Brown Booby off San Diego

On the annual First of January pelagic trip from San Diego we saw about 7 Brown Boobies. This is pretty typical for the past 5 years or so, when they increased markedly and then declined slightly. They breed regularly on the Coronado Islands, in Mexican waters about 20 miles SW of San Diego.

The following photos are of 3 different birds. The first 3 photos are an adult male in flight not far out from San Diego in the morning. The next two photos of a bird on the water are of a presumably a different adult male about noon at another location farther offshore. The last photo is a near-adult, probably a female, back closer to San Diego in mid-afternoon.

Brown Booby off San Diego, California. January 1, 2019. Greg Gillson.

To see other photos of Brown Boobies in San Diego, follow this eBird link. Click on the photos to rate (1 awful, 2 poor but identifiable, 3 average or small, 4 very good, 5 magazine cover worthy).