What is this?

[NYRIR]

Nope...never seen one of those before...very cool! What a weapon he/she has! I would do some research on behavior and find out if it is someones ex-pet or if they are naturally not afraid of humans.Very cool bird

 

[BookWorm243]

I have never seen anything like that! I would want to keep him to!

 

[FeatheredObsessions]

Quote:
The breed in Utah in the summer

Double Crested Cormorants that is

 

[Stacykins]

I don't think I've ever heard of a cormorant so far from the coast! I mean, other water birds typically inhabit inland water bodies like loons. I guess it could happen though. But Utah? It isn't like you are on a Great Lake! The comorant is usually a sea bird. I agree with the idea that he was either blown was off course with a storm of some kind, or someone's pet.

 

[aduckstolemyheart]

They are known to breed in Utah mainly on the lakes, and in the many reservoirs. You have one of them close?? It seems they increase in numbers depending on the amount of trout available. It sounds like trout is their preferred diet.

 

[desertdarlene]

Yep, double crested cormorant. The fact that it let you come up to him is a red flag to him not being well. They're not the tame type and generally stay away from people.

 

[heather112588]

We have them here on the coast but i agree, he is very far from home. Yours sounds especially tame however in my experience they are pretty easygoing anyway- i lived on a river and used to feed them with a bunch of ducks that would come by. They are amazing swimmers!

 

[C&Rman]

I just dont know where he would come from either, I have never seen one of these before there are pelicans in almost every lake here but never heard or seen of these. We are going fishing I will have to net some trout for him. We were thinking about going to Wal-Mart and buying those fish they sell in the packs in the freezer. He is very tame and has a cute personallity, I have a reservoir about 50 miles from here and we go boating there and I have seen one. I know for a fact that he cant fly.

 

[MrsKemmerlin]

I'm no help, but holy cow is he cool looking, or what!? ...and a little creepy with that dagger on his face

 

[KansasKid]

Now when you say he can't fly, he surely has flight feathers so could he have flown from somewhere (after being chased off by maybe a predator) and crash landed on your land?
We have tons of cormorants around here on the creeks/rivers/lakes and they are a big pest. They eat a ton of fish and they usually stay in decently size groups and swarm other groups of fish and they like to take out all the bass and crappie particularly in the places I like to fish because there is never any left over for me, i catch and release, so why can't they???