great cormorant

I have a T-shirt (gift from brother and SIL) that says "easily distracted by birds". I have to admit it. It's true. Even when totally absorbed in watching birds (Black Guillemots, in this instance, and a Ringed Plover on the beach), I'm easily distracted by a fly-by.

Grand Cormoran -Phalacrocorax carbo - Great Cormorant

Drying wings, a must for these birds and a joy for us.

GRCO preening with his back to a beam of sun

Great Cormorant

for a role as Bela Lugosi stand-in. In other words, hiding his ID? With his throat patch hidden, I can't tell if this one is P carbo carbo or P carbo sinensis. I was quite taken with that coppery, black-rimmed plumage, though. Oh, and the white specks on his nape aren't snow; I think they're his...

And finally, a Great Cormorant. Can't tell which subspecies because it wouldn't lift its head.

This image was taken late in the afternoon in December when the weather was as grey and gloomy as today. I was walking round a lake which is right in town within the mandatory one-kilometre perimeter from my home (lockdown rules at the time) when I saw a few cormorants perched on a tree branch...

We seem to have a growing population of Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis here in Trondheim. They were almost killed off in Norway some years ago, but are now protected ... and gradually spreading northward.

This Great Cormorant looks like s/he's practicing ballet poses.

Caught these in the middle of the lake

Love the green eye

Taken during our day trip to the island, Ven.

Yesterday I took advantage of the restrictions being eased, (25kms from home not 5kms) the gardens are exactly 6kms from my place so out of bounds before. I went to see the Black Swans and their 4 bubs that I had been asked to see if I could get some photos for the Friends Group but didn't find...

Another shot from the fight over the big fish. This immature great black-backed gull literally jumped on the cormorants back but didnt manage to steal this fish. At the end, one of the cormorants finally managed to swallow the entire big fish and peace returned on the water.

another shot of the cormorant battle

Some dead fish thrown in the water from the local fish market set off a riot among the cormorants (and a couple of great black-backed gulls).

On the shingle bank just past the two swallows were a rather cosy looking pair.... A Great Cormorant and a Silver Gull. Social distancing hadn't arrived, or even been thought of in November!

Way over the other side of the river, was a black blob sitting on a dead tree. A picture showed me this Great Cormorant, only the second I'd seen, the first one of my last days out with Hans and Judy.

Travelling around the Ravensbourne NP we came to this large dam called Perseverance. Hans had come here in the hope of finding some Rock Wallabies, but they were missing sadly. There were a few birds out on the water, but I didn't get any good pictures as they were all quite distant, but I...

Well, actually not saying anything that I recall. I don't know why he was opening his bill. I'm just sharing the shot to show how tricky it can be judging the angle of the yellow patch if you don't get a clear profile shot.

carbo carbo - note the chevron shape of the yellow patch, with a sharp angle towards the back.