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Cormorants...


IanD

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35 minutes ago, Idle Days said:

Or just Shags if you are from the UK, didn't know they came in any other colour. 

Nope, shags are different -- easiest way to tell is the forehead, cormorants are sloping and streamlined, shags kick up at about 45 degrees.

 

I only know because I wasn't sure and I had to go and look it up... ?

1 hour ago, blackrose said:

Yes, cormorants do exist.

But not often in Northolt... ?

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1 hour ago, Athy said:

In that not everyone likes a good cormorant, but many people.....

 Mr Athy tut tut.

 

Only some now like a good tobacco.

 

Shag Tobacco's (thebackyshop.co.uk)

 

When I sailed at Draycote Water Cormorants invaded the reservoir. The fly fishermen there got most upset and had them culled - miserable gits. At least the birds fished to eat. 

Edited by Ray T
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40 minutes ago, IanD said:

Nope, shags are different -- easiest way to tell is the forehead, cormorants are sloping and streamlined, shags kick up at about 45 degrees.

 

I only know because I wasn't sure and I had to go and look it up... ?

But not often in Northolt... ?

Indeed...and you dont get Shags on the canals.

Here's one I took earlier....in Shetland.

1280 800E  D4969-.jpg

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53 minutes ago, Athy said:

Do you find the popular dance style of Carolina's beach resorts in some way reprehensible?

Displaying my higgorance, not heard of that dance style.

 

I thought you were alluding to a more carnal form of exercise. :)

Must be my mucky mind.

Edited by Ray T
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A few years ago had a cormorant for company on, I think , the Bridgewater.  It dived in front of us, coming up a few seconds later then paddled ahead of us for a bit and dived again.  This continued for about 15 minutes.

 

I presume the boat disturbed the fish and made them flash silver which the cormorant picked up on.  I've often seen the same with herons that seem to watch the water ahead of an approaching boat, and if it doesn't see anything it moves up a couple of hundred yards and watches again.

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My angling brother-in-law can rant for hours about the havoc that cormorants wreak on fish stocks in rivers.

...and the damage caused by salmon farming

...and East Europeans taking fish from canals

...and the state of the  'continuous moorers' on his local canal

 

We have a list of forbidden topics when he comes to visit – unless I fancy having a bit of a winding up session.

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32 minutes ago, dor said:

A few years ago had a cormorant for company on, I think , the Bridgewater.  It dived in front of us, coming up a few seconds later then paddled ahead of us for a bit and dived again.  This continued for about 15 minutes.

 

I presume the boat disturbed the fish and made them flash silver which the cormorant picked up on.  I've often seen the same with herons that seem to watch the water ahead of an approaching boat, and if it doesn't see anything it moves up a couple of hundred yards and watches again.

I've seen crested grebe do the same thing. I wonder if it is the noise of the prop deafening the fish to the approaching beak of death.

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37 minutes ago, starman said:

My angling brother-in-law can rant for hours about the havoc that cormorants wreak on fish stocks in rivers.

...and the damage caused by salmon farming

...and East Europeans taking fish from canals

...and the state of the  'continuous moorers' on his local canal

 

We have a list of forbidden topics when he comes to visit – unless I fancy having a bit of a winding up session.

And you could add the move to ban fishing in parts for France because "fish are not toys to be played with by anglers"; a sentiment with which I completely concur. 

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17 hours ago, Ray T said:

 Mr Athy tut tut.

 

Only some now like a good tobacco.

 

Shag Tobacco's (thebackyshop.co.uk)

 

When I sailed at Draycote Water Cormorants invaded the reservoir. The fly fishermen there got most upset and had them culled - miserable gits. At least the birds fished to eat. 

Although they are an impressive bird it is true that they are a major problem on inland waters, and can quickly decimate fish stocks. A damned shame as it is a reflection of how bad the ocean environment has become. I watched a group of five porpoising in a diagonal line on a long pound as they herded the fish towards the downstream lock, and kept them there for several days as they picked them off.

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I was of the opinion that they were our coastal birds that had come inland for easier and richer pickings .I read recently an article in The countrymans weekly in which it said that 

these birds are a freshwater inhabitant that have come over here from the continent  As to the numbers  there is a roost on the weaver by saltersford lock  and i counted over fourty one day.

 

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