Double-crested Cormorant Status

Looking back at some iNaturalist postings from last spring, I was a little surprised to see the Double-crested Cormorant listed as "critically imperiled" in New Jersey despite it being a bird I see semi-regularly. On the Raritan River at Duke Island Park, I saw at least 10 of them preening, fishing, and sunning themselves just in 1 day.

Is it likely that I'm just much better at spotting cormorants than most people? That seems highly unlikely; these guys were admittedly closer to the opposite shore than the park shore, but they were right out in the open, and other people besides me were watching them for a while.

What I think is going on is:

  1. I frequently see these birds in the spring and fall while they're migrating
  2. I suspect that "critically imperiled" means that most of them don't spend the winter or summer in NJ, but mostly just pass through it during migration.

March 26, 2023 at Duke Island Park
Photo 269674341, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

March 26, 2023 at Duke Island Park
Photo 269674367, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

 

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