Hobbyist professional photographer and Echo Camera Club member Don Williams recorded a 30-minute war in the waters of Poole Quay on Thursday, March 16, as a cormorant attempted to consume an eel.
He was working as a skipper when he discovered the cormorant increase to the surface area of the water with the big eel in its mouth, trying to swallow it.
Quickly hurrying to get his cam, Don recorded many pictures of the encounter – in which he says the eel returned up the throat of the bird 4 or 5 times.
“It was one long battle,” Don said. “I kept stating to individuals ‘are you watching this?’ It was definitely incredible to see.
“The eel just kept fighting and you could see the cormorant was getting to a point where it thought of letting go, but it kept picking it back up again.”
Several seagulls were likewise flying overhead and unsuccessfully tried to catch the eel from the mouth of the cormorant.
Seagull attempts to take eel being consumed by a cormorant. (Image: Don Williams)
After more than thirty minutes, the cormorant had the ability to consume the eel and wandered off even more down the Quay prior to unexpected Don by flying back to the very same location.
Don included: “It’s absolutely amazing he was able to fly after swallowing an eel as big as that. It was an amazing experience to watch a battle like that and I’m glad I was able to capture it.”
