The Great Cormorant is unmistakable in profile:
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo (7). Photo in U.K..JPG – Wikimedia Commons
Professional photographer Paul Clayden has taken several fabulous photos of cormorants along the River Sid:
A Cormorant fishing and flying on the… – Paul Clayden Photography | Facebook
Cormorant catching, tossing and eating… – Paul Clayden Photography | Facebook
With another impressive shot from Mark Taylor Hutchinson:
In pictures: the wildlife of the River Sid | Sidmouth Herald
And a video taken by Stefan Drew:
Cormorant Catches Huge Fish On River Sid – Sid Valley Biodiversity Group
The ‘problem’ with cormorants, though, is that they eat lots of fish – as reported in an Environment Agency report on the Sid and Otter from 1996:
It is widely accepted in angling circles that in recent years there has been a marked increase in the extent of predation by fish-eating birds on freshwater fisheries. The River Otter is no exception where the significant numbers of cormorants observed frequently in the middle and lower reaches are the principal cause for concern. Salmonid species are vulnerable to avian predation and are thought to be taken by cormorants at various locations in the catchment.
RIVERS SID AND OTTER CONSULTATION REPORT
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