Cormorant Kerfuffle

Last spring I encountered what seemed to be a loud argument between a couple Double-crested Cormorants. As best I can determine, there seemed to be a dispute over the ownership of a log protruding out of the Raritan River. Or perhaps 1 cormorant was chatting up the other cormorant's girlfriend? Although I don't believe there was any physical contact, 1 of the cormorants sure seemed angry. Here's my recollection of the dispute.

Originally these 2 cormorants were sharing a log. Cormorant #1 was on a submerged part of the log, Cormorant #2 was on the protruding part of the log, and AFAIK neither was particularly friendly or hostile towards the other.

May 5, 2023 at Duke Island Park
Photo 282299316, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Then Cormorant #3 swam around the log and approached Cormorant #2. Things still seemed calm and routine at this point.

May 5, 2023 at Duke Island Park
Photo 282300145, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

But the Cormorant #3 started "yelling" at Cormorant #2, causing Cormorant #2 to jump into the water and ceding his log spot to Cormorant #3.

May 5, 2023 at Duke Island Park

The next picture shows peace returning to the log, with Cormorant #2 swimming off the log and Cormorant #3 casually preening itself on a submerged part of the log. Cormorant #1 took all this in stride, basically just staying in its original spot.

May 5, 2023 at Duke Island Park
Photo 282300266, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

With the commotion over, Cormorant #3 basically claims the high spot on the log, and it and Cormorant #1 dry out their wings. Peace returned to the river in the aftermath of the kerfuffle. 

May 5, 2023 at Duke Island Park
Photo 282300278, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tussock Moth Herd

Image
Some caterpillars are usually seen in large numbers (like Armyworm Moth caterpillars and Eastern Tent Caterpillars ), while most are more solitary. The Milkweed Tussock Moth caterpillars (more about them are here ) seem to be slightly social. I'll sometimes see them alone, but more often I'll see them in groups of 2-9 members. In the 1st picture below, you can see there is a clear size difference in some of these individuals. I'm almost certain the little one in the middle is in an earlier instar than the others (though they lack the colorful tufts of fuzz in their earliest instars). August 31, 2021 at Washington Valley Park Photo 167477945, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) In the picture below, it's clear that these caterpillars don't require a lot of personal space. August 31, 2021 at Washington Valley Park Photo 167477979, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Read more

Copper Underwing Caterpillar

Image
I believe this caterpillar to be a Copper Underwing [1]. At least the coloring and the dorsal hump (near the left end of the caterpillar) seem consistent with the Copper Underwing. These caterpillars are not what you'd consider picky eaters; my Caterpillars of Eastern North America describes their diet thusly: Many wooded plants including apple, basswood, blueberry, cherry chestnut, current, grape, greenbrier, hawthorn, hickory, lilac, maple, oak, poplar, raspberry, rhododendron, viburnum, Virginia creeper, and walnut. Wikipedia adds: Ash, privet, honeysuckle, rose, and service trees. That's a pretty wide range of trees and shrubs. One of the challenges of finding them is that they could be almost anywhere; the other challenges are: Their green coloring blends in pretty darned well with the average leaf. They have a habit of feeding underneath leaves, so they're probably not visible when looking down at their location. They have a tendency to move from leaf-to-leaf; if you
Read more

Eastern Pondhawks

Image
I'm going to try something different today with my Eastern Pondhawk pictures. I'm going to let ChatGPT do my blog today. (ChatGPT is an AI program that you can converse with in a pretty human way; an explanation of it is here .) Me:  Can you tell me something interesting about the Eastern Pondhawk? ChatGPT:  The Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) is a dragonfly species that is native to North America. It is a medium-sized dragonfly, with a wingspan of about 3 inches, and can be found in a variety of habitats, including wetlands, marshes, and ponds. One interesting characteristic of the Eastern Pondhawk is its mating behavior. Male Eastern Pondhawks are known for their territorial behavior and will defend their territory from other males. They will patrol their territory and will try to mate with any females that fly into their territory. Another interesting fact about the Eastern Pondhawk is that it is a fast flyer and is able to hover in midair. It is also an import
Read more