Brandt's cormorant ~ 05/05/09 ~ Hopkins

best guess Brandt's cormorant
best guess Phalacrocorax penicillatus

This was a very odd scene right off the beach where most of our local harbor seals hangout north of Hopkins. We don't often see cormorants in large groups in the water at this location.

Initially, I wasn't sure which cormorant these were since, we also have pelagic and I think double-crested cormorants. Thanks to a small snippet of info from MBA, Brandt's cormorants hunt cooperatively. So, I'm making my best guess.

bougainvillea
Bougainvillea spectabilis
Nyctaginaceae

This is a very popular plant for all the hotels in the area. It's very showy. It's native to South America, which surprised me because many of the favorite garden plants around here come from South Africa.

Brewer's blackbird
Euphagus cyanocephalus

Very common bird seen along Cannery Row foraging scraps from the tourists. This fellow was very cute!

red-shouldered hawk
Buteo lineatus

The past two Mays, we noticed a resident hawk swooping down on the rec trail, much to the surprise and delight of tourists and ourselves.

This one we named Jerry. Apparently, Jerry found a mate. Within a month of this photo, we noticed quite a commotion at the end of 5th St. in the trees with a decent nest and squawking, hungry young.

Can you tell we like to give people-names to animals we see regularly? Last year it was Sylvester who liked to perch on the Monterey cypress within view from our place on the rec trail. Unfortunately, the crows and gulls pestered it until it flew away every day before sunset.

I find it fascinating that birds seem to have regular rhythms and preferences, as much as I do.