Point Blue

Eggs, eggs everywhere: The Cassin's

So… things are starting to get real on the Farallon Islands. Nearly all our seabird study species have started laying their first eggs! First were the Cassin´s Auklets (Ptychoramphus aleuticus): There are 446 regular nest boxes distributed all over the island and 32 nest boxes in a study site called the Habitat Sculpture. These

Changing of Seasons…

Winter on the Farallones is coming to an end; the winter team are collecting the last of their data, packing bags, saying goodbye, and looking forward to hot showers at home. Having been on the island from mid-December, they have been closely monitoring the ups and downs of the Elephant Seal colonies throughout

Rocks In Our Pockets

An exciting weekend on the Farallon Islands! The much anticipated ATMOSPHERIC RIVER 2017 arrived in full force, with drenching downpours, 35 knot winds, and awesome waves. Conducting field work in the wind and water was a challenge, but we happily adapted to the soggy conditions. The promise of a warm cozy house after a long

2016-17 SEFI Winter Crew Introductions

Greetings from the Farallon Islands. We’ve been dodging raindrops since our arrival but the last few days have been pure sunshine and we’ve been trying to soak up the rays as much as possible. No pregnant female elephants seals have arrived to the island as of yet but we are hopeful the sunshine will start

Unusual Encounters: Ridges in the Water

Before my Farallon internship, multiple former interns and visitors warned me about the boat rides out; they would talk endlessly about the ten foot swells and the seasickness, how much dramamine they had to take, and the absurd amount of flies that would land on you once you stepped foot on the island. I

The webcam is back, and in HD!

Hi all, After much effort the Farallon webcam is back up live, in HD. Check it out here This is an excellent partnership between Point Blue, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and California Academy of Sciences to again let you all get an up close view of the Farallones. Keep you eyes open for amazing

Explore the island!

If you’re interested in learning more about the island and our work here check out this amazing video and interactive map put together by our partners at Maps for Good. There’s lots of great images and video embedded in the interactive map, you can hit the “Explore the island” button to access it. In this

25th Annual Farallonathon: September 25th through October 1st, 2016

The Farallon Fall Crew recently completed their 25th annual week-long Farallonathon which is part of Point Blue’s Bird-a-thon fundraiser. It was started in 1992 by Peter Pyle in order to highlight the island’s biodiversity. On the Farallones, we count more than just birds — mammals, dragonflies, damselflies, butterflies, and sharks are also tallied. Points are

Stuck Between a Rock and a Blue (or Gray) Place

There’s no denying it; those of us living on Southeast Farallon Island (SEFI) are stuck on a big rock in the Pacific Ocean. There are no mountains, no valleys, no forests, no wetlands. The sky is above us and the sea is virtually everywhere else. When both are calm, it can be hard to tell

Small Seabird Causes a Big Surprise

A recent storm-petrel netting effort by biologists on the island has proven once again that sometimes the most exciting discoveries come wrapped in the smallest of packages. At least twice a month, an effort is made on the island to capture and band as many of our breeding Ashy Storm-Petrels in a three-hour period as

Farallones Categories: Uncategorized