It has a dark cap on its head, light band across its nape, and a white rump patch. Cormorants may be confused with loons. They can be seen swimming and diving in the water, or standing on rocks or posts. When cormorants swim, they tilt their bill up at an angle. Cormorants lack oil glands to keep their feathers dry, so they are often seen in a spread-eagle pose as they stand on a rock drying out their wings.
Gannets are seabirds about the size of a goose, with long, tapered bills and pointed tails.
The northern gannet is mostly white with extensive black wingtips. It may be seen scaling over the ocean and plunging headlong for fish. Common eiders can often be seen around islands or shoals. They are bulky ducks with thick necks. Males have a black belly and crown, and a white back.