I often mention the incredible sights I see over Lake Michigan. The gorgeous sunrises are my utter favorite of course. However, a rather peculiar sight caught my eye when walking along the path beside Lake Michigan the other day. I could hardly believe my eyes! I had never, ever seen this type of bird before!
There he was, standing on some old iron bits from a preexisting dock; his black feathers were shiny from the sun’s rays beating down onto Lake Michigan. As it so happens, a woman was attempting to feed this bird some bread. Apparently this species of bird doesn’t care much for Wonderbread crumbs, and didn’t take one single bite. Ah, but the seagulls wanted in on the snack. With what can only be described as a scene from a bad bird movie, in swooped at least a half-dozen seagulls. This riled the black bird terribly, so he spread his wings in defiance, not realizing the seagulls were not interested in him, but merely the soaked bread offerings floating on the lake.
I had to ‘google’ his features to try to find out who he is! It turns out this is a, “Double-crested Cormorant. Apparently they are native to North America, live in coastal areas and fresh-water lakes. Why I have never seen one I do not know. Interestingly enough, this bird does not have fully waterproof feathers. Although this particular fellow decided to ‘fend off’ the seagulls by spreading his wings, they also do this for long periods of time to ‘dry out’ their wings. I think that is why he didn’t fly away when besieged with seagull ‘snipers’.
I have named him, “Cormie”; do be on the lookout for him, won’t you? He’s bound to be flapping about somewhere on the North American continent!
He is really beautiful Cher, take more photos, when you meet him 😀
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Isn’t he beautiful, Irene? Ah, thank you, I sure will be on the lookout for him! Perhaps he’s hanging around Lake Michigan for a while drying out his feathers! 😉 Cher xo
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And catch some fish too 😉
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*LOL* Yes, I think the poor guy needed some lunch!! 😉
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Wow, you caught it greatly! Thank you for sharing, Cher!
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Thank you so much, Erika! I was so grateful that he posed for me! hehehehe Cher xo
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A really nice guy. He knew you would share his pics with the world 😀
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I agree, Erika! A really nice guy indeed! Cher xo
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😃
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🙂
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Fascinating post. As always
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You are so thoughtful my dear; thank you, Amber! Cher xo
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You always manage to make me smile Cher. XO
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Likewise, Amber!!! Thank YOU! Cher xo
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You’re a bright shining star, that’s what You are !!!
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Oh my goodness, guess what? You just made my entire week!!! Thank you soooo much, Amber!!!
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Your post last week about blessings really encouraged Me.
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Ah, bless! That makes so happy to hear that, Amber! Thank you for telling me! Cher xo
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Please follow my new blog: https://zenyogipoet.wordpress.com
Amber Danette ❤💜💚💙
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I’m following you, dear Amber! Cher xo
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Bless you dear Cher XO
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Right back at you my dear! Cher xo
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Wonderful photos of Cormie. I’m sure that name will permeate his world. 🙂
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Ah, bless! Thank you so much, Don! I appreciate that! I shall be on the lookout for Cormie; in fact, perhaps now he has such a moniker (and as you so wonderfully stated, “I’m sure that name will permeate his world” perhaps he’ll make a return visit to pose for a few more photos!!! Cher xo
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So shiny. Those steel beams seem a serious hazard to navigation!
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Hi John! It is actually just feet away from the walkway and no boats come into the area at all. It’s also extremely shallow (about 3 -4 feet). I’ll tell you how I know. I sunk a kayak in that area last summer! *LOL* Well, I recovered it, but I could stand up and I’m only 5’3! Cher xo
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Wow glad you made it! 🙂
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*LOL* Thanks, John! It was more embarrassing than anything (although I was a tad bit scared even though it was very close to shore)! 😉 Cher xo
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What a wonderful photo! Thanks for sharing, Cher. 🙂
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Thank you so much, Tonya! It was one of those, ‘wow, what is that?’ moments!! 😉 Cher xo
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I’ve lived here my entire life and never seen one:) LOL Lucky you:) Yay!
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Ah, well maybe Cormie is going to hang around our fair city! It was a total fluke that I saw him. I didn’t think they wandered into this area often. A small crowd gathered when the woman was attempting to feed him bread, so I figured it was indeed a rare sighting! I’m so glad I could share the photos my fellow Chicagoan! Cher xo
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Hello Sweet Pie, had to drop by, was missing you 🙂
have you seen the stuff about how they now think that dinosaurs and birds are directly linked…
ie. that they were essentially bird rather than reptile 😉
imagine?!
xxx
Nx
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Ah, how nice of you to say, dear Niki! No, I did not know that! Now I must investigate!!! Thank you my dear! Cher xo
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Beautiful bird! Cormie is perfect name for him 🙂 I hope you will meet him again, who knows 🙂
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Ah, thank you so much, Indah! I hope so, too! What a magnificent creature he is! So prehistoric looking! Cher xo
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Gloriously elegant!
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He sure is, isn’t he, Mary? Cher xo
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Lovely post and photos, Cher. Once in a while, I see a cormorant in the lake behind my house. They are conspicuous for their beak that has a blunted point. I also see anhingas. These are also called the “snake bird.” When swimming, they make snake-like movements with their narrow necks and sharp pointed beaks. Both the cormorants and anhingas “dry out” their wings by holding them open for long periods of time. Living here has been an education for me about the bird life I view so often. So, I understand your excitement when you saw the cormorant. 🙂
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Well thank you so much, dear Carol! And thank you also for this extremely interesting information! So you knew right away what this interesting looking bird was! I was completely dumbfounded about it until I google its features! I bet it has been a ‘bird education’ in Florida! Thank you for giving us this information! Cher xo
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Absolutely! I feel very fortunate to be able to see a myriad of bird life here, just by looking out my bedroom window. I’ve posted several posts with photos, of course, and these birds really are the stars of Florida birds. If you’re interested, I used “birds” tag. Have a great day, dear Cher. 🙂
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I will most definitely check it out! That is very lucky, isn’t it? Having your own bird sanctuary!! 🙂 Thank you my dear; I shall most definitely do just that! Cher xo
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Oh, neat bird. Thanks for sharing.
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Isn’t he great, Joseph? Thank you! Cher xo
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I’ve got this feeling that same bird species hold the block here in “Hoofddorp” !😄
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*LOL* *LOL* Cher xo
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