Rare Nazca Booby Sighting; Galapagos Bird Seen Off OC Coast

DANA POINT, CA - The sight of sea birds isn't typically enough to draw whale and dolphin watchers to a pause, but this rare Nazca Booby Sighting was an exception, according to Captain Dave Anderson of Capt. Dave's Dolphin Safari.

"Among the amazing sightings of dolphins and blue whales today, one particular standout: a rare Nazca Booby (S. granti)!," Anderson said.

It was seen flying right next to a catamaran, Manute’a, about 3 to 4 miles off Monarch point.

Nazca Boobies are a seabird that prefer warm waters and are found primarily on the Galapagos Islands and the Malpelo Islands, according to Anderson. It has been seen off western Mexico, the Gulf of California, and in May 2001 a juvenile landed on a fishing boat approximately 50 nautical miles west of Punta Banda, northwest Baja California.

More recently the species was seen in Dana Point in November 2017 and in San Diego one month later.

The Nazca Booby can be confused with the Masked Booby, he explained. They look nearly identical except for bill color. The Nazca Booby has a reddish-orange colored bill, while the Masked Booby’s bill is yellow.

For more information visit www.dolphinsafari.com

Photo, courtesy Captain Dave's Dolphin Safari