Ancient Silhouettes – Photographing the Cormorant

There’s something almost prehistoric about the cormorant. With their piercing turquoise eyes, sharply hooked beaks, and that unmistakable wing-drying pose, they feel like throwbacks to another era. They might not have the glamour of a kingfisher or the drama of a bird of prey, but spend some time with them and you begin to see their beauty in a new light.

The Encounter

Under perfect sunshine, I was testing out the Sony 600mm with a 2x teleconverter, giving me a reach of 1200mm and it offered a level of detail I’ve never managed before. From a distance, cormorants can appear almost plain, dark silhouettes against the water. But up close, it’s a different story. Their feathers shimmer with iridescence, shifting from deep greens to purples as they preen in the light.

Watching one dry its wings, perfectly still against a backdrop of the water, is like watching a living sculpture. That pose isn’t for show, it’s practical. Unlike many water birds, cormorants don’t have fully waterproof feathers. After diving, they must spread their wings to dry, a behaviour that has become their signature silhouette.

About the Cormorant

Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) are widespread across the UK, commonly found along coasts, estuaries, reservoirs, and large inland lakes. Expert fishers, they dive with remarkable agility, chasing their prey underwater with powerful kicks from their webbed feet. They’re capable of diving several metres deep and can stay submerged for over a minute, emerging with eels, perch, or other fish clamped in their bills.

Despite their hunting skills, cormorants have had a complicated history with humans. They were once heavily persecuted by fishermen who saw them as competition, and even today they sometimes face controversy around fisheries. But ecologically, they are a fascinating and important part of our wetland habitats, thriving both in wild coastal colonies and increasingly inland.

During the breeding season, adults develop white thigh patches and a more pronounced yellow gular patch at the base of their bills. They nest in colonies, often on cliffs or in tall trees, building bulky nests from sticks and seaweed. 

The Shot

On this particular outing, the combination of bright sunlight and long reach gave me the chance to capture intimate portraits, close-ups of the iridescent plumage and sharp detail in the feathers. At 1/1650 sec, f/8, ISO 500, the Sony α1 II and 600mm GM lens with 2x teleconverter gave me the speed and sharpness I needed. Later, I fine-tuned the images in Lightroom, bringing out those subtle green and purple tones that often go unnoticed.

Final Thoughts

Cormorants may not top many birdwatchers’ lists, but when you slow down and pay attention, they reveal a striking beauty and a way of life that is as captivating as any of our more celebrated species. To me, they embody the idea that every bird has its own story, and sometimes the most “ordinary” can turn out to be extraordinary when you take a closer look.