The Battles Have Begun

With the arrival of the first (and so far, the only) pregnant elephant seal cow on Sand Flat – Drip, a 16-year-old cow born on SEFI in 1992 (see photo below of Drip with some amorous young subadults pining after her) – the battles between the males have started. Mauricio was the first bull to arrive. He lost a brief fight to Salvatore (see photo above; Mauricio is on the left) and is hanging out on the marine terrace. Rusty started off in Mirounga Beach, then pushed Salvatore onto Last Resort, and now is defending Drip on Sand Flat. However, we are waiting for the big battle between these two alpha bulls. Last year, Salvatore was alpha on Sand Flat and Rusty dominated Mirounga Beach. Who will take Sand Flat – the ultimate prize – this year? In other news, Don Quixote currently is holding Mirounga Beach, and Bogs is nursing his wounds on Mussel Flat.

We also have resighted 2 of last year’s weaners that survived their first difficult year at sea. This immature below was born on the marine terrace of Sand Flat last year, and has returned for the fall haulout.

Sea Lions on Mirounga Beach

It started when cormorants began nesting on the marine terrace of Sand Flat and Mirounga Beach (the primary northern elephant seal areas on SEFI) in spring and summer 2007. To prevent disturbance to these seabirds, PRBO biologists stopped checking on the northern elephant seals to read tags in this area during seabird breeding season and into the fall. This lack of human presence coincided with the highest counts of California sea lions in the history of the refuge. More than 1,000 California sea lions and 20 threatened Steller sea lions took up residence on Low Arch Terrace, Mirounga Beach, Last Resort, and the Marine Terrace.

It is one of the many success stories of the Farallon Islands: the return of animals to an area once human pressures are removed. Common Murres were once reduced to fewer than 5,000 on these islands, starting with the Farallon Egg Company stealing tens of thousands of murre eggs to feed gold miners in the Sierra Nevada in the mid-1800s followed by decades of disturbance by the lighthouse keepers and their families. Today, 35 years after the Farallon National Wildlife Refuge was established and most human pressures were removed, 180,000 Common Murres breed on SEFI. Northern fur seals are giving birth to their pups once again on West End nearly 100 years after they were extirpated by Yankee and Russian sealers. Today, the California sea lion population is thriving.

The first priority of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Farallon Wildlife Refuge is the protection of wildlife. Therefore, the presence of sea lions, especially federally threatened Steller sea lions, on SEFI’s main elephant seal breeding beaches means that PRBO biologists had to modify traditional research protocols. Sea lions here are sensitive to people and easily scared into the water. Thus, instead of walking amongst the elephant seals and stamping them with bleach numbers, we are watching from afar through scopes, reading tags and trying to identify as many individuals as possible by their unique scars. We also census all the age classes twice a day. Although we won’t be able to identify most individual cows, we can still monitor overall reproduction and population size.

It will be a different year for the elephant seal research program. But we can all celebrate in the thriving wildlife populations of the Farallon Islands, one of the most biologically rich marine environments in the world.

4-November-2008

Todays weather was windy and cool, and yesterdays rain had ceased. We were able to do some sharkwatching and observed two attacks. One was a Maintop Bay attack on an Elephant Seal. The attack attracted large numbers of gulls and produced a large slick of blood and oil in the water. The shark itself was seen thrashing at the sight for several minutes. This shark season thus far has been dominated by attacks on the smaller California Sea-Lions which are usually less dramatic.

In bird news we had a few new migrant arrivals, including a flock of 9 American Pipits and a Lapland Longspur. The windy weather was favorable for pelagic species and the seawatches were productive. A trio of geese (2 Cackling and 1 Greater White-fronted) have been hanging around on the marine terrace for several days now. They are a welcome addition to an otherwise slim list of migrants.

