clipped by the elbows

SławekStaszczuk.cormorant
cormorant by Sławek Staszczuk

Is that a cormorant perched on the next stump-island? He snaps open his wings and leaves them outstretched, as if they were hung on the line, clipped by the elbows to dry in the dusk. When we get closer, he will pull in the laundry and lift his feet restlessly – one, then the other.
~ Kathleen Dean Moore
(Wild Comfort: The Solace of Nature)

4 thoughts on “clipped by the elbows”

  1. We have a lot of old cement abutments and other barriers in the St. John River – they are always filled with cormorants, drying their wings! Rather comical! Jane

    1. They can be amusing birds! I’ve been trying without any luck to get a good shot of our local ones for years, and finally gave up and “borrowed” this photo to go with the quote. 🙂

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