Date: 9/12/25 8:23 pm From: Zac Denning via groups.io <zdenning1...> Subject: [EBB-Sightings] Brandt’s Cormorant at Creekside Park in Albany
This evening, while birding Creekside Park looking for migrants, I was
startled to hear heavy sloshing noises from the east end of the tiny stream
(Cerrito Creek) that runs through this urban park. This was accompanied by
an underwater shape moving sinuously below the surface of a small pool,
executing tight turns in pursuit of minnows.
I assumed at first that this might be a mammal, until a cormorant head
emerged right next to me! This was already surprising, but what was more
unusual was that this was a Brandt’s Cormorant! Brandt’s Cormorants are
ocean birds (often ranging far offshore), though they can be found more
sparsely in the bay, especially in areas that are closer to the Golden Gate
(in addition to breeding sites on bridge footings and some other sites).
This bird was probably 1/3 of a mile inland from the closest pure
saltwater. Presumably it came through the culvert st peak high tide, then
found the feeding good. The bird certainly seemed unhurt, and foraged
energetically.
Cerrito Creek is very narrow, with low flow and small shallow pools (the
deepest might be knee deep), separated by slow trickles over gravel bars.
High tide raises the level of the creek’s lowermost end, where brackish
water comes through a culvert under highway 80, after crossing tidal flats
between the Albany Bulb and Point Isabelle. The creek divides a city park /
Asian mall and apartments on one side, and a riparian area and oak woodland
at the base of Albany Hill on the other.
As I watched, the bird reached the end of its pool, then emerged to waddle
unhurriedly to the next one. Over several hours, it ranged up and down the
creek with this combo of swimming than waddling, close to leashed barking
dogs in a small encampment, past teenagers hanging out on the bank, and at
one point it passed me 3 feet away, as I stood still on a gravel bar, as it
made its way further upstream!
This is definitely a bird I never expected to see in a freshwater creek in
an urban park! I imagine there must be very few records of inland Brandt’s
Cormorants on small bodies of freshwater. Truly bizarre.
Photos and video are below:
(My hand is shown for distance reference in one photo as I stood still
while the bird walked by me)
Zac Denning
Albany
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