If you bother with me on twitter you will have been fascinated/appalled/indifferent to my continuing cormorant news. These updates concern a lone cormorant which perches on a street light high over the slip road which links the A48M to Rover Way which is the way I drive into and out of Cardiff Bay.
I’m not much of a bird watcher and can barely distinguish individual types from one another. But last year I looked forward to seeing this strange bird and would try to describe it in the evenings to Mrs M who does know her birds. It was only when we both passed it that she confirmed it as a cormorant.
So, it continued making me smile until a horrible episode last July (2011), as told in these tweets:
For the last month or so there’s been anamazing looking bird - a cormorant I think -
perched on a street light on the way out of Cdf Bay…
…then there were two. I’m not v knowledgeable about birds but have really enjoyed seeing them on the way home. But today, horribly…
…it looked like one was slung over the light, apparently dead, while the other stood guard. I hope I’m wrong. V sad otherwise.
Then next day:
The cormorant’s body is still draped over the streetlight. Wonder if it was shot? Senseless destruction if so.
The one cormorant stood guard over the body for many days until it was removed or fell. The remaining bird stayed around for a couple of days then disappeared. Very sad. But I thought no more of it until early this May:
Delighted to see the return of the single cormorant which perches on the lamppost high over theRover Way slip road
from Cardiff docks…
…last year there was a pair but one died and its body was draped over the street lamp for days -horrible…
…but today the male (I assume) was back & displaying like the Bat-sign high above the slip road.Glorious sight.
Sole cormorant was still perched above Cardiff docks slip road this eve. Still displaying. Last year he stood watch over dead mate for days.
Those awaiting cormorant news will be pleased to hear he’s still on his lamppost. Still making theBat-signal. Still alone.
In cormorant news, there is no news. I haven’t seen it today.
And so it went for a few weeks until May 27th this year:
Also this evening, great news in the ongoing story of the lone cormorant - alone no longer.
This is the cormorant who last year stood by the lifeless body of its companion upon a street lamp highabove the Cardiff
docks slip road.
This year he has stood alone in the samespot, displaying, making shapes like the Bat-signal. But this evening he was joined by a companion.
A happy ending.
But thereafter it was an on-off relationship:
Just the original cormorant on its perch this morning. I hope that doesn’t mean they’re going through a rocky patch.
Both cormorants in position tonight. The original is black,the new one grey. Tell me bird watchers is that male-female or parent-child?
First time in weeks that I’ve seen my friend the cormorant, wings outspread, looking like a pterodactyl
above the slip road. But alone.
And then nothing. No sign of either until last night when I spotted both on their perch. So today I took Mrs M’s camera and parked in the wetlands near the edge of Cardiff’s docks area. Please, meet my friend the cormorant.
