
CORMORANT
What is the difference between a Cormorant and an Anhinga?
The tip of the upper beak is a hook in a cormorant, the beak is straight in the anhinga.
The cormorant has a blue eye and the anhinga brown eyes.
Cormorants are medium-to-large birds, with body weight in the range of 1–11 lb and wing span of 1 1/2 to 3 feet. The majority of species have dark feathers. The bill is long, thin and hooked. Their feet have webbing between all four toes. All species are fish-eaters, catching the prey by diving from the surface. They are excellent divers, and under water they propel themselves with their feet with help from their wings; some cormorant species have been found to dive as deep as 150 ft. They have relatively short wings due to their need for economical movement underwater, and consequently have the highest flight costs of any flying bird.
On July 14, 2020 I was paddling my kayak and a cormorant popped up beside me, I will call him Happy. He was within a foot of my kayak!! I was surprised, but it had happened before. This time however, Happy submerged, stayed down for 30 seconds, and came up by my kayak again! Happy did that at least 10 times during the next ten minutes while I paddled about an eighth mile. One time I even touched his back inadvertently with my paddle he was so close.
Then Happy flew away. within two minutes, Happy was back! During the next 10 minutes he dove and came up either to my port or starboard side, again and again, as I paddled back toward home. Sometimes he came up behind me and croaked, but he kept up with me!! It started to rain so he flew off.
I do not know if he wanted to use the shadow of my kayak to scare up fish, but he did not catch any.
The next day he did not show up. I think that that was a once in a lifetime experience.

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![]() note the water on his back that came pouring off as he rose. |
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![]() shook his wings and started off. |
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![]() this was his perch and she was to go away! |
![]() they are quite chunky to be able to fly. |
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![]() “Which side do you like?” |
![]() 14. This feather came loose, what should I do with it? |
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![]() 17. Another pose. |
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![]() 21. Just waking up in the morning. |
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