Yuquot Commorants

One misty and foggy morning I was guiding some clients out by the Friendly Cove lighthouse for salmon when the sun started to break through the high fog and cast its light across the water and we hadn't had a nibble yet so I took out my Olympus Om1.  The sunlight was sparkling the surface of the ocean and looked surreal in the way it bounced around the waves.  As we came around the point by the cairn on the rocks that marks the signing of the Nootka Convention over a hundred years ago, I saw the black commorants standing statuesque against the foggy blue western sky. I immediately started shooting photos with my 50 mm lens so I could open the aperature and also use a faster shutter speed to minimize the vibration from the movement of the ocean as it swelled and heaved against the boat.

Right about the time I took the shot and wanted to try another with a different lens the rod popped off of the downrigger clip and the line screamed off the reel.  After netting a nice little 23 pound Chinook salmon, I brought out my camera once again and decided to try my 70-210mm lens for a close up of one of the commorants.  Well needless to say that after waiting for the swells to subside a little and putting my finger on the shutter to release it and take what I thought would be a great close up with the light the way it was another rod popped the downrigger and it was "fish on" once more.  I decided to put my camera away and be happy with the shot you see above.

For anyone who has visited Nootka Sound and fished out front by the lighthouse at Yuquot (Friendly Cove) you will recognize the commorants as they along with the ever so busy oyster catchers can be seen almost as regular as the glaucos gull (seahawks) and terns that fly all over the area.  I am always amazed at how the birds can hold their position on the rocks as the surf crashes over them sometimes when a freak wave catches them off guard.  I can't say I've ever seen one disappear into the surf after being swamped.  Years of practice I guess.

 

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