Cormorant – one of my favorite waterfowl, which visits Israel in the winter. The cormorant is an excellent diver, and can stay underwater for a minute, dive and fish at a depth of 9 meters! A beautiful creature with shining emerald eyes and a shiny black body. The plumage of cormorants is not completely waterproof, since these birds lack an oil gland for preening, so their feathers get waterlogged when they swim underwater and so it is sometimes seen spreading its wings in a typical way and drying its feathers in the sun after swimming. There is a cheerful bunch of cormorants on a lake in Hod Hasharon, where I enjoy photographing them. Here is a selection of recent photos.
