Cormorants on the pylons

Today the cormorants on the electricity pylons in the Adur Valley near Steyning had abandoned the topmost rungs and cables where they normally roost and had retreated to the spars at the three lowest levels.  With the wind gusting up to 30 mph and promise of worse to come it is not surprising that they were avoiding the more exposed heights.

These have long been a popular roost for Cormorants.  This morning there were about 35 birds on one pylon and a few more on fence posts below.  I have seen up to 150 birds on the three pylons they favour.  Normally they occupy the top spars and cables.  They spread themselves out, maintaining a spacing of about one metre between each bird and its nearest neighbour.  
They seem very quarrelsome and I guess the spacing keeps each bird beyond reach of a lunge from its neighbours beak.  

They fish in the river and are a nuisance at the local angling ponds, but most probably spend their time out at sea and they can be seen at dusk flying up the valley singly or in flocks of up to a dozen or so to spend the night on the pylons.  Some mornings when we are sitting in bed drinking our morning cup of tea we see small groups in V-formation heading back down to the sea. They fish in the river and are a nuisance at the local angling ponds, but most probably spend their time out at sea and they can be seen at dusk flying up the valley singly or in flocks of up to a dozen or so to spend the night on the pylons.  Some mornings when we are sitting in bed drinking our morning cup of tea we see small groups in V-formation heading back down to the sea.