Point Blue

Farallonathon Day 3

The Score: Yesterday’s total: 102 Migrant Birds: 10 Dragonfly: 1 Shark Attacks: 1 (5 points) Total Points: 118 Points The third day of Farallonathon was marked by a surprise Nano-Wave. We had a whopping ten new migrant bird species including a Magnolia Warbler, that arrived late in the afternoon. The Nano-Wave also produced the first

Farallonathon: Day 2

The Score: Yesterday’s total: 85Migrant Birds: 5Breeding Birds: 2Shark Attacks: 2 (10 points) Total Points: 102 Points The second day of Farallonathon coincided with a major boat day. Jim Tietz, the Fall Season Biologist went on a two week break, while Seabird Season Biologist Pete Warzybok joined the SEFI crew. Kristie Nelson also departed the

Farallonathon: Day 1

The Score Breeding Birds: 8 points Migrant Birds: 53 points Pinnipeds: 5 points Cetaceans: 3 points Butterflies: 3 points Dragonflies: 3 points Shark Attacks: 2 (10 points) Total: 85 points Opening day of Farallonathon was a strong beginning to what will hopefully become a record setting year. We had decent numbers of the more common

FARALLONATHON 2011

It’s Bird-A-Thon season at PRBO – our biggest annual fundraiser. On the Farallon Islands, we do things a little differently (not surprising)! Instead of counting just species of birds on a single day, we count all of the animals we encounter including birds, fish, marine mammals, insects, and any other wildlife we find over an

Fog – too much or too little of a good thing

The coastal marine layer off California (AKA, advection fog) is formed when moist air blows horizontally over the cold water of the California Current. The cold air above the water forces the moisture to condense into visible water droplets suspended in the air which obscure visibility when the cloud ceiling approaches ground or sea level.

A farewell tribute to the seabirds

When the fall crew arrives in late August, we just get a glimmer of the seabird colony that dominates life on the island during spring and summer. Most birds are wrapping up their nesting priorities and preparing to head out to sea for several months to molt their feathers and find more abundant food to

Transitions – A Fall Island Fashion Preview

Initially, I was excited and somewhat terrified at the notion of living for 6 weeks on the tip of what looks like a drowning mountain. The Farallones are defined by granite that has been morphed by wind and waves into steep arches, caves, peeks, and slippery flats. The speckled cliff faces are coarse and fractured,

The Wonderful WEGU

Spring and Summer on the Farallon Islands is abundant with breeding seabirds (13 species, to be exact), but Western Gulls are one of my favorites to observe. One of my tasks on the island requires me to monitor a small plot of breeding Western Gulls. There are four gull plots on the island, each of

Photo a Day Returns

Only a few weeks left for the seabird season. Keep up to date with your daily photo!https://farallonphoto.blogspot.com/

Sefi has shorebirds too!

On Southeast Farallon Island there are 12 different breeding species of seabirds, many of which have been profiled on this blog. However, there is one species that has not been showcased yet, the Black Oystercatcher. Oystercatchers are the only breeding shorebird on the Farallones, nesting primarily along the rocky margin of the island just above

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