A Kermadec Petrel (Pterodroma neglecta) on Southeast Farallon Island
October 3, 2017
by Adam Searcy On September 8th, 2017, I was finishing up the last shark watch of the evening at the lighthouse atop Southeast Farallon Island. At about 5:15PM, thick fog rolled in, so I shut down the watch and sheltered inside of the lighthouse to see if it would clear. It did not, so at
Record-setting Heat on the Farallones
September 11, 2017
When you sign up for an internship on Southeast Farallon Island, you have certain expectations. The weather should vary from warmish to cold, kinda windy to super windy, mellow seas to raging waters. Then one morning you step outside, jacket on, ready for action, but something is wrong. It’s 6:45 and you are immediately hot
Boobies, the Gannet, and other Farallon Highlights
September 4, 2017
The fall crew, who, “adorned in black or the latest fashion, listen to alternative rock from their observational posts”(Pyle- “The Farallon Islands: Sentinels of the Golden Gate”), have migrated their way out to Southeast Farallon Island for another roaring season of wildlife surveys. During the fall season, the main focus is on landbird migration, but
A Snapshot of the Ending Seabird Season
August 4, 2017
Now that August is beginning, most of the chicks on Southeast Farallon are grown and fledging. Field work is winding down, and it is with mixed feelings that we say goodbye to the birds we have watched and worked with from egg to fledge. Where are they bound? Most of the Western Gulls (Larus occidentalis)
Humpbacks on the Rise
July 27, 2017
Photo by Mike Johns I am sure most of you reading this are well aware of whaling and the devastating consequences it had for whales around the world. San Francisco Bay and the surrounding area has a long history of whaling. Roger Thomas, who runs whale watching trips on the Salty Lady, recalls when whales
Great Farallon photo compilation from 1954
July 20, 2017
We stumbled across the amazing video of compiled photos from a Farallon Light keeper in 1954. How the island has changed! Enjoy!
Record Breaking Whale Numbers Around the Farallones
July 19, 2017
Photo by Mike Johns Despite being from Wales and a graduate in Marine Biology, I had never seen a whale in my life before coming to the Farallones. Whilst at the Point Blue office, I naively asked Russ Bradley, one of the Point Blue Biologists, whether there was any chance of seeing whales during my
The Farallon Egg Wars
June 12, 2017
Check out this recently released podcast by the Kitchen Sisters, of public radio fame, about “the Farallon Egg Wars”. The 18 minute story chronicles the history of Common Murre egging on the Farallones and the amazing recovery of this species on the Refuge. Recordings and interviews on the island with Farallon Point Blue staff were
The Farallon Library
May 31, 2017
If you like to read and you’re fortunate enough to stay on the island, this is my advice: don’t bring a book. I’m not necessarily encouraging you to spend your time on activities other than reading. Rather, I say this to encourage you to explore the Farallon Library. The library is distributed between both the
Eggs, eggs everywhere: Common Murre
May 22, 2017
The MURREacle of life! The Common Murre (Uria aalge): Since the beginning of the season we have been studying common murres every day. At first we looked for and recorded banded birds in two different plots: Upper Upper: and Shubrick Point: As it is very difficult to read the metal bands from the hides we
