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CormorantCormorants are among the most familiar of local seabirds. Those spending the winter here may come from breeding colonies on the Yorkshire coast, the Farne Islands, Anglesey, Abberton Reservoir in Essex or the Netherlands. Between September and April impressive numbers (totally more than 600 at times) fish along the Norfolk coast in Broadland, at Breydon Water and in the Fenland rivers and drains. Immature cormorants linger here all summer. Severe weather earlier often results in groups of these almost prehistoric-looking fishermen visiting the Yare and the Wensum within short distances of the centre of Norwich. Cormorant numbers have fluctuated greatly through the years. It is of considerable interest to trace their fortunes through the pages of early works covering Norfolk ornithology. The final volume of Stevenson's Birds of Norfolk, published in 1890, describes the cormorant as 'an occasional and uncertain visitant to our coast, less frequently still in some inland waters and almost invariably occurring in spring and autumn.' Earlier writers described a substantial breeding colony at Herringfleet where in some years there were 60 nests. Stevenson's work describes a visit of 30 cormorants to the river at Earlham during a cold spell. One was shot and joined the great Gurney collection now housed in Norwich Castle Museum.
Scroby Sands was chosen by local cormorants as a safe night-time roost for many years. But the sandbank, greatly lowered by storms, was abandoned in 1966. Ranworth alder carrs became the new roost for East Norfolk. Ranworth in turn has since declined as the Breydon birds have favoured roosting at Fritton. .By Michael J Seago
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