Point Lobos State Preserve - June 27 - Bird Island - A beautiful half mile trail leads to excellent views of the off shore rocks and the Cormorants. Coincidentally, it was exactly one year since my last visit. When I arrived at Bird Island the Cormorants were nesting and feeding their young; compared to last year there was a significant difference in population size. The photo shows the difference between last year and this year. Enlarging the image is helpful in seeing details.
The oval depression (below) is the prime real estate on the island and gets filled up quickly with the early nesters. Many will return to the same nest they occupied the year before.
Last year the oval area was packed; Brandt’s were everywhere. This year the prime real estate had ample room to spare (below photo). Perhaps they nested early, and the birds that I observed are the late comers, or could it be there are just fewer nesting Brandt’s, or last year's rainy season caused a change in their breeding cycle and they nested early.
All by herself - Hopefully her mate is nearby, otherwise survival of her two nestlings is nil. Nearby, predatory gulls and raptors were waiting for a chance to snatch an egg or a nestling.
No comments:
Post a Comment