I've discovered that if you want to get some nice shots of the wildlife out here, you have to be patient and willing to be still in the cold. I was watching a Blue-eyed Shag, also known as a Cormorant, this afternoon as it went looking for some food. Actually, it was picking at a fish all morning but it never devoured it.
Here is the hungry Blue-eyed Shag as it was preparing to go out fishing. Looks like we are all interested in catching some Antarctic fish.
For whatever reasons, it gave up on the fish it had from the morning much to the delight of the Kelp Gull who was closely monitoring the situation. Kelp Gulls are scavenger birds and gladly feed on others' leftovers. They have even been known to eat their own chicks and eggs. Really? Yes, really. So, apparently tired of the N. coriiceps it had on the rocks, the Cormorant decided to go fishing for fresh something fresh. Poor coriiceps - everybody wants them.
This Kelp gull was keeping a close eye on the Cormorant's fish, just waiting to feast on the leftovers.
What are you looking at?! demanded the Cormorant. Who me? I'm not even looking at you...honest, said the Gull.
These Cormorants are great swimmers and divers. They feed on fish and invertebrates that live in the water. They have big webbed feet which allow them to propel themselves deep down to hunt for fish and they can go pretty deep. At least a couple hundred feet, if not more. So, when I saw this bird start to fish, I bundled up and stood by the water and waited. I'll let the pictures tell the story and I'll add some engaging narration as you watch...
These birds paddle around in the water and continually duck their heads under water searching for fish. When they spot one they will go for it and suddenly the bird will disappear for a surprising amount of time. This bird went down for at least a minute.
Success! The bird came up with a struggling fish. It dropped it a couple of times before winning this battle and flying back to the rock.
These birds must be incredibly strong to catch a fish this size, bring it up to the surface and then take off and fly with it! I'm assuming they kill the fish by spearing it with their beaks. I have seen some fish flopping around still on the rocks so that takes even more strength to fly back with a wiggling fish.
This is one of my favorite shots as the Cormorant comes in for the landing. This was clearly not on the coriiceps' list of things to do for the day.
No, you are not imagining things. That Cormorant is swallowing that fish whole. I guess choking is not an issue. Or worrying about speaking with your mouth full.
Ouch. Is it just me or does your throat kind of hurt watching this? That neck is really able to stretch out. Looks like there will be none left for the Gull who seems to understand this and goes back to picking at the morning's catch.
BURP!