Animals
Sunset Cliffs Animals
Surrounded by water and residential development, Point Loma is a biologically isolated from other native environments. However, there are about 20 species of mammals, a dozen reptiles, and more than 200 species of birds observed on the Point. Many of these have been sighted at Sunset Cliffs. A survey conducted in 2002 found pocket mice, deer mice, cactus mice, and desert wood rats in addition to the more common desert cottontail and ground squirrel. The survey also lists many reptile and bird species during a two-day study.
Birds
The water that surrounds three sides of Point Loma creates a vagrant trap for migrating birds. The birds will stop to rest and feed before continuing their migration. This makes the area a prime for bird watching. In 2009, a survey of birds at SCNP was begun. The findings are posted on the Cornell Ornithology Labs eBird website. To date, nearly 100 species have been observed. In addition to the species such as hawks, sparrow, finches, gnatcatchers, and wrens that frequent the upland area, many pelagic species can be observed from the cliff edge including pelicans, cormorants, gulls, and wading shorebirds.
Reptiles
Among the many reptiles known to reside on Point Loma, the side-blotched lizard, western fence lizard and alligator lizards are common in the Park. There are frequent sightings of gopher snakes, and western yellow-bellied racer.
Cormorants
Large black water birds with a long tail and neck sitting with wings outstretched on the aptly named Cormorant Rock are cormorants drying their wings after diving for schooling fish and aquatic invertebrates in the relatively shallow near shore waters. Their webbed toes propel them quickly through the water where they snatch fish with their hooked bills and swallow them headfirst. Their feathers become waterlogged which makes them heavier to facilitate diving, but their feathers need to dry before diving again. Cormorants lack an oil gland to waterproof their feathers.
Three different species utilize Cormorant Rock:
Double-crested Cormorant 33”
This is the most widespread species and it breeds on both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts and at large inland lakes. Its population has benefitted from the creation of reservoirs and artificial lakes stocked with fish. Note the orange-yellow skin around the base of the bill and chin which is visible all year, plus white feathers around the sides of the head during breeding season. Although it may be seen all year, it is more common in fall and winter. In flight, its neck is kinked.
Brandt’s Cormorant 34”
It is a strictly coastal breeder on steep cliffs from Alaska to Baja exhibiting a cobalt blue throat patch and eyes, plus white feathers around the head in breeding plumage. It dives for fish and squid in upwellings of the California current and can dive to 200 feet. It’s primarily a winter visitor to San Diego although there is a small breeding colony in spring on the cliff ledges at La Jolla.
Pelagic Cormorant 28”
It’s our smallest and least numerous cormorant with a slender neck and pencil-thin bill and is found only on rocky shorelines, typically on the narrow ledges on the sides of Cormorant Rock. It forages for a wide variety of fish, crustaceans, marine worms and other invertebrates over submerged rocks close to shore, and is primarily a winter visitor after breeding in the far north. Its face usually appears blackish with a reddish throat and white rump patch during the breeding season. In flight, its neck is held straight. This species is usually solitary or in pairs, unlike the colonial Brandt’s and Double-crested Cormorants. Flocks of cormorants fly high and form lines or V-shaped formations.
Related Websites and Books
Cabrillo National Monument Foundation: "Understanding the Life of Point Loma" - Chapter 4: Life on the "Island": Animals