Tuesday, October 06, 2015

Double-crested Cormorants & Immature White Ibis

Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is a great place to photograph a great variety of birds in a short amount of time.  The species available will vary with the season as many species spend their nesting seasons here and move south for winter.  As some species move out others move through while for others it is a preferred winter destination.  Chincoteague NWR is an important Eastern Shore wintering grounds for many species of waterfowl.
 
Double-crested Cormorants are voracious fish eating birds and the fish filled tidal creeks of Assateague Island attract them in large numbers.  When not fishing the cormorants can be found hanging out near the water either resting or with wings spread wide, drying their plumage.
 
White Ibis, a long-legged wader of the deep south is also found here.  On this particular visit all of the White Ibis I encountered were juveniles.  These birds seemed to be particularly trusting and allowed me to move cautiously about capturing beautiful close-up images. 
 







3 comments:

Lois Evensen said...

Beautiful shots!

Chad Oneil Myers said...

The first two images are my favorites.

They look like a scary pack in that first one. Reminds me of the Raptors in Jurassic Park as far as how menacing they appear together.

Ruth Hiebert said...

I love those spread out wings. The Ibis are also great.I have never seen this type of bird.