2012-03-19 La Jolla Cove | shadeTreeImaging

This Monday was my third trip following up on the nesting Brandt’s Cormorants at La Jolla. Most of the eggs I’d seen under brooding adults in February had turned into strange looking alien creatures. During feeding time for the young birds, there were elements of a horror show. It seemed as if the parents were eating their young. The baby’s heads were inserted so far down the parent’s throat, the casual observer might fear for their safety.

I saw various stages of nesting on this day. A month had passed since my first visit of the year. Some babies were nearly as big as their parents, and some birds were just now sitting on eggs. Some were even bringing in seaweed for nest building.