Retro-Post... Cormorants Catch and Release

Originally posted on August 31, 2014

The sky was overcast at daybreak but soon cleared to a nice sunny morning. Time to go check out the birds at the San Elijo Lagoon.

Not too many birds but plenty of birders and photographers looking for interesting subjects to shoot. My first observation this morning was a Semipalmated Plover. He has a very muddy beak.

Semipalmated Plover, Charadrius semipalmatus measures 7.25 inches long with a wingspan of 19 inches. 

This lighter colored one appeared to be a juvenile. As they mature, the plumage on the crown, mask around the eyes and back will get darker.

 

An Osprey flies by with a nice sized fish. 

 

I love the way they carry their fish, always head first and keeping it streamlined with their body for more efficient flying...

He heads for his favorite telephone pole. I can hear him chirping.." warning off" another Osprey that just came into the lagoon... 

 

Another fish is caught but this one is by a Cormorant!

A nice big Halibut! The Cormorant appears to have a very full crop. I have been watching this Cormorant fish for about an hour and he has been very successful. He should be very full. The hunter in him made him grab this prey. It was a " just because I can" catch and he couldn't resist the prey although his crop told him there was only room for one more sardine size fish.

He tosses the Halibut around a few times.

Sizing up his prey, it looks very big and he isn't making much of an effort to consume this catch. 

He pushes the fish under water... 

Brings it up and gives it a minimal effort to swallow it.

It's not a very good effort at swallowing this big fish.

That was it for his effort to swallow the fish. The Cormorant gives up on trying to swallow this catch and he puts the fish down. 

 

I have seen this look before. When guys eat that fifth piece of the huge slice of pizza and even if everyone is telling him to go ahead and finish the last piece, that "last slice" just won't go down the hatch. This is the " I'm filled to the gills look". This Cormorant is full... with his crop budging out, he can't eat this big catch. His eyes were bigger than his crop and he is done for the day. The Halibut is released.

 

Shaking his head and probably trying to make room in his crop but he just can't get any more room for now. look at that huge crop! It's that big football-sized lump at the base of his neck. No amount of neck dancing and twisting is going to make room for him to swallow that big Halibut. It starts to float away...

The Cormorant is now ignoring the fish. He just has his head underwater probably not feeling too good from overeating.

The Halibut keeps drifting away, moving with the tide. He gives it one last sideways glance but does not retrieve the fish.

A few more neck movements and he starts to swim away from the Halibut never looking back to check on his fish. He just kept swimming north!

Now there is quite a distance between the fish and the Cormorant. The fish floats south and soon after this shot, it sinks. It is not clear if it dies or if it lives. I would like to think that it lives. It may have been in shock... but recovered to go heal and mend. Life is harsh in the wild.

Have a happy weekend everyone!