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 11/4/08
Number of species: 34

Greater White-fronted Goose 1
Cackling Goose 2
Pacific Loon 4
Eared Grebe 57
Pink-footed Shearwater 23
Buller's Shearwater 2
Sooty Shearwater 1
Black-vented Shearwater 1
Brown Pelican 73
Brandt's Cormorant X
Pelagic Cormorant X
Peregrine Falcon 4
Black Oystercatcher 29
Wandering Tattler 1
Willet 1
Whimbrel 3
Black Turnstone 56
Black-legged Kittiwake 2
Western Gull X
California Gull 104
Herring Gull 5
Thayer's Gull 1
Glaucous-winged Gull 2
Pomarine Jaeger 2
Common Murre X
Burrowing Owl 2
Black Phoebe 10
Say's Phoebe 3
Rock Wren 2
European Starling 24
American Pipit 9
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 2
White-throated Sparrow 1
Lapland Longspur 1

3-November-2008

Strong SE winds were kicking up in the morning and it was cloudy, but not many birds were migrating in front of the today's storm. By noon, it started raining and by the end of the day, we'd received nearly an inch. This provided lots of necessary drinking water for next year. Hopefully we'll get a lot more rain this winter.

The strong winds did bring one species in good numbers though. Today was the first day of Murre Madness. Once the murre parents have abandoned their young in late fall, wind events bring murre adults back in mass to the island. Today was the first day of this madness so only 1% of the breeding population returned to the island. Most of these birds were just sitting on the water near the island screaming "AAHHHH," but a few actually landed on the backside of Sugarloaf.

The only migratory birds of note today were the Cackling Geese and the Black-vented Shearwaters.

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 11/3/08
Number of species: 31

Greater White-fronted Goose 1
Cackling Goose 37
Pacific Loon 5
Horned Grebe 1
Eared Grebe 25
Pink-footed Shearwater 13
Buller's Shearwater 7
Black-vented Shearwater 22
Brown Pelican 392
Brandt's Cormorant X
Pelagic Cormorant X
Peregrine Falcon (Continental) 2
Black Oystercatcher 49
Wandering Tattler 2
Whimbrel 6
Black Turnstone 29
Least Sandpiper 1
Red Phalarope 32
Western Gull X
California Gull 95
Herring Gull 2
Glaucous-winged Gull 2
Common Murre 2000
Black Phoebe 7
Say's Phoebe 1
Rock Wren 1
European Starling 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Savannah Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 1
Golden-crowned Sparrow 1

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

2-November-2008

The day after a big storm usually brings strong NW winds and no birds, but we were actually between storms and so we were blessed by light winds and decent visibility.  The best two arrivals were a male Blue-winged Teal and a female Black-throated Blue Warbler.  These are both vagrants from the east.

Although, the Blue-winged Teal is far more common in California during the fall, it is much more rare on the Farallones - there were only 8 previous records.  This individual was an adult male with a white crescent on a blue face so it was easy to separate from its close, western relative the Cinnamon Teal.  Unfortunately, it was only seen well by one person on the island so the rest of us don't get to count it on our Faralist.  Oh well, we'll just have to spend another 5 years or so to see the next one.

Although the Black-throated Blue Warbler is far more rare in California than a Blue-winged Teal, there are many more records of it on the Farallones.  In fact, this one was the 127th record for the island.  This individual was a female, which looks quite different than the male.  The female, as can be seen in the photo, is a little, brown bird with yellowish buff underparts and a thin, white supercilium. The white patch at the base of primaries was quite large and may indicate that this bird was an adult.

Location: Southeast Farallon Island

Observation date: 11/2/08

Number of species: 35

Greater White-fronted Goose 1

Cackling Goose 2

Blue-winged Teal 1

Pacific Loon 5

Eared Grebe 1

Pink-footed Shearwater 9

Buller's Shearwater 29

Sooty Shearwater 11
Black-vented Shearwater 44

Brown Pelican X

Double-crested Cormorant 1

Peregrine Falcon (Continental) 2

Black Oystercatcher 45

Wandering Tattler 1

Whimbrel 9

Ruddy Turnstone 1

Black Turnstone 66

Least Sandpiper 3

Heermann's Gull 2

Western Gull X

California Gull 70

Glaucous-winged Gull 1

Common Murre X

Rhinoceros Auklet 1

Burrowing Owl 4

Black Phoebe 8

Say's Phoebe 2

Rock Wren 1

House Wren 1
Black-throted Blue Warbler 1

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1

Clay-colored Sparrow 1

Song Sparrow 1

White-throated Sparrow 1

Western Meadowlark 2

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/)

