Flamingo - Birding - Like preachers saying grace to their congregation
I saw a man in the street, He had words, he had to preach But we just walk on by. Maybe we should stop and listen Maybe he has words of wisdom. We pretend to agree with the suit-wearing freaks. Maybe all he needs is a suit and a briefcase to make you stop. Don’t let them make you stop living.
Sidewalk Preacherman by Andra
Have you ever wondered about those funny-looking birds that sit on protruding rocks along the coast with their wings spread out like preachers saying grace to their congregation?
Maybe we should stop and listen; maybe they’ve got something to say. Something very important indeed.
The real reason for the cormorants sitting with their wings spread wide open, is that they dry their wings in the sun because their feathers are not as water resistant as those of their fellow water birds, the gannets and the pelicans. Another rather funny and strange activity is their unmusical gular flutter (which makes them look like the Windhoek Youth Choir), as they sit on the rocks along the coastline with their necks stretched out and their mouths wide open. In fact, the objective is to cool down when they are heat stressed.
The cormorants have a very typical way of swimming with their bodies partially submerged in the water. Their tails are quite stiff and are used as rudders when swimming. They keep their wings close to their bodies when di-ving underwater, with only their strong legs, well developed for swimming, to propel them. Their toes are all webbed, the middle claw pectinate with a comb-like structure used for grooming. Contrary to the gannets, they do not dive directly into the water from the air but first land on their bellies and then dive from the surface. When they land on the water they touch down on their bellies with their tails depressed to brake. Their food is swallowed only once they reach the surface. They can dive down to more than 30 metres below the surface to do their fishing. Apparently they sometimes swallow rocks to make them less buoyant, very much like the deep-sea divers with their diving belt.
Cormorants give new meaning to the saying “The more you eat, the more you shit,” because they have a rather healthy appetite, with a resultant ability to produce large amounts of guano, which is utilised by man for fertiliser. Their diet consists largely of fish with some variety between the different species, the two inland cormorants – the White-breasted and Reed Cormorant – enjoying the additional delicacies that inland waters offer, including frogs and insects. The coastal species, for example Crowned and Bank Cormorants, utilise what the sea has to offer, including lobster, crustaceans and octopus. Cape Cormorants primarily eat pelagic schooling fish. All the cormorants grab their prey with their hooked bills, which are also laterally compressed, ensuring streamlining during diving.
These water birds are mostly gregarious at their breeding colonies, while elsewhere they occur sing-ly or in small groups, except the Cape Cormorants, which hunt in huge flocks of up to 200 birds or more. One of the more spectacular sights is when they fly in formation in their multitudes along the coast on their way to a new fishing spot or on their way back to their roosting ground. They have no subcutaneous airbags like gannets and pelicans, making them less agile in flight. One of the largest breeding colonies, in fact, is on the well-known platform just offshore near Walvis Bay, where up to 700 pairs have been counted. Here, in a way, we humans have indeed made a positive impact on the cormorant population off the coast. Other well-known breeding areas are Ichaboe and Possession islands along the Namibian coast.
An interesting variation between the different species is the colour of their eyes. Reed and Crowned Cormorants have red eyes, the Cape Cormorant turquoise, the White-breasted green and the Bank, green/yellow eyes. Their eyes are adapted for underwater foraging.
The eye’s lens has an elasticity, allowing it to focus underwater when images are often distorted owing to light reflection and refraction. A possible appendage here might be shades, for them to wear in addition to the suit and briefcase. Apparently they also have an exceptional hearing ability, being able to fish in muddy water. A blind adult cormorant has been found in good condition, confirming this.
Cormorants are often called sea crows because of their colour. They are a relatively uniform group, basically all black with a glitter tint. The White-breasted Cormorant is the exception with its white breast and the Bank Cormorant with its white rump, which excludes any possible confusion with any of the other cormorants. Two look-alike cormorants are the Crowned and Reed Cormorants, the difference being that the Reed variety is mostly found in fresh water, while the Crowned is a marine species. Looking at the cormorants, especially at the immature ones, you can quite easily understand why birds are said to be descendants of dinosaurs, particularly when looking at their leathery, webbed legs and snakelike head and neck.
What is it then that these seaside preachers want to say to us? The status of all but the Reed and White-breasted cormorants – the two that occur inland as well as along the coast – is threatened. Unfortunately this is the direct result of human intervention by over-utilising the fishing resorts along the coast, as well as the ever-present danger of pollution. A recent study showed that more than 90% of pollution along our coastline is indeed caused by the fishing industry. The only other culprit is the South African (Cape) fur seal, which also has a major impact on the fish platter available. Seals are currently a controversial topic due to their culling taking place along the Namibian coast. Of real concern here is the reduction of the Bank Cormorants on Ichaboe Island from over 4 000 pairs in 1978 to less than 200 pairs in 2000. So maybe what they need is a suit and a briefcase, although I doubt if even that would make us stop and listen. Maybe, just maybe, the darkies would do the trick.
