A couple of us had started the day off at a small pond where a cormorant was found fishing close to the shoreline. These birds are common here but are most often far out in deeper water well beyond the reach of any camera. The cormorant eventually climbed out of the water onto a rock and held its wings out to dry. It was the first time I had ever photographed this behavior, which is necessary for cormorants because the structure of their feathers allows water to be absorbed rather than repelled as in other birds. This allows the cormorant to better swim and dive underwater.