Wing Stretch

Central India · nature

A cormorant perches on a half-submerged dead tree, wings spread to dry in the sun. A classic posture caught at its quietest moment.

Cormorants are among the few water birds that lack the waterproof oils most ducks and geese rely on. After every dive, they have to dry their wings — perched on whatever exposed branch or rock they can find, with their feathers held out like a heraldic shield. It looks performative, almost regal, but it's pure practicality. A wet cormorant cannot fly.

This one had claimed an old tree standing dead in the middle of a lake. Whatever forest had once grown here was long gone, but the trunks remained — a kind of skeletal architecture for the birds that came after. The light was still soft, the water glass-smooth. The cormorant held its pose for almost a minute before refolding its wings and turning to face the other shore. It never registered me at all, which is the best compliment a wildlife photographer can receive.

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