Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis)

This glossy black marine bird is rarely seen away from it’s coastal habitat. It can often be seen diving for fish. The young are brown with paler under parts and the adult is dark greenish black with forward curling crest when breeding. The nesting colonies are found well spaced on ledges or caves just above the water line, they lay 1 - 6 eggs which hatch after 53 days.

The dark colour of the bird can make it difficult to get the exposure right. We recommend using center weighted metering, place the center of the lens on the birds plumage and with the metering set to manual (M) adjust the f stop and shutter speed. For flight shots you will need fast shutter speeds such as 1/1000 sec or higher.