Seabirds and Shorebirds around the Sea of Cortez

A voyage on a big cruise ship offers lots of activities like dining, dancing, drinking and birding.  "Birding?  Really?" you might ask.  Well, yes.  Even on their longest voyages, most recreational cruises sail within several miles of shore, so they're never far from common shorebirds like gulls and pelicans.  In addition their exotic ports of call are always home to at least a few new and unfamiliar species for the bird enthusiast.   And a short time at sea affords the rare opportunity to encounter seabirds like petrels and boobies that live and hunt mostly over open ocean, unless they're breeding.

Last year this desert dweller was fortunate to spend some time aboard the Ruby Princess as she sailed from California into the Sea of Cortez (known in Mexico as the Gulf of California) and back.  Enjoy the following pictures of several sea-loving birds, many of which were captured from the ship's decks as countless passengers dined and danced, mostly unaware they were in the midst of a teeming world of new and exotic wildlife.

Gull at Balandra Bay in La Paz.

Juvenile gull in La Paz.

Terns, possibly elegant, in Loreto.

Tern with unidentified bird in foreground in Loreto.

Yellow-crowned night heron along the Malecon in La Paz.

Type of sandpiper in Loreto.

Marbled godwit along the Malecon in La Paz.

Snowy egret at Playa de los Muertos, Puerto Vallarta.

Tropical kingbird on the Ruby Princess in Puerto Vallarta.

Brown pelican at the port in Loreto. 

Brown pelican in Loreto.

Brown pelicans taking flight in Loreto.

Brown pelican in Puerto Vallarta.

Brown pelican diving in Puerto Vallarta. While it appears like a noisy crash to the naked eye, a fast shutter-speed shot proves it is indeed a controlled dive.

Masked booby over the Sea of Cortez.  Boobies glided along and ahead of the bow of the ship during a day at sea.

Masked booby above the Sea of Cortez.

Masked booby over the Sea of Cortez

Juvenile brown booby above the Sea of Cortez.

Juvenile brown booby over the Sea of Cortez.

Juvenile brown booby over the Sea of Cortez.

Magnificent frigatebird in La Paz.

Magnificent frigatebird in Puerto Vallarta.

Magnificent frigatebird in Puerto Vallarta.

Magnificent frigatebird in Puerto Vallarta.

Magnificent frigatebird in Puerto Vallarta.

At a beach near San Jose del Cabo, a falconer with his falcon.  While a cruise provides a unique opportunity to see many seabirds, it's also a chance to see the culture and wildlife of new and exotic lands.