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Home → Essays and Inspiration

Return of the Cormorants

By Thomas Stirr 15 Comments
Last Updated On April 30, 2023

The return of the cormorants to Southern Ontario is in full swing and over the weekend I spent a couple of hours at Hamilton harbor photographing them.

cormorants 1
NIKON 1 V2 + CX 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 234.5mm, ISO 800, 1/2000, f/6.3

Sometimes I wonder why I make the trek down to the harbor since I already have captured thousands of images of these birds over the past few years.

cormorants 2
NIKON 1 V2 + CX 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 208mm, ISO 250, 1/2000, f/5.6

All it takes is a couple of minutes with a camera in my hands before I appreciate, once again, how much fun it is to capture images of these large birds in flight, or of them taking off from the surface of the water.

cormorants 3
NIKON 1 V2 + CX 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 167.5mm, ISO 640, 1/2500, f/6.3

There is a large nesting colony of cormorants adjacent to Eastport Drive which makes them very accessible, although one needs to be mindful of the traffic on the 4-lane road. For many photographers a 300mm zoom lens is long enough to capture some decent images. This makes the location ideal for amateur photographers who don’t have the money to invest in expensive, long telephoto prime lenses.

cormorants 4
NIKON 1 V2 + CX 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 170.1mm, ISO 720, 1/2500, f/6.3

Many bird enthusiasts like cormorants because of their somewhat prehistoric appearance.

cormorants 5
NIKON 1 V2 + CX 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 228.9mm, ISO 720, 1/2500, f/5.6

Since the birds are plentiful this time of year, Hamilton harbor is one of my favourite places to do some photo coaching with folks. The location affords them lots of opportunities to photograph the birds at their nests, in flight, and on occasion taking off from the water.

cormorants 6
NIKON 1 V2 + CX 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 228.9mm, ISO 640, 1/2500, f/5.6

Cormorants use a ‘double leg pump’ as they try to build up sufficient speed to propel themselves off the surface of the water.

DSC_4703_DxOsmall
NIKON 1 V2 + CX 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 191.8mm, ISO 800, 1/2500, f/5.6

Some interesting wing and leg positions can be captured, especially when using continuous auto-focus with subject tracking at a fast frame rate.

cormorants 7
NIKON 1 V2 + CX 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 215.5mm, ISO 280, 1/3200, f/5.6

Visiting during the morning on a sunny day is ideal since the sun will be at your back. This provides good lighting on the birds which helps capture some of their feather detail.

cormorants 8
NIKON 1 V2 + CX 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 215.5mm, ISO 720, 1/2500, f/5.6

At the present time the birds are busy with nest building and repair so the opportunities to capture images of them carrying nesting material in their beaks abounds.

cormorants 9
NIKON 1 V2 + CX 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 126.4mm, ISO 280, 1/2500, f/5.6

On the weekends there are usually a number of photographers staking out their turf along the guardrail so arriving early can provide the best sightlines.

cormorants 10
NIKON 1 V2 + CX 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 300mm, ISO 360, 1/2000, f/5.6

The birds were very active during the morning I was there and I filled a few 16GB cards during my two hour visit.

cormorants 11
NIKON 1 V2 + CX 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 180.6mm, ISO 250, 1/2000, f/5.6

I used a Nikon 1 V2 along with a 1 Nikon CX 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 zoom lens to capture all of the images in this article. I shot hand-held using centre-weighted average metering, AF-C at 15fps with subject tracking, Manual settings and Auto-ISO 160-3200.

cormorants 12
NIKON 1 V2 + CX 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 201.1mm, ISO 450, 1/2500, f/5.6

The period from mid-April to late June is typically the best time to photograph cormorants at Hamilton harbor. Once the chicks are fully fledged the colony begins to dissipate.

Article and all images are Copyright 2016 Thomas Stirr. All rights reserved. No use, adaptation or reproduction of any kind is allowed without written permission. Photography Life is the only approved user of this article and if you see it reproduced anywhere else it is an unauthorized and illegal use.

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Filed Under: Essays and Inspiration Tagged With: Bird Photography, Nikon 1 V2

About Thomas Stirr

Thomas Stirr is an author, photographer/videographer, and executive coach based in Grimsby Ontario Canada. He specializes in industrial photography, as well as safety/training/corporate videos. His work also includes landscape and nature photography, and experimentation with photo art. Nikon Canada has featured Tom's work numerous times on Facebook and Twitter. To follow Thomas, please visit his photography blog and check out his eBooks.

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Stephen H
Stephen H
May 1, 2016 10:05 pm

Hi Tom,
Thanks to your wonderful shots, I saw and photographed my first cormorant in the western suburbs of Chicago today. I had never seen one before here, but while running errands this afternoon, I happened to see a large dark bird perched in a dead tree above the waterway. From all the photos you had previously posted, I thought it may have been a cormorant, but couldn’t tell for sure. After a few shots with a 70-200mm + 2xTC, I managed to determine that it was indeed a cormorant. Unfortunately, given the overcast skies and distance (I estimate about 250-300 feet), and my time limitations, my shots weren’t nearly as interesting or detailed as yours. Anyhow, it’s nice to know that if I’m ever in Ontario this time of year, I’ll know where to go for some wildlife photography.

