A Cormorant’s Dream

And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye. —Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Our cormorants are some of the most personable birds of the wetlands. As common as they may be in this area, they’re fascinating and sweet creatures.

Hello, sweet one

I caught this serene cormorant — or “shag” (referring to the bird’s crest, which is lacking in the British forms of the Great Cormorant) — as he was preparing for the evening in the local wetlands.

These medium-to-large coastal (rather than oceanic) seabirds are plentiful in southeastern Florida, and can often be seen diving for fish and other aquatic grub. After fishing, the cormorants dry their wings ashore in the sun and in the trees (similar to the cormorant-like anhingas), as their feathers don’t possess the waterproofing oil of other seabirds.

Preening time

One last look to the setting sun

Nodding off

Snooze

Check out their beautiful and distinctive turquoise eyes that fade quickly after the breeding / nesting season.

Humans have long used trained cormorants to fish the waters of China, Japan, and Macedonia. Trained by fishermen, a snare is tied near the base of the bird’s throat, allowing the bird to swallow only small fish. When the bird captures and tries to swallow larger fish, the snare doesn’t allow the fish to be swallowed, and it becomes stuck in the bird’s throat. The cormorant is forced to return to the fisherman’s boat, where he helps the bird regurgitate the fish, removing it from its throat. Traditional cormorant fishing isn’t as common a method today — with the development of more efficient fishing methods — but it remains a tourist draw. However, the method is still practiced in some Japanese regions, and has continued uninterrupted for 1300 years in Gifu City, in Gifu Prefecture.