Common Murre & Brandt's Cormorant

Yesterday, from mid-afternoon through early evening, my daughter Caitlin and I spent time at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area in Newport, Oregon. It was one of the only nearby coastal areas that the local Audubon Society recommended for viewing birds during the Summer. They couldn't have been more spot on. This place is teaming with wildlife, especially birds. While I have been here before, it was before I resumed my childhood hobby of birding and I didn't have near the appreciation for what I was seeing.
This place was a Common Murre paradise. The noise they made filled the air with an energy that couldn't be ignored. Along with the Murres, we saw Brandt's Cormorants, Pelagic Cormorants, Pigeon Guillemots, Herring Gulls, Brown Pelicans and a Bald Eagle just looking out on Colony Rock from the light house viewing area.
The image above is the top of a near by rock filled with Common Murres with a sprinkling of Brandt's Cormorants and perhaps some Pelagic Cormorants (I still have trouble identifying them).
We also spent a little time at the tide pool before we left and saw some Harbor Seals lounging at close range.