Cormorant pair on a snag

Another from Lake Pleasant. There were several chances at Cormorants in interesting snags, and I think the snags may be more interesting than the birds. The original dam was built in 1927. A newer one was completed in 1994 but the lake didn’t reach full capacity until 2005. These trees are in the shallow areas at the NW end on the lake so I assume that’s when they died. I wonder what they were? In my very limited experience, Palo Verde has sturdier trunks than Mesquite, which tends to be scrubby, and does branch out like these snags.

I was intrigued by the desert camo palette here, which was captured in the raw file and not enhanced. The lake was very clear and it was sunny, so the coloration on the water is from the shoreline reflection.

Specific Feedback Requested

All comments welcome!

Technical Details

Is this a composite: No
Canon R5, 100-500 + 1.4X, f/10, 1/1250, ISO 1000. Linear profile to try to bring out more shadow detail, but probably not a big advantage in this one. Into PS for NR and masked the birds for a little more contrast. Almost full frame.

And this is one that I think I missed, Diane. I like the chaotic forest of branches - the nearly monochrome palette softens that quite a bit and helps the birds emerge from it. Those terrific feet are on display again! The one on the left looks like it’s about to have a flap. Nice job with the catch and the processing.

Thanks, @Kris_Smith – It did blast off and I got yet another south end of a northbound bird – and didn’t keep up with the motion. I have quite a collection of those…