The cormorant is a proud bird
This story happened a couple of years ago, and although I have told it more than once, I have not always been able to convince listeners of its plausibility! A summer Sunday at the yacht club. Most of those who once managed to buy a boat or a yacht are engaged in their favorite hobby. A 60-foot boat returns from the forts, with three people on board.
I was at the pier at that time and took their lines. The scene I saw puzzled me a bit. First, all three were slightly battered and heavily scratched to the point of bleeding.
Of course, a slight degree of intoxication could explain their appearance, but not entirely. The bruises could be blamed on that condition, but the scratches—hardly! To the question, "Who roughed you up like that?" I heard a story that still makes me laugh!
It was a nice day, the boat was anchored near Fort Ovruchev. The crew on the bow were casting fishing rods, drinking a bit, and throwing leftover snacks to the seagulls (according to the victim). There were many seagulls, and also plenty of snacks. And then, from the direction of the sun, like an enemy fighter, a cormorant appeared. For those who don't know, it's almost a seagull, but actually it's a Rottweiler with wings. The seagulls scattered, and the cormorant flew low over our fishermen. That would have been fine, but one hero managed to jump and hit the cormorant, punching it between the wings!
Then a direct quote: "And he, the bastard, turned out to be so vengeful!" The cormorant made a combat turn and attacked from behind the hero, who had already forgotten about him! It knocked the hero off his feet and started pecking him, helping itself with its claws. The other two fishermen initially recoiled, but seeing the seriousness of the cormorant's intentions not just to give the offender a black eye but to actually tear him apart literally, they rushed to their friend's aid.
If you think the bird backed down and retreated, you are wrong! According to the victim, the fight lasted about twenty minutes! Even if you divide that by two, the bird still deserves respect. The result of the fight: everyone bruised and scratched, clothes torn, the boat covered in feathers and blood. They did defeat the bird, by piling three bodies onto the poor feathered creature, but they were afraid to let it go, remembering its vengeful nature.
However, they couldn't think of anything smarter than tying the bird up and stuffing it into a locker. And the aft locker, mind you, has a volume of about two hundred liters. And they closed the lid almost with their feet! I might not have believed the stories, but I saw the cormorant with my own eyes!
When I was already about to burst with laughter, and the victim was telling the story very colorfully fresh from the event, someone who had just come aboard the boat reached into that same locker for some reason. The bird tried to escape from captivity—I hadn't seen such horror flare up in the storyteller's eyes in a long time!
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