This last weekend we went to Santa Cruz and later on to Monterey. Both René and Nick are vivid kite surfers and wanted to get a peek at the Californian surfer scene. What better place than Santa Cruz?
So, in the early morning we went to the beach on 43rd street, right in time for the early tide. We found a nice lookout on top of the cliff under a bunch of trees, which was our mistake. The morning sun and breeze woke the colony of Cormorants above us and what do most birds do after waking up? Right, pooping.
The Internet Center of Wildlife describes Cormorant poop as “may damage vegetation on privately-owned lands, especially nesting islands. The strong odor of droppings near roosts and nesting areas, along with the loss of vegetation, may reduce nearby property values.”
Well, poor Nick. The value of his bright yellow sweater was severely lowered after it caught approx. 1 lbs of droppings. Fortunately, the cliff parking lot came with a shower. Hair, face, mouth could get washed and cleaned – the sweater, however, was lost.