Point Lobos Nesting Cormorants - May 2021

 Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, Carmel Ca. - May 12, 2021 - Three years had passed since my last visit to the reserve.  I was on my first away from home outing in over a year; though in my reality, only two years had passed, as 2020 was a non-year.  - My goals for this quietly overcast morning were to enjoy the reserve's spring wildflowers and observe the nesting extravaganza of Brandt's Cormorant.

Point Lobos is a very popular tourist destination with limited parking.  By arriving early was able find parking at the Bird Island Trail Head.  Wildflowers lined both sides of the shaded trail - Sticky Monkey, Blue Dicks, Hedge Nettle, Seaside Daisy, Paintbrush, Calif. Poppy, precious Dudleya fairinosa, and the most gorgeous Lupine I had ever seen.  This Lupine was absolutely amazing!

I was in no hurry as the Cormorant's were not going anywhere for about three months.  The Gooseberry plant caught my eye.  I am familiar with a flowering Fuchsia Flowering Gooseberry, but had never seen the flower turning into a berry.  Had to be very careful while taking closeup photos due to the abundance of poison oak.  Poison Oak has a personality of its own and its goal is to catch you unaware.

Ceanothus, also known as California Lilac, was in full bloom in the more open, sunny areas of the trail.

Finally, I came to my first view of Bird Rock.  Wow!  Word had obviously gotten out that Bird Rock was the place to nest - certainly looked like a much larger colony than in 2018.   I find their choice of nest location interesting, as they range from protected depression to open windy ridge.  If you were looking for the ideal nest site to brood, feed, and care for two or three offspring, what would be your choice, and why?

The collage compares the Brands's Cormorant population of May 2018, top image, to May 2021.

Bird Rock is a magnificent example of granodiorite, an igneous rock that is similar to granite.  Historically a young rock, only 80 million years old, give or take a few million.  All the rocks in this area are composed of granodiorite.

The scene before me was idyllic - thousands of birds peacefully nesting.  Incubation takes about 30 days.  Nestlings will fledge approximately 50 days after hatching.  They do not go far after fledging,  as parents will continue feeding them for a couple more weeks.  

The wind was getting stronger and I was ready for a warming cup of coffee - a spacious Starbucks is only a mile from the reserve.  As I heading back down the trail, I noticed the Cormorants had company, two Peregrine Falcon perched in a nearby tree.