Cormorant & cranes

The second of the backblips. A cormorant perches on one of the tall channel markers at the top of the Test estuary with the cranes of the docks in the background.

I have seen cormorants perched on these posts before, but I have never seen one land. They are big birds with strong, direct flight, but when it comes to take off and landing, they lack the precision of control that many smaller birds have. So it would be interesting to see the landing manouevre to set down here.

Our first full day staying with Dad. He's very tired and struggling to get about. He's been through a lot in the last few months, and he hasn't bounced back so well this time. A few days of having his meals cooked and getting other jobs done for him should help.

The photo was taken when I had my usual early morning visit to Eling. It was raining hard when I arrived, but it gradually brightened. Wifie and I had a run out to the New Forest in the afternoon with time for a short walk from Shatterford into Denny Wood.

ps A new bird species for the year today, a common tern. Just shows how little birding I've done this year, not exactly a difficult bird to see! That's probably 141 for the year.