Dutch cormorants already have eggs

Though it is still winter, Dutch great cormorants are already nesting. This photo by Erik Menkveld is from the Zwanenwater nature reserve.

Translated from the blog of game warden Anke Bruin from Vlieland island:

February 22, 2013

Last week, our colleague Herman Vogel noted that there are already over 80 great cormorants nesting in the second Kroon’s Polder wetland, on the islets. There they have already laid eggs. The particularity of the cormorants on Vlieland is that they nest on the ground. Elsewhere they make their nests in trees. On Vlieland they feel safe enough on their own islets, to breed on the ground.

The ‘Vlieland’ cormorants eat mainly sand eels (commercially not an interesting species).

There is a slide show about the cormorants in Ms Bruin’s blog post.

For the next few days, the weather forecast is more snow and cold. All my best wishes for the birds and their nests!

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