I was watching a variety of birds including Cormorants and (maybe) Shags at Portland Bill on Sunday. The birds were a fair distance away and some might or might not have been Shags. Now, somebody pointed out that as, e.g. in the Collins guide, the Shag "Dives with more pronounced leap clear of water". How reliable is this if you see a bird that could be a Shag or a silhouetted and perhaps especially energetic Cormorant?
Anybody know what it is about the Shag or Cormorant lifestyle that causes this difference in behaviour?
Anybody know what it is about the Shag or Cormorant lifestyle that causes this difference in behaviour?