Double-crested Cormorants and Ring-billed Gulls at Lake Jacomo, Missouri

I was wrapping up filming the Eagles of Jacomo and getting ready to break down my camera gear when all of a sudden, a large group of Double-crested Cormorants came flying in and landed on the lake right in front of the eagles nest. They were followed by a smaller gathering of Ring-billed Gulls, they were actually hanging out with the cormorants. I do see them flock together in flight (the cormorants), but not on the waters surface like this. I've always known them to be solitary hunters on the lake. You will see them come to the surface for air before diving again. I've only see single birds doing this. These are some of the deepest diving birds. Some can go to a depth of 150 ft. More commonly they stay around the 25 ft. depth. Eating mostly fish, but will also dine on crustations.
It was cool to see the gulls interacting with the cormorants. They were basically just part of the flock, mingling and interacting with them. They were just there to take advantage of any smaller fish that the cormorant may flush out as they chase their bigger prey.
You just never know what you're about to see when your out on Lake Jacomo. I am very glad I didn't pack up my equipment 10 minutes earlier!
Until the next one, Cheers!
In this video you will see:
0:00 The gathering of cormorants and gulls
0:16 gull landing next to cormorants
0:29 cormorants landing on the water, slow motion
1:06 group of cormorants with one of them being immature, lighter in color than the rest
1:16 wide view of the flock diving under water
1:33 cormorant taking flight off the lake in slow motion. I had no idea that they used their feet in that manor to take off. Funny how that looks, lol.
1:50 a group of cormorants comes into view,...
2:03 wow! three cormorants emerge out of the water, seemingly out of nowhere and one has a huge fish! he/she immediately losses it to a competing cormorant who hurriedly scarfs it down before he/she losses it to another cormorant. So cool! ( those are Bufflehead ducks in the background, my new favorite duck, lol )
2:23 the cormorants leave, all take flight, slow motion
2:43 the last of the flock leaving, slow motion