Cormorant Drying Off

As birds that like to fish, it's easy to imagine that this Double-crested Cormorant is demonstrating the size of "the fish that got away". (Fishermen are known for their exaggerations, after all.) In actuality, the cormorant was almost certainly just drying its wings off after a dip in the water. Their feathers are less oily than most waterfowl, so they get wetter and need to dry off more than ducks/geese do.

May 1, 2023 at Washington Valley Park
Photo 278270674, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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