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How a Cormorant Takes Off From Water, Phalacrocorax carbo in Connemara, Ireland

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Phalacrocorax carbo taking flight from water Phalacrocorax carbo taking flight from water ©Panoramic Ireland 2024

Cormorants are large seabirds well adapted to swimming and diving. You'll often see them floating, almost submerged on the sea, a river or a lake or standing on rocks with wings outstretched drying.

Broigheall is the Irish name and Phalacrocorax carbo is the latin name for these birds which are found extensively throughout Ireland.

Easy to confuse with shags, usually cormorants will have a white patch, as seen in the image above, around the thigh and also cormorants are more likely to be found inland even at lake and river sites.

Shags have a steeper forehead rising from the bill which is marked by a crest of feathers and almost always in Ireland remain coastal.

If you are wondering how seabirds get airborne, here's an interesting sequence from the west of Ireland.

Here, a lone cormorant taking off from the calm surface of a lake in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland shows that it is basically running on water, you can see the splashes of water kicked up by those webbed feet as its wings begin to generate lift.

Cormorant taking off on a lake in Ireland, running on water
Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo taking off on a lake in Ireland, running on water

Quite a sight, a fine sunny summer's day and the sounds of wildlife all around.

Cormorant taking off on a lake in Ireland, running on water
Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo taking off on a lake in Ireland, running on water

 

Cormorant taking off on a lake in Ireland, running on water - almost airborne
Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo taking off on a lake in Ireland, running on water

Finally airborne.

Cormorant airborne at the lake, Connemara
Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo airborne at the lake, Connemara

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Last modified on Wednesday, 13 November 2024 02:56
Darren McLoughlin

Irishman and International travel photographer in search of the best bits of Ireland. Leading photography tours and experiences in Ireland.

Contributor to New York Times / Sunday Times / Irish Times / Echtra Echtra and Eonmusic

Cancer survivor.

Ask me about travel in Ireland or about photography in Ireland.

https://darrenmcloughlin.com

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