With the Coast Guard Pier being closed to the public from mid-February to about 2 weeks ago, the cormorants were able to nest very close to the breakwater fence without being disturbed. This was the first time I've been out to see them this year and captured decent close shots. The big drawback to them being so close is that they stink and there were a ton of flies. Some of the young are indeed bigger than the adults. Interesting to note, the cormorants shared the rocks with about an equal mix of a handful of brown pelicans and a handful of sea lions. I've been loosely watching how these animals seasonally trade places as king of the rocks (click here and here for past posts). Of course, it could have simply been the time of day where the few sea lions remaining were out swimming.
