rocksea and sarah » orchestra http://www.rocksea.org Experiments with prakriti; our own & life around. For educational, environmental & entertainment purposes. Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:58:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 great cormorants; silhouettes & orchestrated nest building http://www.rocksea.org/great-cormorants-silhouette-nest-thekkady http://www.rocksea.org/great-cormorants-silhouette-nest-thekkady#comments Tue, 03 Jun 2008 12:29:25 +0000 rocksea http://www.rocksea.org/?p=174 Silhouettes of the great cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo, against a murky sky on a misty September morning at the Periyar National Park, Thekkady.

Silhouette of the Great Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo, at Periyar wildlife sanctuary, Thekkady

Each bird seems to be in its own mood… and as you watch them, the mood slowly grows into you… Click on the images to see a larger version and get close to each bird!

Silhouette of the Great Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo, at Periyar wildlife sanctuary, Thekkady

Nesting of the Great Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo, at Periyar wildlife sanctuary, Thekkady

Orchestrated nest building… the cormorant parents seem to be moving as in an orchestra, holding the long twig with their beaks. Both male and female actively participate in the nest building process.

Nesting of the Great Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo, at Periyar wildlife sanctuary, Thekkady

Do you know that, in Japan, these cormorants have been traditionally trained to catch fish? The tradition is known as ukai. The necks of the cormorants are tied to the boats, tight enough to prevent swallowing. The fishes are later retrieved by the fishermen.

 

Location of the Periyar National Park, Thekkady:
Periyar National Park, Thekkady [maxlat=9.65;minlat=9.20;maxlon=77.30;minlon=76.60;maptype=G_MAP_TYPE;overviewmapcontrol=show;zoom=9]

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