The images that open this gallery have never been the result of cormorants photographic "ambush" or of waiting for long time in the lookouts. Portrait photos of the cormorant were taken during cycling tour along Hel Peninsula. The bird sat with a solid heavy crop, lazy so much that allowed me to come a few meters up and take the pictures. In addition, I have managed to take a few shots that are a record in fact. Great cormorant weights up to 3.5 kilograms, with a wingspan of about 1.5 meters.
Last minute news 09/2013
It was a big surprise to me, when lying on the beach in the morning I saw on the left side cormorants gathering the flock. Initially it looked harmlessly, but within half an hour hundreds, or may be over a thousand cormorants have flown up. Despite the great distance the flock was too big to fit in four frames of lens with a focal length of 600 mm attached to the camera body! There were more and more flying up cormorants creating a lane, which at first was faced to the shore, and later towards the sea. When I was watching hundreds of birds flowing in the formation I could see some of them duck every now and then, and after a while come back with a fish in its beak. Possibly it was such a way of fishing in flock. Or maybe they just noticed a shoal of fish, and decimated it. I assure you that such a view at sunrise, with the fog in the background and hundreds of cormorants is unforgettable. Unfortunately such a view is hard to capture. On the one hand I would like to take a picture of all the birds, and telephoto lens of 600 millimeters replace for 200, or even 50. On the other hand, close-up of cormorants diving into the water and back, pretty dynamic, would be interesting as well. Such shot would need a bit shorter distance or to attach a converter.
Last minute news -10/2013
During a Sunday walk I searched topics for my daughter's first photo contest. We went to the new Malta Zoo in Poznań, where I hoped to photograph waterfowl and " park " birds that despite being wild, there are expected to be captured easier. As it was said earlier in the introduction to the page I publish only the pictures of wild animals. If it occurs that there are pictures of animals in captivity it is always clearly articulated. It was a big surprise when I saw a colony of wild cormorants on a large reservoir. Far away also herons standing on the shore could be seen. They did not mind at all the company of pelicans. Apparently the size of the reservoir and safe distance from visitors caused cormorants colonized "run" for pelicans . This is the place where I recorded sounds of cormorants’ colony. Unhampered by anything cormorants flew freely between the basins, occasionally teasing to take a better place in the trees, which are probably over- exploited by them. I recommend this place because the possibility to make so close observation of wild cormorants in such quantities does not happen often in Poland. When shooting a single cormorant on breeding ponds, I could not reduce the distance just to take interesting pictures. Being on the lookout was the only way to take pictures. And here you are, what a great surprise during a Sunday walk. My daughter’s first photographic achievements that day were jay, nuthatch and great titmouse. Goldcrests proved to be too fast for autofocus of Lumix that was working too slowly. My photos significantly changed the content of cormorants’ gallery which I also complemented with recording my own audio of the bird. There are so many changes that even though it is not a new species, it deserves to be published as news.
Last minute news- 02/2014
While I was photographing the little pied cormorant in New Zealand, I spotted several great cormorants in the vicinity. They were much less trusting than the little pied cormorant and the moment they realized that I was approaching them, they flew off. Well, the gallery might have not been enriched with intriguing shots, but an interesting thing to know is the fact that the birds which can be seen in Poland can be seen also here, „at the back of beyond”. I apologize to all New Zealanders for this „back of beyond”, but that’s how it looks like from a European perspective.
Last minute news 04-2014 Turkay
The gallery of the Great Cormorant includes many photos. When I was spending my time seating on the rocks at the Bosporus shore, the Cormorants were flying closely and it was tempting to take a few photos. I use my website as a kind of diary. These photos testify to the bird’s beauty at flight. I added to the gallery devoted to this species’ pictures. These pictures were taken in Hel peninsula. It was quite at an effort to take them, as it was freezing cold. Looking at them now is sheer pleasure. On that sunny Day, however, I could endlessly wait for these birds to appear. Theoretically, because my willingness to see them took priority over anything else. I am glad it did, because thanks to that the new gallery of the Lesser Spotted Eagle.
Last minute news – 10/2014
I added a few pictures of cormorants hunting in flocks. An amazing view of how well organized the hunting is.
Last minute nevs-09/2015
Note – look at the introductory text to Grey Plover. The gallery has been rebuilt.
Last minute nevs – 06/2016 - Mongolia
Last minute news 01/2022
There have been many meetings with cormorants, but those made in January 2022 add variety to the gallery. The cormorant caught a fish and checked for a long time whether it was able to swallow it. It tormented the fish for a long time, then released it. Did the fish survive? I don't know, the cormorant certainly didn't eat it.
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Mongolia - introductory text - Pallas's sandgrouse
Birds-new galleries:
1. Pallas's Sandgrouse (T,V),2.Himalayan Vulture (T)3.Pallas's Sea-Eagle.(T)4.Demoiselle Crane(T).5.Upland Buzzard (T). 6.Siberian Scoter (T).7.Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush (T).8.Saker falcon.9.Golden Eagle.10.Azure Tit (T,V).11.Horned Lark (T,V).12.Red-billed Chough (T,V).13.Mongolian Lark (T).14.Mongolian Herring Gull (T,G).15.Bar-headed Goose (T, V).16.Amur Falcon (T,V).17.Rock Sparrow (T,V).18.Pine Bunting (T,V).19.Desert Wheatear (T,V).20. Merlin (T).21.Isabelline Shrike (T).22.White-crowned Penduline-Tit (T,V). 23.Oriental plover (T). 24.Citrine wagtail (T). 25.Greater Sand Plover (T).26.Red-crested pochard (T).27.Daurian redstart (T).28.Eastern marsh harrier (T).29.Swan Goose (T).30.Dusky Warbler.31.Taiga Flycatcher.32.Pacific Swift.33.Thick-billed warbler. 34.Asian brown flycatcher.35.Daurian jackdaw.36. Richard's Pipit. 37.Garganey. 38..Asian Short-toed Lark.
Mamals-new galleries:
1. Przewalski's Horse (T). 2.Long-tailed ground squirrel (T,V). 3.Mongolian gazelle (T).4. Corsac fox (T).5.Bactrian camel (T).6.Yak (T).7.Bobak Marmot (T).8.Mongolian Pika.
Reptile-new galleries:
1. Variegated toadhead agama. 2. Steppes Ratsnakes (T).
Amphibian : Mongolian toad
Changes in birds galleries:
1.Cinereous Vulture (T) 2.Black Kite (T,V).3.Buff-browed Warbler(T,G).4.Olive-backed Pipit (T,V).5.Litle Stint (T).6.Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler (T).7.Eurasian Hobby(T).8.Siberian Rubythroat (T,V).9.Carrion Crow (T,V).10.Pallas's Leaf Warbler (T).11.Black-winged Stilt. 12.Ruddy Shelduck (T).13.Kentish Plover (T).14.Grey Heron (T).15.Eurasian Hoopoe(T).16.Griffon vulture (T).17.Arctic Warbler.18.Common swift.19.Common Shelduck.20.Whooper swan.21.Bearded vulture(T).22.Steppe eagle.23. Horned grebe.24.White-winged Tern.25.Pied avocet. 26.Isabelline wheatear. 27.Ruddy turnstone.28.Cormorant. 29.Northern Wheatear.30.Common goldeneye.31.Common redshank. 32.Eurasian Tree Sparrow. 33.Eurasian skylark.
Go to the gallery: MONGOLIA - F A U N A MONGOLIA SLIDESHOW
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