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Distant Cormorants

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Wednesday, 18 January 2017

Distant Cormorants

Today I went up to the hide in Savages Spinney. It looks over the inlet where many birds take shelter. Looking south there is a small spit of land which juts out into the water from the western shore, right now it is a more extensive sand bank, revealed by the low level of the reservoir. Here the cormorants gather in considerable numbers. They love being together.

It’s too far away for a photo but I could see the birds quite well with some modest field glasses. Enough for some scribbly notes.

I made a slightly bigger sketch at home. I love the way sit with their wings outspread, preening or with heads titled skywards as if expecting something to happen. A few gulls had joined them.

Distant Cormorants A4 sketchbook

One bird was standing on its own, right at the end, gazing out over the water.