Drying Out

   Earlier today, I managed to slip down to the pier in between rain showers.  The weather is on one of those quirky runs again with rain ruling the night and morning with the temperatures hovering around 80.  By late afternoon, the winds shifted and the temperatures are to drop to the mid 30s by midnight.  Well now!  That is nigh on a 50 (supposedly) degree drop in a few hours!  Crazy! But being on the pier felt good today.  

  While there, I watched as several cormorants were air-drying their wings.  The birds were perched on the posts of my brother's pier just to my west.  They had their wings held out to let the warm air dry them so they could go right back to diving for more fish.  Cormorants have relatively short wings compared to other birds.  This is to allow them to swim better underwater.  They use the wings sort of like rudders to steer themselves along.  The bird spends so much time underwater that their feathers become waterlogged and need to be dried occasionally.  Perching on some convenient post or pier with wings widespread is their way of drying.  The short wings do not seem to cause any problems during flight other than it is a bit more taxing on the bird.  Underwater, however, the cormorants are pros at speeding along.

  The birds, today, took no notice of my camera being pointed at them.  They were intent on drying out enough to get back to hunting for their supper before the chill sets in for the night.