06/07/2026
A cormorant colony is never still.
Brandt’s Cormorants are busy gathering nesting material, carrying bits of seaweed and coastal vegetation back to their cliffside colony. Throughout the nesting season, there is a constant flow of birds traveling between the ocean and their nests.
To capture that activity, I photographed these birds using slow shutter speeds ranging from 1/25 to 1/50 second while panning handheld with a 400mm lens. Instead of freezing the birds in flight, the slower shutter speeds emphasize their movement as they return to the colony carrying nesting material.
Which image is your favorite?
Natural Bridges State Beach
Santa Cruz, California
4th & 5th of June 2026
