We sit at observation post in the Murre Blind, with an open window view of Point Reyes, 17 miles beyond Fisherman’s Bay. We listen to some tunes while searching for a few uniquely color banded individual birds among the tens of thousands of murres chattering away on the slope below. The wind has entirely died overnight; the sea is like a lightly rippled blue tarp. Gentle swells from the northwest lap the weathered, guano covered granite of Sugar Loaf Islet. 

Fringing the murre colony, Pigeon Guillemots display their vibrant red mouths as they whistle a soft high pitched call; while regal Western Gulls stand in pairs on the cliffs around the blind window, ready to defend their patch of Farallon Weed from any foreign invader or challenger. Prospecting Tufted Puffins, the clowns among the breeding seabirds here, circle at eye level just meters from our window; their rock star head gear fluttering in the wind. 

Two resident Gray Whales break the calm of Fisherman’s Bay with their powerful exhalations, surfacing for a few quick breaths as they feed on Mysiids and other small marine invertebrates. In the distance, spouts of a different kind jettison from the blowholes of the largest creature ever known to draw a breath – the Blue Whale. Weighing over 100 tons, these goliaths have returned early this year, feasting on an abundance of krill. At least 40 Humpback Whales have also joined the party, scattered across the horizon in all directions and occasionally showing off their acrobatic skills.