CORMORANTS IN LA JOLLA, CA: The Perfect Place to See These Seabirds Up Close

Brandt's Cormorant, La Jolla, CA

If you are in San Diego and want a taste of nature, the half-mile cliff walk in La Jolla is the perfect place to go.  There you can view hundreds of birds roosting on the rocks and flying about above the cliffs, as well as playful sea lions frolicking in the water and basking on the rocks along the shore.  On a nice day (and these are what you expect when you go to Southern California!) you can see kayakers and paddle boarders enjoying the ocean as well.

Our most recent trip to La Jolla was in the spring of 2018 and as we walked along the cliff we looked down on hundreds of cormorant nests, busy with parents looking after their chicks. My brother Tom, who lives in San Diego, recently visited the cormorant colony again and got this terrific video of feeding time at the nest.

Defending the nest.

Cormorants are seabirds with mostly black feathers, long necks, and short stiff tails. They dive for fish in the ocean, using their webbed feet to speed through the water. Brandt’s cormorant is found only in North America, with a range extending from Alaska to Mexico. Breeding birds have a blue skin patch on their chins called the gular pouch.

Non-nesting cormorants and a few pelicans.

For more information about getting to the trail and where to park, go to this post at Natural Born Hikers. http://www.naturalbornhikers.com/trails/lajolla.html

A pair of cormorants waiting for their eggs to hatch. Both parents will care for the young.