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Thomas Stirr
Thomas Stirr
Author
Reply to  Stephen H
May 2, 2016 5:24 am

Hi Stephen,
Thanks for sharing your recent experience, I’m sure all of the bird photography buffs can identify with your excitement photographing a species you had not captured before!
Tom

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sceptical1
sceptical1
April 27, 2016 5:24 pm

Hi Thomas,

Great images and really nice location to be able to get soo many keepers in just a couple of hours. I think cormorants are fun to photograph because of the lively way they leave the water. Unfortunately, I haven’t found a location like this one…perhaps from not looking real hard. Now I will have to look!

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Thomas Stirr
Thomas Stirr
Author
Reply to  sceptical1
April 27, 2016 5:38 pm

Hi sceptical1,
Luckily my location in the Niagara Peninsula affords me quite a number of photographic opportunities, including the annual cormorant migration. The birds are so plentiful in areas that Environment Canada is studying their impact on specific islands in the Great Lakes.
Tom

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Prasad Np
Prasad Np
April 27, 2016 1:45 pm

We have lots of them in most inland lakes here in India, and compared to the exotic migrant birds we never look at them. No more.. you made me realise how lively these Cormorants are…

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Reply
Thomas Stirr
Thomas Stirr
Author
Reply to  Prasad Np
April 27, 2016 3:48 pm

Hi Prasad,
Yes…they can be lively and very quirky at the same time!
Tom

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Nathalie Nguyen
Nathalie Nguyen
April 27, 2016 1:23 pm

I’ve never liked cormorants and have always thought they’re one the ugliest things in the air and on water. But your photos give me a big grin. You made them look naughty, playful, and quirky. They’re still ugly IMO but now in a cute way. Thank you.

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Reply
Thomas Stirr
Thomas Stirr
Author
Reply to  Nathalie Nguyen
April 27, 2016 3:47 pm

Hi Nathalie,

I also find them to be quite ugly birds. Related species in other parts of the world can have nicer colouring…but as photo subjects cormorants just are what they are.

I do find them to be great practice photo subjects in terms of tracking them as they are flying, adjusting focal lengths on my zoom lens etc. In some ways photographing them is almost like ‘shooting fish in a barrel’ they are so plentiful during certain times of the year that you can be shooting constantly. While they are in peak season here I do go out a number of times to photograph them simply to practice my eye-hand coordination in terms of BIF technique.

Tom

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Monte Comeau
Monte Comeau
April 27, 2016 12:53 pm

Nice images Thomas, this equipment certainly does a good job in this setting.

The Cormorant is not a very nice or well liked bird in these parts. Their insatiable appetites can quickly wipe out small lakes and then they move on.

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Larry Brooke
Larry Brooke
Reply to  Monte Comeau
April 27, 2016 1:13 pm

We are talking about the photography, not whether we like the birds or not – you can shoot cormorants legally on Manitoulin Island if they are on your property. Too bad we can’t shoot Canada geese or squirrels – just sayin’
AKA – where is a good place to park on Eastport? Still looking for Randle Park @ pier 24?

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MC
MC
Reply to  Larry Brooke
April 27, 2016 2:10 pm

Sorry larry

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Thomas Stirr
Thomas Stirr
Author
Reply to  Larry Brooke
April 27, 2016 3:41 pm

Hi Larry,

I usually park right on the shoulder of Eastport drive…i.e. on the Lake Ontario side of the street…then walk across to the pier side where all of the nesting trees are located. From that vantage point I’m within about 30-50 feet of birds flying in to land on their nests. I usually go on early on a Saturday or Sunday morning as there is very little traffic on Eastport. Going during the week adds safety concerns as large trucks etc. are moving at 80km plus and the paved shoulder on the bay side is only about 5-6 feet wide.

Tom

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Reply
Thomas Stirr
Thomas Stirr
Author
Reply to  Monte Comeau
April 27, 2016 3:52 pm

Hi Monte,
I agree that they can be a problem bird in many areas. As you noted cormorants have insatiable appetites and can consume huge quantities of bait fish which can then damage stocks of larger sport fish species. Fisherman tend to hate them for that reason.
Tom

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MarqsM
MarqsM
Reply to  Thomas Stirr
April 28, 2016 7:44 am

Nice photos Thomas.

Not only that the cormorants consume almost every imaginable quantity of fish. They are, in reality, quite a pest to plants as well. Their droppings cause trees on which they nest to simly dry and die. We have big problem with that in some national parks in parts of Europe – they destroy a lot of areas because their populations are booming.

What is interesting though, is that those on your pictures do nest and live in a rather busy and loud environment of harbour. Even more, a very industrial one – if I recall correctly (it’s been a while since my last visit to ON), right in Hamilton, on the very bend of Lake Ontario there is a huge Dofasco steelworks. “Our” cormorants love their calm and green protected areas of lake regions or river overflow areas :)

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Thomas Stirr
Thomas Stirr
Author
Reply to  MarqsM
April 28, 2016 8:32 am

Hi MarqsM,
Thanks for adding additional perspectives to the discussion! You are absolutely right that the droppings from the cormorants do cause the trees in which they nest to die which causes additional problems for natural habitats. The nesting colony that I photograph is directly across from a major steel mill situated on Hamilton harbor. It is adjacent to a very busy industrial road. The combined impact of consuming bait fish and destruction of nesting trees is likely the reason that Environment Canada has an ongoing research project in place studying the impact of cormorants on various islands in the country.
Tom

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