South Georgia - Falklands Expedition Report - Part 12 - Magellanic Cormorant

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Rock Shag or Magellanic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax magellanicus)
Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, Novembers 2018

Olympus OM-D E-M1MarkII camera
300mm f/4 IS Pro Lens
1/1250 sec at f/4.5, ISO 800

The Rock Shag, also known as the Magellanic cormorant, is commonly seen around the southernmost coasts of South America, in Tierra del Fuego and in the Falklands. It breeds on the ledges of steep, bare rocky cliff faces and feeds inshore on small fish, crustaceans and cephalopod.

A slightly larger version of the image can be seen by clicking on it.

Olympus OM-D E-M1MarkII camera
300mm f/4 IS Pro Lens
1/1250 sec at f/4.5, ISO 1000

The head, neck and upperparts are black with a white patch on the rear of the ear-coverts. The chest and underparts are white. In non-breeding plumage, the anterior throat has a white patch of variable size. The bare skin of the face is bright red, extending from lores and around the eyes, down to the gape and the base of the lower mandible. It is mostly orange around the eyes. SOURCE

Olympus OM-D E-M1MarkII camera
300mm f/4 IS Pro Lens
1/1250 sec at f/4.5, ISO 1000

The Rock Shag forages close to shore and especially in kelp beds. It dives in search of and pursuit of prey usually in depth between 5 and 10 metres. SOURCE

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David Sparks

I retired in 2005 after 40 years of research and teaching at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (24 years), the University of Pennsylvania (8 years) and the Baylor College of Medicine (8 years). Photography is my retirement hobby.

Nature photography, especially bird photography, combines a number of things that I really enjoy: bird-watching, being outdoors, photography, travel, messing about with computers, and learning new skills and concepts.  I now spend much of my time engaged in these activities.

David Sibley in the preface to The Sibley Guide to Birds wrote "Birds are beautiful, in spectacular as well as subtle ways; their colors, shapes, actions, and sounds are among the most aesthetically pleasing in nature."  My goal is to acquire images that capture the beauty and uniqueness of selected species as well as images that highlight the engaging behaviors the birds exhibit.