Tijuana River Mouth – juv Masked/Nazca Booby, 29 Aug 2018

I walked down to the Tijuana River Mouth yesterday morning 29 Aug 2018, in the early AM, hoping to encounter some shorebirds but not many seen.

At the river mouth a juvenile Reddish Egret running around in the surf catching fish fry.

Also a couple getting late Least Tern there.  And I did spy a small Snowy Plover chick in the roped off area, along with a couple adults so they are still pushing out youngsters there too. A Belted Kingfisher, sitting on some driftwood in the estuary, my first migrant of this species.

I noticed a large feeding concentration of gulls and terns out towards the Coronado Islands and quickly got on to several Brown Booby in the mix including a nice adult male with the white dusted head characteristic of the NW Mexico "brewsteri" form. While watching these a slightly larger, stockier, more gannet like, dark brown and white juvenile MASKED/NAZCA BOOBY appeared. It had more extensive white on the underwing compared to the Brown Boobies with white also on the underwing primary coverts. The dark colored head sock also did not reach the lower chest. On the nape the dark head sock merging with the completely dark brown back and upperparts. There may have been a hint of white marbling on the nape. Hard to be certain at the distance but did not look to have a prominent white collar at all.  If anyone else sees it closer or gets photographs please post!

—