The Double-crested Cormorant is common sight for people who take the time to walk all the way around Vancouver's Stanley Park - they roost on the cliffs just west of the Lion's Gate bridge. These birds can be found along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Baja California. The birds in this image were in the Fraser River near Ladner - a little community on the coast at the southern reach of the Greater Vancouver metropolitan area.
These birds are excellent swimmers and divers - they live on the fish they can catch - but their feathers are not protected by oils like most sea birds. You can often see them sitting with outstretched wings, drying them after having come out of the water.
This picture is a composite of two photographs, thumbnails of the originals are shown below. (CD bonus - click on these images for more detail)
The camera recorded the following information in the original image files:
File name :DSC_0003.NEF :DSC_0012.NEF File size :3.5MB (3709931 bytes) :3.6MB (3741530 bytes) Date taken :Sat, 22 Dec, 2001 11:37:06 AM :Sat, 22 Dec, 2001 11:41:04 AM Image size :3008 x 1960 :3008 x 1960 Resolution :300 x 300 dpi :300 x 300 dpi Number of bits :12 bits/channel :12 bits/channel Protection :Off :Off Camera ID :N/A :N/A Camera :NIKON D1X :NIKON D1X Quality mode :HI (5.4M Raw Compressed) :HI (5.4M Raw Compressed) Metering mode :Matrix :Matrix Exposure mode :Programmed auto :Programmed auto Speed light :Off :Off Focal length :400.0 mm :400.0 mm Shutter speed :1/400 seconds :1/350 seconds Aperture :F10.0 :F9.5 Exposure compensation :-0.3 EV :0.0 EV White Balance :Direct sunlight :Direct sunlight Lens :80-400 mm F4.5-F5.6 :80-400 mm F4.5-F5.6 Flash sync mode :N/A :N/A Exposure difference :0.0 EV :0.0 EV Flexible program :No :No Sensitivity :ISO200 :ISO200 Sharpening :Normal :Normal Image Type :Color :Color Color Mode :Mode 1 (sRGB) :Mode 1 (sRGB) Hue adjustment :3 :3 Saturation Control :N/A :N/A Tone compensation :Normal :Normal Latitude(GPS) :N/A :N/A Longitude(GPS) :N/A :N/A Altitude(GPS) :N/A :N/A