Pelagic Cormorant chicks have appeared.

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Pelagic Cormorants nest on rocky bluff faces. There is a colony at The Sea Ranch and another at the north end of Hearn Gulch. Craig Tooley photographed a nest full of hatchlings off TSR.

Pelagic Cormorant nest with hatchlings by Craig Tooley

Rick and I didn't know Pelagic Cormorants were nesting at Hearn Gulch but when we hiked there recently we saw these black seabirds coming and going. If you look closely you can see two Pelagic Cormorants on the rock face. Other nests were obviously on the bluff facing west as the birds were flying to and fro.

Pelagic Cormorant nest at Hearn Gulch by Jeanne Jackson (Large)

Yes, it's too bad I don't have Craig Tooley's most excellent camera lens! To find Hearn Gulch, a fairly new public access gem, park at mile marker 10.0 just north of Iversen Road in Mendocino County. To learn more about new accesses, visit the Redwood Coast Land Conservancy website at: www.rc-lc.org

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is his link: www.ruffimage.com