The Rookery, Saunders Island – Cormorants

There were a good number of king cormorants at the Rookery, both on the cliffs and a little further inland. 

 

Although you have to respect a 20ft distance from the wildlife, sometimes the birds make up their own minds and disregard the rules. This chick’s parent flew in and landed a couple feet away from me and the chick quickly rushed up for food. Once its appetite had been sated and its parent had flown off, it hung around for a good 10-15 minutes and came over to inspect my laces.

 

Cormorants are rather ungainly when compared with albatrosses, but despite their slower flight they still have a habit of seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

 

I was quite curious to see one chick feeding from another, rather than an adult.

 

Some of the chicks were beginning to take test flights and quite a few off them took off over the sea whilst I was watching. Not all of them were so brave, one flew to the edge of the cliffs and then reconsidered and came back again to safety!