Normally, cormorants hang out on the docks or rocks out in the bay, along with the seagulls and ducks, but this one was taking a rest and wandering along the shore as I took my morning walk.
I don't know if it was trying to dry out after a swim or just resting on its journey south.
Cormorants ride low in the water when they're swimming and dive to catch small fish. They also like to eat crayfish and other water critters, as well as occasional vegetation.
Unlike ducks, they don't have waterproof feathers, so they need to let their plumage air dry.
They are interesting birds, although they tend to make themselves unpopular among sport fishers, since they are pretty voracious diners at the seafood buffet.
In any event, it was fun to get a closer look at this big waterbird as I went on my morning ramble.
5 comments:
Does that mean that the whole time it is drying out it is vulnerable to being eaten by something? Hope it dries fast. Needs some micro feathers.
sheila
Lots of times these birds perch on dead or downed trees sticking up out of the water and spread their wings in the sun and breeze to help their feathers dry. I guess if a predator was after one, it could just dive back in the water and swim away.
I've never seen one standing on dry ground. Pretty cool.
Hugs to ya from BetsyLee
Sheila, the cormorants can still fly when their wings are wet - just not very fast, so they could get away from any ground predator. An eagle might be another matter, though. The fact that their feathers are not waterproof (and that their bones are heavier than other waterbirds) allows them to dive deeper and remain underwater longer. They don't have any air bubbles that add to buoyancy trapped in their wings. I read that they also tend to fly close to the water, because there are fewer air currents to fight.
BetsyLee, this is the first one I've ever seen on land. There aren't dead trees in the bay, but the cormorants do love the rocks that break the water's surface or the piers they often share with seagulls and mergansers. It's always funny to see one among a flock of seagulls - the large, black bird among all the smaller white and gray ones makes me want to sing a chorus of "One of These Things Is Not Like the Others". :) Hugs right back to you!
Webfoot and BetsyLee,
we always learn so much on this blog!!!
Sheila
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