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First day out for a spell


Tigger

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I seem to recall one of the photos they keep banding around to show how bad cormorants are is one shoving a nice chunky pike down its throat!

 

 

The bird in the pic is a juvanile (you can see that by it's plumage) but it is the average adult size. They always look larger from a distance than they really are, just feather dusters really. The size if fish they eat is relevant to their size so a 8 ounce pike will look like a 8lber.

They mostly eat fish of about 2 to 6 inches, that's why they can create specimene waters if left to munch on the fish. I suppose if there are to many of them feeding on a water then the only option is to pop 'em off. The problem is they can travel long distances and can target waters many miles from their roosts.

Imo the correct way of targetting them/ cutting their numbers down would be to despatch 'em at their roosts.

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Noted, however this isnt an 8 oz fish. Google "cormorant eating pike".

Only about the same results as googling "grey hero eating pike". "Pike eating pike" is far more impressive.

 

A tiger does not lose sleep over the opinion of sheep

 

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Noted, however this isnt an 8 oz fish. Google "cormorant eating pike".

 

 

Do you mean this one.....

 

http://metro.co.uk/2008/02/07/cormorants-hard-act-to-swallow-626235/

 

So if the pikes 1ft in length what weight would that make it, less than a pound ? Not exactly a large fish and i'd say that's getting close to the linit of the size of fish a resident uk cormorant can take. Obviously eels of a longer length could be swallowed.

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I'd have said it was longer than a foot, but apparently not. An adult cormorant is 3ft in length, it doesnt look to be 3 times the size...

 

I'd say a 2lb fish is nearing its limit, all the same I'd rather they weren't taking pound plus chub and pike - they are afterall the future stocks.

Please visit my blog at http://jimmysfishing.blogspot.com

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I'd have said it was longer than a foot, but apparently not. An adult cormorant is 3ft in length, it doesnt look to be 3 times the size...

 

I'd say a 2lb fish is nearing its limit, all the same I'd rather they weren't taking pound plus chub and pike - they are afterall the future stocks.

 

I'd say well below 3ft in length more like 2 to 2 1/2 ft and a lot of that is tail and neck....my macaws are over 3ft long and are much bigger/longer than a cormorant.

Pull out the tail feathers and chop their neck off and you have a little body the size of a very small chicken ....i've done it with a cormorant or two. I've even had winged cormorants in my hands alive and kicking and they're not large at all. Same applies to all birds really, my eagle owls looked huge but under all the feathers there wasn't much there lol.

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All,

 

Our cormorant is the double crested. The ones I've caught on rod and reel weigh about 3 lbs in the feather.

 

These birds almost became extinct in the 50's from the use of DDT. They are doing much better now......................

 

cormorants800.jpg

 

Phone

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Who knows eh!

 

I was merely referring to the Collins "Birds" Guide which gave a 91cm length (or 2.98 ft).

 

I remember sitting on a frosty morning on the banks of the swale last year, ponds were frozen. There was about a dozen of these huge black creatures that suddenly appeared from the depths, they spanned the width of the river, saw me and took off quickly. Now stocks on the swale of silverfish are already concerningly low (its made up largely of bigger chub, barbel and pike - the ones that cormorants dont eat). So to see this sight was just awful.......

 

There must be something to be done to them. Wonder if the recent changes in law would make any difference??

Please visit my blog at http://jimmysfishing.blogspot.com

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