When I see cormorants at my pond they seldom fly straight outta the area, they seem to always make on huge circle back over the area on their way out, not sure why, like they are trying to gain elevation slowly.
My pond is pretty much surrounded by trees except for the dam area, the trees behind the dam are low enough that they could take off straight over it but for some reason they always circle back once or twice.
I have always wondered if that was a taunting thing or a courtesy thing, for when it takes you a few minutes to bring out the old turkey load, but it has proven to be a costly maneuver for a good many of them.
