Wayne and Dennis and Tweeters,

I've often observed that roost on the cables crossing the Skagit River as I head into Mt. Vernon on I-5. Seems to me that the biggest concentration of cormorants there is in May.

Barry Ulman
Bellingham, WA.


On Mar 23, 2012, at 10:24 AM, Wayne Weber wrote:

> 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
>
>
>
>