Topic ID 4621
Has anybody else had the pleasure of watching the cormorant in the castle grounds and elsewhere around Hertford? Last weekend I spent a good 30 minutes watching it fish outside The Old Barge.
Reply ID 66311
quote:Maybe it was waiting for you to buy it a pint?[:)]
Originally posted by Ewoowar
Has anybody else had the pleasure of watching the cormorant in the castle grounds and elsewhere around Hertford? Last weekend I spent a good 30 minutes watching it fish outside The Old Barge.
Reply ID 66313
Interesting. Did it have a paper bag? Just look out for the bears, they'll be around somewhere on their way back from Waitrose, no doubt.
Reply ID 66319
quote:?
Originally posted by Rabbit Rabbit
Interesting. Did it have a paper bag? Just look out for the bears, they'll be around somewhere on their way back from Waitrose, no doubt.
Reply ID 66320
The common cormorant, or shag, Lays its eggs in a paper bag. The reason you will see - no doubt - It is to keep the water out! But what these unobservant birds Have not noticed is that herds Of bears may come, with buns, And steal the bags to hold their crumbs! -Christopher Isherwood. [:)]
Reply ID 66322
They can be devasting for fish stocks where a lot of land owners have retreated to culling them, Be intresting to see if more turn up.
Reply ID 66323
Perhaps that's why the fishermen who bought the river along Beane Road cleared the natural habitat around it. I've seen a cormorant there.
Reply ID 66325
quote:It looks like you are right. A quick search on the web and it seems as though the Lea Valley has a big problem with these birds. It was even the subject of an international case study looking at reducing the conflict between cormorants and fisheries.
Originally posted by hertford born and bred
They can be devasting for fish stocks where a lot of land owners have retreated to culling them, Be intresting to see if more turn up.
Reply ID 66327
If you take a trip down the Lea to Great Amwell, you will be able to observe cormorants amongst other fowl and wildlife at the Amwell Nature Reserve. There is a notice board by the footbridge over the river, adjacent to the viewing platform that lists regular and sighted species.
Reply ID 66355
You can see them in the Kings meads quite often.
Reply ID 66359
Are they comorants or Herons? I see Herons on the meads and indeed spotted him "fishing" in the river and then having his lunch of it too.. Just a thought as my former flatmate thought Herons were storks just wondered if we had the right species......???[:D]
Reply ID 66364
Herons are usually more shy than cormorants. I've seen a heron fly across Charlie the farmer's land to the south of the A414 and also by the new weir (where Griff Rhys Jones went down in his canoe). But I'm sure it was a cormorant I saw in the castle grounds and by the Old Barge.
Reply ID 66370
Cormorants have dark plumage and herons have grey plumage. What colour was the one by the Old Barge?
Reply ID 66372
quote:Very dark. And I've since looked them up on the internet and I am quite sure it's a cormorant.
Originally posted by Rooster
Cormorants have dark plumage and herons have grey plumage. What colour was the one by the Old Barge?
Reply ID 66373
There has been a cormorant down by the 'Marina' for a while; they're very dark plumage and fish either from the surface or will dive into the water. Herons stand very still on the bank and wait for their prey to come to them and are extremely common along the Lea and in a few back garden ponds. There are a lot of cormorants now on the Lea all of the way into London and on the Thames. There may well have to be action taken to reduce their numbers as has already been pointed out they are very greedy feeders. I have also seen some Little Egrets along the Lea at Enfield but none in the Hertford area.
Reply ID 66386
http://worldselection.hsbc.co.uk/hsbc_world_selection/hsbc_tv_advert.html This HSBC advert uses a cormorant to fish for him. This method has been used for years, although on this clip the bird is not banded or does not appear to have a ring around the throat to prevent him/her from eating the catch! [img]http://worldselection.hsbc.co.uk/hsbc_world_selection/hsbc_tv_advert.html [/img]
Reply ID 66395
Its a stunt commorant !!! [:D] How lovely if we have one in the town.. The Rivers must be cleaner than we think.... good stuff...