The Birds of Los Islotes (Baja, Mexico)

During a winter Baja trip in late February and early March, we were able to spend a couple of hours at Los Islotes, a very small, but productive birding area in the Sea of Cortez (Baja, Mexico). Actually, this area is a protected area for the California Sea Lions and our main objective was to snorkel with some of the juveniles, who love to play with snorkelers. Our boat made a stop here so that we could photograph the birds that call this place home, as well as snorkel with the juvenile California Sea Lions. Here are some of the great birds we were able to see.

As we neared the rocks that make up Los Islotes, the first bird we saw was the Brown Pelican. Note the breeding coloration of this colorful bird:

There were lots of Cormorants on the island, too:

... and a Great Blue Heron, stalking fish in the shadows of the island rocks:

... and a gull sitting peacefully on the rocks:

While another one chased a third gull for a fish (sorry, don't know the species ... the gull is not a staple in the Midwest, where I live!):

And a juvenile Heermann's Gull resting on the rocks:

There were also some Magnificent Frigatebirds in the area:

... and plenty of boobies. Brown ones:

... and even some Blue-footed ones:

Being at Los Islotes for only a couple of hours made it difficult to get lots of good bird images, but we did the best we could.

Oh, and remember the California Sea Lions I mentioned? They were there and ready to snorkel with us, but that's a different story!

This post was authored by Jim Braswell of Show-Me Nature Photogaphy.