Blue-footed Booby

Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii), Lake Havasu, Mohave County

A Blue-footed Booby was discovered on Lake Havasu by Rick Fridell on 26 September 2013 and a total of 3 birds were found 28 September 2013 by Brad Singer, Doug Karalun, Johnny Bovee, Bill Deppe, Gjon Hazard and Tom Benson. Two of the three were photographed by Tom Benson at that time. The birds were flying back and forth between the California and Arizona sides of the lake and were photographed in California.

Prior to this year there were 8 accepted records for Arizona. There has been one additional report already this fall from Lake Patagonia. There has been a massive invasion of this species this year in California and birds have been reported as far north as British Columbia. There are more than 70 present at the Salton Sea (all time high count there) and over 100 reported total in California in the last few weeks. It is therefore not surprising that some of this invasion is spilling over into Arizona.

Typical booby shape, with long pointed wings and tail, dagger-like bill. All three birds showed white under parts, mostly brownish or dusky head and neck, brown back and rump, a white nape, a brown tail with a white base, and whitish under wing coverts with a dark bar down the middle (along the axis of the wing). At least one of the birds showed a large white patch on the lower back, and the bird we found sitting on the water in CA had a narrow white border to the gray facial skin. The bill on all three birds was entirely gray.

28 September 2013, photo by Tom Benson