Day 73: Chickeroo

Because I just can't get enough of these guys, here's another Murre chick. This one is getting close to fledging but he's still got the spiky hairdo. In the evenings, the bigger chicks get very active, sitting up on rocks, flapping their wings, being generally very cute. And then one day, they or their father, decide it's time to go and they are off into the wide, wide ocean.

Day 69: Close call

Murre chicks are fledging right now. "Fledging" typically refers to when chicks leave the nest or become independent. In the case of murres, chicks leave the colony with their dads and spend up to several months at sea with their parent, being fed and learning how to find food. The unusual part is that they do this before they are fully developed. Chicks are less than half grown and can't yet fly when they are led to sea by their fathers. This makes them vulnerable when they are in the process of fledging. They have to make their way through thousands of murres to the water's edge where they often have to jump off a cliff to make it to the water. It's one of the most amazing events to watch. The male parent solicitously leading its offspring to the edge, jumping in the water and calling to it's chick until it finally works up the courage to jump. Gulls are constantly on the look out for these unprotected chicks so they have to make up their minds quickly. Even in the water they are not out of danger. Although the chicks know instinctively how to dive, gulls still occasionally grab them off the surface. The chick above dove several times before this gull finally nabbed it by a foot. The parent gave chase though and the gull eventually dropped the chick. The reunited pair made their way very quickly away from the island.

Day 27: Green egg, blue egg

 I'm back on the island! While I was away, the Common Murres started laying. They lay the largest eggs of any seabird on the island in a variety of colors. Some have mint chip eggs like this one, others have a white or pale blue background, but virtually all of them have dark speckles and streaks. Since murres lay their eggs directly on rock ledges without building nests, their eggs have evolved a unique shape, very wide on one end and tapering to a narrow point. This adaptation prevents the eggs from rolling away, instead the egg will roll in a circle if dislodged. Now that the murres are laying in earnest, many hours will be spent staring at the backs of murres in study plots, hoping to get a glimpse of their eggs. They don't move all that often while incubating and you would be surprised how well they can hide those large eggs.

Day 25: Dawn patrol

We were up early this today for some Pigeon Guillemot netting. I didn't get any good pictures of that activity (hopefully next time) but I did catch these Common Murres in the sunrise. This time of year, before egg laying, the murres are arriving en masse at the colony at dawn. About 250,000 of these birds breed on the Farallones so there can literally be thousands of early morning commuters swirling around.