A Dungeness record was broken this week when we had 1818 cormorants counted roosting on Burrowes pit one evening! What a spectacular sight, the islands were turned black by the sheer number of cormorants roosting on them! A large and conspicuous waterbird, the cormorant has an almost primitive appearance with its long neck making it appear almost reptilian. It is often seen standing with its wings held out to dry. Regarded by some as black, sinister and greedy, cormorants are supreme fishers which can bring them into conflict with anglers and they have been persecuted in the past. The UK holds internationally important wintering numbers.
Image: Cormorant drying its wings by Ed Marshall (rspb-images.com)
Other highlights this week have been the numerous gulls seen on Burrowes pit including an Iceland gull, a Caspian gull, a glaucous gull and a yellow-legged gull.
Male and female smew, goosander, goldeneye and pintail have all been seen around the reserve. The ring-necked duck is still about, as is the long-eared owl. A hen harrier and 2 curlew were spotted today by the Boulderwall farmhouse.
Next week is Show the Love week at Dungeness. Pop into the visitor centre to take part in different activities - create your own green hearts to take pictures of at Dungeness and share on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RSPB_SouthEast . Share the love by helping the birds build a love nest. Add your voice to ours for the UK government to do more to tackle climate change! For more information about the campaign, visit the Climate Coalitions website http://www.theclimatecoalition.org/ or give us a ring on 01797 320588 for more details about our event.
I love cormorants. How wonderful for you to have them in such numbers!
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.