If I happen to be walking the canal path on one of these last warm days sometimes, I see a cormorant fishing. He is a real low rider in the water and immediately conjures up the photo I studied in middle school of the Loch Ness Monster. He has a snake-like head, is known to dive for fish and can be found in fresh or salt water. When he is not fishing, he is often posted up on some log with his wings spread out to dry. Unlike many other diving birds, the cormorant has less oil in his glands to waterproof his feathers, so he must dry his wings the old-fashioned way.
Cormorants taking a break from swimming and fishing.
I looked up cormorants in my bird book and found that they are often lumped with birds called shags which are more likely to live in Europe. Of course, once I found that out, I had to spend quite a bit of my day thinking about the infamous haircut “the shag” which all the hip girls in middle school were getting. As painful as it is, I spent a day or two thinking about middle school and all the ways one could feel like a misfit while passing in the halls between social studies class and home economics. It did not help my situation that I had no experience in the beauty department when the other girls were learning how to apply mascara and about the magic in that tiny wand. I was not tuned in to the world of makeup and was stuck with my two barrettes keeping my greasy hair out of my eyes. Sadly, I still adopt that hairstyle today, not adding much to my vintage look. Needless to say, growing up with a bunch of older brothers did not help clue me into women’s fashion or hairstyles or any of that stuff. So, when 7th grade rolled around, it was pretty clear that I would remain a plain-bellied sneetch among all the star-bellied ones who knew how to put themselves together. In a half-hearted attempt to keep up with the times, I did purchase a big bottle of Quick Tan a self-tanner from the local drug store. I slathered it on my pasty legs, ignoring the horrid fumes, and waited to see my legs unveiled as shapely and bronzed. That was not going to happen as I had a heavy hand, and I basically dyed my legs orange. Adding insult to injury, my hands were dyed orange, too. I asked my mom if I could stay home from school but she would have none of that, so off I went. Let’s just say that I spent most of the day trying to hide, with limited success.
But back to the original subject at hand: shags (the bird variety) and cormorants. They are pretty remarkable birds who eat a wide variety of fish. They prefer communal living and can nest on the ground or in trees. When they do nest, they are usually joined by other cormorants making a colony in which to raise their chicks. Each pair embellishes their primitive looking nest with trash such as balloons, rope or other debris. Normally, the female lays 3-4 eggs, and the parents take turns caring for their chicks until they are ready to fend for themselves.
Cormorants are easy to overlook but worth looking at through binoculars. The male during breeding season has nuptial crests which he can extend or hide. I could really take a deep dive on the subject of nuptial crests but will leave that for another time. He also has orange facial skin around his beak area. One look at that and many folks would be reminded of sunsets on the Cape, pumpkins on the vine, or Good Humor creamsicles on a summer day. I, unfortunately, am reminded of my experimental days with the self-tanner. But the cormorant seems to wear his orange well, just ask his mate!