1-November-2008

Today was the first big storm of our upcoming rainy season.  We collect all of our own water for drinking, bathing, and other household stuff on a big, cement catchment pad located on the east side of the island.  During the summer when the rains stop, the Western Gulls like to roost in large numbers on this catchment pad.  The excrement that fouls the pad and other debris (dry soil, feathers, gull juju) blown there by strong summer winds all needs to be scrubbed off during the first big storm of the rainy season to get it ready to collect water.  So, we all grabbed a stiff-bristled broom and scrubbed the pad during the heavy downpours for about 6 hours.  In total, we received about an inch of rain, which is just about the right amount to clean the pad.

Since the rain did not really start coming down until nearly noon, we got a little birding in during the gusty SE winds.  The most interesting birds were the Black-vented Shearwaters seen while seawatching. This species is usually more southerly, but for some reason good numbers were around the island for a few days.  Normally their numbers increase in the north when the sea temperature increases such as during an El Nino event.  But ever since the big blow we experienced back in early October, the sea surface temperature has been quite normal (~12.5 degrees Celsius or 54.5 degrees Fahrenheit).

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 11/1/08
Number of species: 35

Greater White-fronted Goose 1
Brant 2
Cackling Goose 16
Green-winged Teal 1
Pacific Loon 1
Eared Grebe 47
Pink-footed Shearwater 3
Buller's Shearwater 198
Sooty Shearwater 2
Black-vented Shearwater 9
Brown Pelican 15
Brandt's Cormorant X
Pelagic Cormorant X
Peregrine Falcon (Continental) 2
Black Oystercatcher 37
Wandering Tattler 3
Willet 1
Whimbrel 3
Black Turnstone 31
Least Sandpiper 3
Heermann's Gull 1
Western Gull X
California Gull 231
Herring Gull 4
Burrowing Owl 1
Black Phoebe 8
Say's Phoebe 2
Rock Wren 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Palm Warbler (Western) 1
Clay-colored Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 1
Western Meadowlark 3

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/)

31-October-2008

Happy Halloween!  Moderate northwest winds, low visibility, some rain, and fog conspired to make our Halloween a relatively quite one.  The sole new arrivals were a pair of Clay-colored Sparrows.

Holidays on the island are always a little different.  For example, this Halloween, no one dressed up, and we had zero kids trick or treating.  Although we didn't specifically celebrate this year, we did acknowledge the holiday by decorating the front stoop with a couple of pumpkins.

The spookiness that Halloween brings to the mainland is felt out here nightly.  Numerous biologists have reported encounters with ghosts while on the island.  One of the rooms is inhabitated by the ghost of a child that died there of  diptheria in 1901.  People have seen the figure of a woman out on the terrace at night.  Standing alone in one of the houses, at night, with the lights off, always sends chills down your spine.  Even though you know that no one else is on the island, you occasionally feel the presence of another person.  Not to mention the fact that the island is surrounded by some of the deadliest predators on the planet, lurking just below the surface. But the single, scariest thing to any fall biologist is the prospect of seeing no new vagrant birds.  It keeps us up at night.  We have nightmares when the island is devoid of passerines.  All we hear is the screeching of Western Gulls and bellowing of Elephant Seals.  How do the winter and summer biologists do it?  It's a mystery to us.

