I was out photographing birds with Barry Stewart when we came across these two cormorants, relaxing on the edge of a pond, near the entry to the Terravita community, Scottsdale, Arizona.
Warmer winters, artificial water bodies, seasonal fish stocking, a selection of nesting trees and federal protection of the species has turned communities across metro Phoenix into an ideal long-term habitat for the cormorants.
Hundreds of these once migratory birds are now wintering in Arizona, setting off an environmental chain of dominoes on ecosystems across the region. These “snowbirds” are not very popular.