Day 43: Bird on a pole

Our landbird wave was short lived. Just a couple Western Wood Pewee like this one, a couple Wilson's Warblers, and a Yellow Warbler stayed today.  We did have six new Eurasian Collared Doves. We now have a small flock flying around, tempting the Peregrine.

Day 42: Yellow things

Landbird wave today! We haven't had many little birds here this spring so any influx seems like a  wave. We ended up with 25 species on our bird list today, including 10 of these little Wilson's Warblers. It's fun to see little yellow birds buzzing around the trees. We're Ashy netting tonight so this is a short post.

Day 41: Gull, gull, goose

Yes this picture was taken on the Farallones, and yes, those are Canada Goose goslings. That's right, for first time ever, there are a pair of breeding Canada Geese here that appear to be holding their own against the gulls. Last year we had the first ever recorded breeding attempt by Canada Geese but the nest failed. This year we had two pairs attempt to nest and one has managed to hang on to two goslings. They are quite large now, too big to be at risk from the gulls, and they appear to be doing well. I've been trying to get a decent picture of them for weeks but they are quite wary and keep a good distance from us. This is the best I've managed to get so far. Perhaps if I get a better one I'll post again but this will have to do for now.

Day 40: Rain?

We've been experiencing some crazy weather here. Last night and this morning we had record breaking rainfall, just over an inch in total. In one 24 hour period, we more than doubled the previous record for the entire month of June (according to PRBO records since 1969). Most of the birds seemed to have weathered the unusual storm fairly well, with perhaps a few Murre eggs lost due to the rain. The wind was also strong from the east, leading to some big waves and spray on the east side of the island, very unusual for this time of year. Neither of our boat landings are sheltered from that direction so we had to cancel the boat that was scheduled for today. Luckily it was only put off for a day so we should have our fresh food tomorrow.

Day 39: It's so fluffy

Just when we thought the island was loud, the gull chicks started to hatch. And the volume kicked up another notch. Even the gulls still on eggs take the cue and scream with increased urgency. The gull chicks are polka dot, very similar coloring to the eggs they just came out of, and they blend in surprisingly well. They are so cute at this stage that you can't help but melt a little whenever you see them. Still, it's a gull eat gull world out there (literally) and the earliest chicks often disappear quickly despite their camouflage.

Day 38: PIGU party

The Pigeon Guillemot are finally laying eggs. After a very slow start, the last two checks have turned up many new eggs. Pigeon Guillemots (PIGU is their four letter id code so we call them "Pee-goos") breed in rock crevices and some seem to like the nest boxes we put out for them. They lay 1 or 2 speckled eggs and spend a lot of time socializing and chasing each other outside their crevices. They seem to particularly enjoy showing off their bright red gapes to each other.

Day 37: I wish they all could be California Gulls

Notice anything different? That's right, it's a gull but not a Western Gull.  The green feet, red and black spots on the bill and smaller size make this a California Gull. These gulls just started breeding here a few years ago. But their less aggressive nature has made it difficult for them to succeed. Their chicks tend to disappear as soon as they hatch. We have yet to see a California Gull chick make it to independence. This pair laid their eggs in the middle of a bunch of Cassin's nest boxes, probably the same pair that attempted in the same spot last year. They failed to raise any chicks last year but maybe this year will be better.