This poor fish must have been close to being too large for the Pied Cormorant to tackle. The cormorant struggled to swallow it and came to shore with an obvious, still writhing bulge in its throat. The swallowing process was such an effort that the bird moved its neck in strange ways as it tried to force the fish further down its gullet; it then spent several hours sitting at the water’s edge unable to move until digestion was well underway.
Pied Cormorant – way out to sea, heavily cropped
Pied Cormorants are large black and white birds that frequent bays, estuaries and large wetlands. They grow to about 75cm and are ‘near threatened’ in Victoria. Their bright green eyes and orange eye patches are striking. I have multiple images of the bird as it sat on the sand looking uncomfortable, drying its wings and twisting its neck before finally lying on the sand and sleeping off its meal. I couldn’t help but think about a large Christmas dinner, followed by some moments of discomfort and a pleasant nap.
I’ll share some of the close-up cormorant images soon, in the meantime my heartfelt good wishes for a wonderful Christmas filled with birdsong and happiness.
Happy birding, Kim
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