That dark and gangly-looking bird you see standing and spreading its wings at Blaine Harbor is a double-crested cormorant, Nannopterum auritum.
“Cormorants often stand in the sun with their wings spread out to dry. They have less preen oil than other birds, so their feathers can get soaked rather than shedding water like a duck’s,” reads an overview on Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s website.
That may seem like a disadvantage for a bird that dives into water to catch small fish but “wet feathers probably make it easier for cormorants to hunt underwater with agility and speed,” the Cornell website says.
Cornell describes the bird as prehistoric-looking and matte black, at least from a distance. Their tails and necks are long, and they have yellow-orange skin on their throat and face.
“Aside from gulls, the most prominent birds in the area right now are double-crested cormorants,” said Joe Meche, a Bellingham resident and former president of North Cascades Audubon Society.
Double-crested cormorants are nesting on the breakwater of Blaine Harbor and will be raising their chicks well into August, according to Meche, who has been photographing birds for more than 50 years.
Want to see them for yourself?
“The best views are by kayak or with a scope from several viewpoints in the harbor,” said Meche, who has a page on Facebook called “Beaks and Bills.”
“They are constantly flying in and out of the nesting area and past the Jorgensen Pier,” he said.
