1st DC Cormorant, Potter Hill

At least three times a week I spend part of the afternoon driving down River Road, a country lane that borders the Pawcatuck, and at this time of year, in addition to scanning the area very carefully for the first signs of returning Osprey, I'm also on the lookout for their fishing buddies: sleek, dark birds known as Double-crested Cormorants, or, for short, DCCs. There's a dead tree in the river that is a traditional DCC hangout, and today at around 2:30, as I was on my way into town for cardiac rehab, I spotted the first of these ultra-adept anglers, who specialize in the Deep Dive School of Fishing Success. Later in the upcoming season, I'll see many of these birds swimming and diving by the plunge pool of a waterfall and a fish ladder, and on occasion, an Osprey will arrow out of the sky and snag a piscine treat. For now, though, there's only one DCC showing off his trademark cowlicks. Soon enough, he'll have company... and maybe even admirers.