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Great Cormorant


Great Cormorant
Photo Information
Copyright: Gert Paassen (Gert-Paassen) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 462 W: 1 N: 1943] (6213)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-04-14
Categories: Birds
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-09-04 11:39
Viewed: 221
Points: 28
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note [Dutch]
Latin name - Phalacrocorax carbo

Cormorant
Cormorants are among the most familiar of local seabirds. Those spending the winter here may come from breeding colonies on the Yorkshire coast, the Farne Islands, Anglesey, Abberton Reservoir in Essex or the Netherlands.

Between September and April impressive numbers (totally more than 600 at times) fish along the Norfolk coast in Broadland, at Breydon Water and in the Fenland rivers and drains. Immature cormorants linger here all summer.

Severe weather earlier often results in groups of these almost prehistoric-looking fishermen visiting the Yare and the Wensum within short distances of the centre of Norwich. Cormorant numbers have fluctuated greatly through the years.

It is of considerable interest to trace their fortunes through the pages of early works covering Norfolk ornithology. The final volume of Stevenson's Birds of Norfolk, published in 1890, describes the cormorant as 'an occasional and uncertain visitant to our coast, less frequently still in some inland waters and almost invariably occurring in spring and autumn.'

Earlier writers described a substantial breeding colony at Herringfleet where in some years there were 60 nests. Stevenson's work describes a visit of 30 cormorants to the river at Earlham during a cold spell. One was shot and joined the great Gurney collection now housed in Norwich Castle Museum.

Writing soon after the turn of the century in Nature in Eastern Norfolk, Arthur Patterson considered the cormorant as 'rather rare'. It was then an event to see two or three perched on Breydon channel stakes. Yet old wildfowlers at that time declared it was not unusual in their younger days to see a cormorant on every stake. Nowadays the Breydon scene has been restored to that of the old-time fowlers.

Scroby Sands was chosen by local cormorants as a safe night-time roost for many years. But the sandbank, greatly lowered by storms, was abandoned in 1966. Ranworth alder carrs became the new roost for East Norfolk. Ranworth in turn has since declined as the Breydon birds have favoured roosting at Fritton.

The largest breeding colony of cormorants in East Anglia is situated at Abberton Reservoir, near Colchester. Established in 1981, it is apparently the first successful tree colony in the country since 1916 (when a solitary pair reared young at Black Dyke, Feltwell). Many of the Abberton birds display silvery-white head and neck plumes typical of Continental cormorants (right). Perhaps the Essex colonists originated from a thriving colony in the Netherlands.
nglen, siggi, boreocypriensis, jrobertop, jaycee, eqshannon, rcrick, Jamesp, haraprasan, uleko has marked this note useful
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ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To jaycee: ThanksGert-Paassen 1 09-04 22:32
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 2089 W: 9 N: 5858] (22196)
  • [2008-09-04 11:43]

Hi gert. You have managed good detail in the black feathers not very easy with this bird. A nice pov looking up to it. I have seen them but not got a picture as yet. well done TFS.
Nick..

  • Great 
  • siggi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 406 W: 4 N: 1171] (4110)
  • [2008-09-04 11:52]

Hello Gert,
Excellent shot! Clear and sharp. Nice pose of the bird with excellent DOF and details. Your bird stand out very well on this nice blurred background. TFS!
Siggi

Hi Big Brother Gert, a perfectly focused Cormorant shot with superb DOF/POV and wonderful natural colours.
Many thanks for sharing this beauty.
Cheers,

Bayram

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1864 W: 8 N: 4836] (15667)
  • [2008-09-04 16:31]
  • [+]

Hi Gert,

I doubt this was a beautiful sunny day but you managed a superb shot of this Cormorant. Wonderful colors, details and textures. I love the pose showing off the head and wings to full advantage.

Jane

Looks like a dreary day but you know when you have a bright blue sky it tends to take over the shot, so essentially this image ends up better than a sunny day...I like it! Keep it up!
bob

  • Great 
  • rcrick Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 647 W: 42 N: 1198] (3854)
  • [2008-09-04 20:27]

Hi gert.

Really nice capture of this Great Cormorant, looks like you had some back lighting to contend with, but you've handled it beautifully, wonderful detail in the plumage, and the amazing patterns in the feathers can be clearly scene, really nice work, all the best,

Cheers Rick :)

  • Great 
  • Jamesp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1296 W: 0 N: 5057] (15076)
  • [2008-09-04 23:08]

Hi Gert

Great shot of this cormorant - which remends me that I really shoul take some shots of the ones living close to me - the fishermen all hate them. Great detail and colours here.

James

Hello Gert,

Superb picture of this cormorant. Excellent sharpness and great detail. Very good exposure and natural colours too.
Cheers,
Mariki

Hi Gert,
A nice capture of this beautiful cormorant. Very well composed with sharp details and a lovely composition. Thanks a lot for sharing.

Hi Gert.
A look very expressive!
Excellent coloration and contrast.
Perfect framing and POV.
Congratulations for the wealth of details.
Cheers,
José Roberto

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1314 W: 70 N: 2772] (9197)
  • [2008-09-05 12:13]

Hallo Gert,
Mooie foto van deze Aalscholver. Er valt heel wat te zien in Wannerperveen. Goede scherpte en kleuren, al valt dit niet mee met deze grauwe luchten boven Nederland. Uitstekende compositie.
Goed weekend,
Peter

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2543 W: 170 N: 7734] (24475)
  • [2008-09-05 12:38]

Hello Gert,
Brilliant view of this Cormorant in a nice pose. I like your POV and details and colours are beautiful. A fine composition too.
TFS and regards, Ulla

The even light gives a nice effect to this cormorant. I really like the almost monotone of your image. I think that maybe a bit more space in front of the bird may make the composition a little stronger. It is sharp and well exposed.

TFS
Evelynn : )

Ciao Gert, splendid cormorant in great pose, fine details and splendid sharpness, very well done, have a good week end, ciao Silvio

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