Day 52: Air raid

Does this picture need words?

Day 36: I want to nest, I don't want to nest, I want to nest...

Last post about Brandt's cormorants I mentioned they were building their nests in earnest and I was hopeful for them to be laying eggs soon. While I was off the island they did indeed start to lay eggs. But then they left again. All nesting attempts in our main study colonies were abandoned. And then they came back. They started nest building again, even some of the same birds that just abandoned their eggs, were back rebuilding in the same spot. Today, we had several nests that once again have eggs. This on again, off again, behavior is very hard to interpret and that makes it hard to predict what will happen with the latest wave of nest building. Hopefully, like the bird above, they will continue to gather nest material, build their nests, and lay eggs.

Day 33: Gull frontal

I am aware that my blog about the Farallones is in danger of becoming a blog about Western gulls. But that fact is the gulls influence just about every activity we do outside this time of year. They make their presence felt. So naturally I tend to take a lot of photos of them. Today was a gull check day. Right now we are still checking our plots for new eggs although the majority of birds have laid by now. We may even have chicks soon.  As I may have mentioned before, they don't like to be messed with. Gull checks now require a rain coat for protection from the guano rain, and a hard hat to protect from a gull bill to the head. Amy here is checking a nest in her plot and is about to get hammered by the attending gull.

Day 15: Cruising

I thought it was time for another gull picture. The gulls are incredibly graceful in the air. When the wind picks up they cruise along effortlessly, hardly needing to flap, controlling their motion only using subtle adjustments of their wings. They seem completely at home and at ease. I was trying to capture that feeling of rapid gliding  with this shot.

Day 11: On the attack

Getting buzzed by a Peregrine Falcon is like getting buzzed by a small fighter jet. Well, perhaps not as loud, but you get the distinct impression of danger. Two years ago we had a pair of Peregrine falcons breed on the island for the first time since the 1930's and they appear to be breeding again this year. We can't see into the nest so we probably won't know for sure until there are chicks later in the season. Even when we don't see the falcons we find daily evidence of their presence from the carcasses of seabirds they leave behind. They seem to really enjoy the Common Murres. Probably because they are the most numerous seabird and their short little wings don't give them much maneuverability in the air.