Cormorants appear clumsy trying to get airborne after feeding. They generally always leave the water faced into the wind and use their feet to help them build speed for take off. The longer the runway the more water logged they are. Like the anhinga, cormorants often sit on posts or wires to dry out with their wings outstretched. The children's story Ping is about a Chinese diving duck.
Chances are the star of the story was a close relative of our local cormorant.
In the story it describes the Chinese fishing method of placing a ring around the cormorants throat. This prevents the bird from swallowing the whole fish. When the bird returns to the boat, the fish is cut and scraps are given to the bird. This is fishing without a pole and bait. Inc. Copyright 1995 Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation.