We spent most of the day today at the tiny island of Isla Rasa, home to enormous breeding colonies of Heerman's gulls and elegant terns. Over ninety-five percent of the world's population of Heerman's gulls and nearly as large a percentage of all elegant terns come to Rasa each spring to make small scrape nests, lay their eggs and raise their young. In all, the little islet is home to over half a million seabirds!
We toured the rocky coastline in our Zodiacs while thousands upon thousands of the gulls and terns wheeled in the sky above us, perched on the black lava boulders and floated serenely on the choppy seas. Along with the most common species, we also encountered other birds which interact with the colony -- common ravens, which take live chicks and eggs and scavenge remains, and peregrine falcons which prey on the adult seabirds -- both of which were also nesting.
The beautiful, awe-inspiring scene was made complete by bottlenose dolphins leaping through the waves just beyond our boats.
