Mike in the Wild

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...