Cormorant

Canford Bottom

Male and female gadwall in flight over the river stour

Just half a mile from home is the wonderfully named Canford Bottom. It has a roundabout with 70 sets of traffic lights. On the other side of the roundabout, accessed via an underpass on Old Ham Lane, the River Stour runs through fields and meadows. I popped down there this afternoon after the school run with the dog and my camera.

Male and female gadwall on the river stour

It was overcast, but not gloomy and there were some interesting bird species around, such as this pair of Gadwall. I did see a couple of kingfishers, but was unable to get a decent shot – sorry.

Little egret searching for food in the fast flowing water

The river is quite mature at this stage. Overall its just over 60 miles long and we are just about 10 miles from its mouth at Christchurch harbour. Today the levels were quite full and the river was fast flowing. This little egret was fishing and ignored me as I got a few pictures from the opposite bank.

Juvenile cormorant on an overhanging branch

A mile further along Ham Lane is Longham Lakes. This has a large population of cormorants. This one appeared to need some time out from the colony and was perched here unconcerned by passers by.

There were smaller species around. It was easier to hear them than see them, but this male reed bunting landed on the barbed wire fence running alongside the river. It didn’t stay long, but gave me a choice of left side or right side profile.

Today I didn’t get to see any otters. I saw one earlier in the week, but again the light was poor. Otters have been reintroduced to the river about ten miles up stream and they do attract attention when they appear.

There is a significant population of cormorants at Longham Lakes. When in water they float with more of their body submerged than other waterfowl. Just their heads and backs are visible. They don’t stay above water for long before they dive on their next fishing expedition. When not feeding they take to the air to find a spot to dry out. This could be a tree or a floating platform. Often they can be seen perched on the electricity lines and pylons running alongside the lake.

The cormorant pictured above was slightly unusual. Whilst not far from the lakes, it found a resting spot in an adjacent field normally occupied by horses and was just resting. I was pleased to capture this shot with the low winter sun reflected in the bird’s green eye.

Power

The electricity pylons that run alongside Longham Lakes are hard to miss, but they do not over power (pardon the pun) the beauty of the landscape or the wildlife which just accept their presence.

The Cormorant

Cormorants are about the size of a large goose (80-100 cm). They feed on fish and are equally at home in the water and in the air.

Cormorant colonies are increasingly found inland. They can be seen perching on power lines and pylons, as well as on purpose built perches on inland lakes and reservoirs.

Take off from the water surface can be a ‘splashy’ affair, as the bird struggles to get airborne. Its flight over water continues at only a few feet above the surface before eventually gaining height.