tweeters,

There is another very conspicuous cormorant roost in Mount Vernon, close to
the downtown area, on cables across the Skagit River just north of the
Division Street bridge (State Route 536). This nocturnal roost has been
active for more than a decade, and sometimes holds 200 or more birds. It is
easily seen from Interstate 5 northbound or southbound, although I don't
recommend watching birds while driving! I estimated 70 cormorants there on
March 8th just after sunset.

Communal roosts make a good subject for a small-scale scientific study, such
as an undergraduate thesis or research project. One can keep track of how
the number of birds changes according to the season, the times that they
arrive in the evening or leave in the morning, etc. The first serious
scientific study that I did was a B.Sc. honours thesis on Starling roosts in
and around Vancouver, BC, and communal roosting is still a subject that I
find fascinating.

Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus at telus.net




-----Original Message-----
From: tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu
[mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Dennis
Paulson
Sent: March-23-12 9:33 AM
To: TWEETERS tweeters
Subject: [Tweeters] Seattle cormorant roost

I know this has been mentioned before, but it deserves more attention. I
just happened to be on Nickerson St. in Seattle late yesterday afternoon
(6:15 pm), and I parked next to the ship canal at 180 Nickerson to attend a
meeting. As we exited the car, we realized there was an ornithological event
going on right there. Double-crested Cormorants were coming in to roost in
the poplars adjacent to the canal, and it was a real treat to watch them.

One after another bird came in to land in the branches of these tall
leafless trees. Sometimes they would make it, sometimes they wouldn't and
either miss completely or land and then fall off the branch, presumably
because they couldn't get a good enough grip with those big totipalmate
feet. Sometimes one would land next to another one and actually knock it off
its perch or promote a squabble that ended with one bird moving down the
branch or even flying off. Some birds spontaneously flew out from the roost
and circled around, perhaps to get a better perch on a second try. Mostly
they were spaced out well apart from one another.

Watching the birds come in to land was a lesson in aerial agility (or lack
thereof). These are big birds coming in at speed, and the branches are
rather slender, many of them angled well away from horizontal. You could see
a variety of strategies to accomplish the rather awkward landing. It was
quite cold although fortunately not raining, and we stood outside for 15
minutes and were in turn amused, amazed, and appalled. It's not a great
place for photography, as the daylight is dimming, but it was reasonably
light when birds started to come in, and it would be brighter on a sunny
evening. A person on an adjacent roof with a long lens could have great
opportunities. By the time we left, after dark, it looked as if well over
100 birds were there. Perhaps they sleep in in the morning for additional
views and photography, but it will have to be less entertaining than the
evening arrivals.

This spot deserves a daily influx of birders to watch the spectacle. Don't
stand directly below them, but by all means check out the show!

Dennis
-----
Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115
206-528-1382
dennispaulson at comcast.net



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