Cormorants

 

The Double-crested Cormorant or Phalacrocorax auritus ORDER: Suliformes FAMILY: Phalacrocoracidae is fairly common throughout the United States. Here is a basic description from All About Birds from The Cornell Lab.

The gangly Double-crested Cormorant is a prehistoric-looking, matte-black fishing bird with yellow-orange facial skin. Though they look like a combination of a goose and a loon, they are relatives of frigatebirds and boobies and are a common sight around fresh and salt water across North America—perhaps attracting the most attention when they stand on docks, rocky islands, and channel markers, their wings spread out to dry. These solid, heavy-boned birds are experts at diving to catch small fish.

One cool fact from the website is as follows:

From a distance, Double-crested Cormorants are dark birds with snaky necks, but up-close they’re quite colorful—with orange-yellow skin on their face and throat, striking aquamarine eyes that sparkle like jewels, and a mouth that is bright blue on the inside. 

I spotted these birds sunning themselves next to Utah Lake in Vineyard, Utah. I am finding that taking photos with a very long telephoto lens is quite a challenge.