Great Cormorant

After we attended the monthly Friends of the Belair National Park barbecue meeting today , I suggested a walk in the park to see if we could get any good bird shots. Nothing of interest evolved. So I suggested we try our old stamping ground, the Playford Lake near the park entrance.

Apart from lots of ducks and a Noisy Miner, nothing else seemed to be on offer. Paladian captured a great shot of this large cormorant taking a late afternoon bath and creating his own shower bath.

I waited for him to come out of the water to dry his wings and captured this interesting ¾ angle on him. I know it is only a "common" Great Cormorant, as what bird of class would shower publicly like this?!

The Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), is the largest of the Australian cormorants and is one of the largest in the world. This bird appears to be one we have regularly spotted at this lake and I have never seen more than one there at any time.

Greater wing span

It is a large bird from 70cm to 90cm in size. The Great Cormorant is almost entirely black in plumage, apart from a white and yellow chin and a small white patch on each thigh (absent in winter). The bill is grey and the legs and feet are black. Young birds resemble the adults but are more dusky-brown. This bird was a sort of charcoal grey.

Great Cormorants are probably the most widespread member of the cormorant family with a range that includes North America, Europe, Africa, China, India, Southeast Asia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Australia. It occurs throughout most of Australia but is more numerous in the south-east and south-west.

In spite of its preference for extensive areas of permanent freshwater, the Great Cormorant is not confined to these areas and is often seen on coastal inlets and estuaries.

The Great Cormorant is an excellent swimmer and captures its food in shallow underwater dives, normally lasting up to one minute. Underwater, it swims and pursues prey using its feet but not its wings. Outside of the breeding season birds are often seen fishing alone, such as this one.