European Shag

European shag (Gulosus aristotelis, formerly kown as Phalacrocorax aristotelis) proudly walking back to the nest with some very special stick: the skeleton of another shag.

We observed many shags returning back to their partner with new nest material for home renovations, which typically consited of kelp or similar, but this one really brought back the most special decoration. They were not the only one finding the remains of their neighbor (or love rival?) acceptable nest building material, we saw at least one other shag on a nest with bones woven into it.