Sussex cormorant tussles with its dinner at Arundel lake

Photographs show the tussle between the bird and its lunch at Swanbourne Lake in Arundel.

Argus camera club member David Bolton captured the scuffle which was watched on by seagulls and coots.

Cormorants cast a striking figure with their glistening black feathers, bright yellow face, beady eyes and reptilian neck.

The eel tries to escape the bird's clutches (Image: David Bolton) The large birds can often be spotted with their wings held out in the sun after they have been fishing so that their oily plumage, which is only partially waterproof, can dry.

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RSPB describes the species as being “supreme fishers”, which the organisation said can bring them into conflict with fisherman and has seen them persecuted in the past.

The prehistoric looking birds have become a more common sight along lakes, reservoirs, canals and rivers in the UK.

The Canal and Rivers Trust said it has seen a “substantial” increase in cormorant numbers in the last 30 years.

The cormorant seems to have won (Image: David Bolton) Cormorants, which have an average lifespan of 11 years, can often be mistaken for shags.

The trust described how best to tell the closely related birds apart.

“Cormorants are bigger birds with black feathers and white patches in the breeding season,” its said.

“Shags, however, are slender with no white parts. Shags have black plumage with a green gloss and purple-tinged wings. They also have smaller heads with a peaked forehead, sporting a tufted crest in the breeding season.”

The British Trust of Ornithology said there are 8,900 breeding pairs in the country.