Close to a Cormorant

It’s a beautiful morning in my local country park. I see another photographer and we exchange pleasantries. He says it’s much better early in the morning before people arrive and when the light is better. I tell him this is my early in the morning. He snorts.

There’s a Cormorant unreasonably close to the bank of the lake.

I love the splayed tail and huge flipper-feet. They must be so powerful under the water. It’s preening obsessively.:

Its face is a complex patchwork of feather, skin, pattern and colour. They aren’t the plain black birds they appear to be from a distance at all:

I’ve written about the conflict between people and Cormorants before. Here are my thoughts on why people cause so much trouble for them:

Cormorants have a serious image problem

Over forty years ago I saw a Cormorant and wrote about it in my nature notebooks:

I’m glad I came out early. Well, my early.