Walking around the Apex Reservoir this afternoon I noticed a lone Double-crested cormorant paddling along. I kept an eye on him as I figured he’d soon be diving, and I was curious how far he’d go underwater. Sure enough he submerged, and I looked ahead five, ten yards to catch where he came up.
I stretched to see around trees that blocked my view, and noticed a Great blue heron standing tall and statue-like about three feet offshore. Then the cormorant surfaced, a white fish about 4 inches long wiggling in its beak. Before the first cormorant swallowed his catch, a second cormorant surfaced, also bearing white fish. As soon as the first cormorant downed his fish, he dove under and within seconds surfaced with another fish. Suddenly I noticed a third cormorant, also with white fish in its beak.
All this time the heron looked on, motionless, less than five yards away from the ongoing feast, beak empty.
The school of white fish under the surface continued to provide a late afternoon dinner for the trio of cormorants for another few minutes while the heron watched.
this view of earth 