What bird is this? Large webbed feet, long neck and a long, narrow beak. Sea bird or river and pond dweller?

It was wandering around my wife's restaurant the other day. It seemed distressed, unable to fly and was quite easily caught. I reckoned it was exhausted and after a day in the cage at home with water and some fish, it seems a lot more feisty. It was veryt hot the afternoon we caught it. The restaurant is a little over 500 m from the beach but on the other side of Highway 3 so it didn't walk all the way. There's some freshwater ponds about 500 m further inland and maybe that's the best place to let the bird go? Unless it is a seabird of course.

Thanks,

NL

It's a Cormorant, a fish eating seabird - although they are equally at home catching fish in freshwater lakes or ponds.

Patrick

Thanks Patrick, I thought that's what it looked like but wasn't sure. I will drop it off at the fishponds.