Cormorant

The Cormorant that we see locally appears to be the Great Cormorant. It breeds mainly on coasts, nesting on cliffs or in trees (!) and three or four eggs are laid in a nest of seaweed or twigs. I have to admit that I have not discovered or seen any Cormorant eggs - either along our coast or up any local trees!

The Great Cormorant can dive to considerable depths, but often feeds in shallow water. A wide variety of fish are taken: cormorants are often noticed eating eels, but this may reflect the considerable time taken to subdue an eel and position it for swallowing, rather than any dominance of eels in the diet. In British waters, dive times of 20-30 seconds are common, with a recovery time on the surface around a third of the dive time.

You will often see Cormorants “roosting” or drying their wings onislets or rocky outcrops next to the sea although it’s more likely to see them individually or in pairs rather than in large colonies.

The Great Cormorant is a large black bird, but there is a wide variation in size in the species. Weight is reported from 1.5 kg to 5.3 kg, with a typical range from 2.6kg to 3.7 kg. Length can vary from 28 inches to 40 inches and wingspan from 48 inches to 63 inches. It has a longish tail and yellow throat-patch. Adults have white thigh patches in the breeding season. In European waters it can be distinguished from the Common Shag by its larger size, heavier build, thicker bill, lack of a crest and plumage without any green tinge.

What - No crests and no green tinge! Maybe it is Shags that we have here after all!