A keen photographer has spoken of his pride at capturing this shot, while on a visit to a Shropshire beauty spot, of a cormorant which was trying to eat a rather large carp.

Michael Cole snapped the photograph on a visit to the Woodland Nature Reserve, Ellesmere.

The 62-year-old metalworker said he was there “at the right time” to get the shot.

“It’s one of those pictures where I was there at the right time and a strange thing was no-one was there and they should have been,” he said.

“I thought it would be an interesting photograph to show people, it was probably something I shouldn’t have seen.

“You don’t usually get the chance to see birds feed like that. It was very exciting.”

Mr Cole said the carp was too big for the cormorant to eat and it actually dragged the carp onto an island.

“The carp and the cormorant on two or three occasions both went under together.

“Presumably the carp was trying to swim away and the cormorant was not letting it but was winning the battle,” he added.

“It lifted the fish up in the air, as birds do, and tried to swallow it but could it get it into its mouth.

“It was a very exciting moment.

“Eventually after a battle of about five minutes the carp escaped and it was recaught about 50 yards away.

“I just wish someone else had been there to see it.”

Mr Cole, from St Martins, said the carp eventually managed to escape from the cormorant.

By Deborah Collins