First Elephant Seal Pup & Team Introductions
December 21, 2020
Learn more about this year’s winter crew, the first pup of the season, and how we track untagged seals from year to year on the Farallones!
The Hidden Life of the Farallon Facilities
December 14, 2020
There are many challenges to living and working on a remote field station. Not the least of which is a constant battle to maintain infrastructure in a rough marine environment. It takes tireless effort and dedication of staff biologists, USFWS personnel, and numerous contractors and collaborators. Read on to learn a bit more about the work done behind the scenes to the keep these remote island facilities running.
Record breaking Pine Siskins!
November 29, 2020
The meager flock of a few siskins grew, and grew, and grew until there were at least 587 siskins zipping around the lighthouse in large murmurations.
Dusky-capped Flycatcher – A first island record
November 28, 2020
A Dusky-capped Flycatcher was recently found on Southeast Farallon Island increasing our list of bird species to 435. Read more about this exciting find in this new blog!
Farallonathon 2020
November 2, 2020
Farallonathon 2020 From September 27 to October 3, the fall crew took part in the 29th annual Farallonathon, the Southeast Farallon Islands’ spin on Point Blue’s annual Bird-a-thon fundraiser. The Farallonathon was established in 1992 to highlight diversity on the island while showcasing many of the fall wildlife monitoring programs. The rules are simple (well,
Farallonathon 2020 is on!!!
September 28, 2020
We just started our week-long Farallonathon – a bird-a-thon and bio-blitz all rolled into one.
Introducing the Farallon Yellowstart
September 13, 2020
Fall migration is in full swing on the Southeast Farallon Islands, and the resident researchers recently had a great taste of just how birdy the islands can be when the weather conditions are ideal.
A Peculiar Puffin
July 30, 2020
The Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge is well known for the many species of seabirds which roost and breed here. Maybe the most charismatic of these species (and the one most sought by visitors on the sightseeing boats) is the Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata). However, on the morning of June 30th, the crew was treated to a sighting of a Puffin of a different persuasion. While sitting on Lighthouse Hill during a Pigeon Guillemot diet watch, one of our biologists spotted a HORNED PUFFIN (Fratercula corniculata). This close relative of our Tufted Puffins is a rare sighting this far south and has been a thrilling addition to our usual collection of seabirds on the Farallones.
A Migration North
July 4, 2020
The month of July often brings reflection on the events that have unfolded throughout the seabird season. Here on the Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, we’ve documented the earliest eggs on record, witnessed extremely high occupancy and chick success, an now wait with anticipation as some fully-feathered chicks begin to exercise their new flight feathers
The Least Expected
June 3, 2020
People often ask when they learn about our work on the Farallones, “So, how are the bird counts going?”. While counting established long-term index plots is one method we use for tracking population change of ground nesting species like Western Gulls, Brandt’s Cormorants, or Common Murres, determining the number of birds that nest underground is