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/31/08
Number of species: 37

Greater White-fronted Goose 1
Cackling Goose (Aleutian) 3
Green-winged Teal (American) 1
Eared Grebe 1
Pink-footed Shearwater 4
Buller's Shearwater 5
Black-vented Shearwater 8
Ashy Storm-Petrel 1
Brown Pelican 99
Brandt's Cormorant X
Pelagic Cormorant X
Peregrine Falcon (Continental) 2
Black Oystercatcher 33
Wandering Tattler 2
Willet 2
Whimbrel 9
Black Turnstone 61
Heermann's Gull 1
Western Gull X
California Gull 325
Herring Gull 11
Thayer's Gull 1
Glaucous-winged Gull 1
Common Murre X
Burrowing Owl 2
Short-eared Owl 1
Black Phoebe 7
Say's Phoebe 2
Rock Wren 2
House Wren 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 2
Palm Warbler (Western) 1
Clay-colored Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 2
Western Meadowlark 4

30-October-2008

The weather looked promising today with overcast skies and light east winds, but there were very few arrivals.  Two birds of interest were the two Red-breasted Mergansers that were found in Mirounga Bay.  The mean arrival date for this species is 24-Nov so these two were on the early side. 

Another arrival was of a juvenile tundrius Peregrine Falcon.  Tundrius peregrines breed on the arctic tundra and winter from Mexico to southern South America.  They differ from the other two subspecies of North American peregrines by being distinctly paler with a thin, dark eyeline and malar stripe.  Unfortunately for this individual, there are a male-female pair of adult peregrines of the continental subspecies, anatum, that forceably evict any peregrine that happens to stopby and look for a meal.  This pair has been defending the island since the first of September.  In 1932, peregrines were reported to have successfully nested on the cliffs below the lighthouse.  Perhaps this pair will stick around into next spring and raise its young on the abundant seabirds that will nest here.

Another bird that has been on the island for a while is this House Wren.  It arrived in late June and has managed to successfully avoid our mistnets the entire fall.  It's funny to watch it fly up and over or out and around the nets.  It probably has flown into all them and managed to escape them so it knows where they all are.  We hope that this bird will find a mate next spring and start a Farallon population of House Wrens.  In fact, this species has done this on a few islands already where some have evolved into separate species such as the Clarion Wren that breeds on Isla Clarion over 700 km off western Mexico.

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/30/08

Number of species: 45

Greater White-fronted Goose 1
Green-winged Teal (American) 1
Red-breasted Merganser 2
Pacific Loon 2
Eared Grebe 82
Western Grebe 1
Pink-footed Shearwater 5
Buller's Shearwater 1
Black-vented Shearwater 3
Brown Pelican 158
Brandt's Cormorant X
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Pelagic Cormorant X
Peregrine Falcon (Continental) 2
Peregrine Falcon (Tundra) 1
Black Oystercatcher 41
Wandering Tattler 2
Willet 1
Whimbrel 4
Black Turnstone 58
Heermann's Gull 2
Western Gull X
California Gull 278
Herring Gull 7
Thayer's Gull 1
Pomarine Jaeger 1
Common Murre X
Rhinoceros Auklet 1
Barn Owl 1
Burrowing Owl 2
Black Phoebe 6
Say's Phoebe 2
Rock Wren 1
House Wren 1
American Robin 1
European Starling 13
American Pipit 4
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 2
Palm Warbler (Western) 1
Chipping Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 2
Western Meadowlark 4
Brown-headed Cowbird 1

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/)

Bats on Southeast Farallon Island

The morning of October 14, 1987 on Southeast Farallon Island was like something out of a bat biologists’ dream. To the biologists that lived on the island, it was just one heck of a “bat day”. Although hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus) had consistently appeared on the island each fall since at least the mid 1960’s, that morning resident biologists saw something unprecedented—101 hoary bats hanging in trees, bushes, and other secluded nooks around the island. Such a landfall of bats may not sound unusual to those unfamiliar with their secretive lives, but to researchers and naturalists who study bats, and hoary bats in particular, the October 14th event is mind-boggling. Biologists can focus an entire career on studying bats and go a lifetime without seeing a hoary bat roosting in the wild, let alone a large group of them. Now island biologists were seeing over 100 in the same place at the same time! Something unusual happens on the Southeast Farallon Island.

Hoary bats differ from most of the 44 other bat species occurring in the continental U.S. in that they migrate across the entire continent of North America each year, roost in trees year-round, and tend to live solitary lives. That’s right; they usually live solitary lives, except during migration. California is an important wintering area for hoary bats, and the island bats are probably southbound migrants that veer off course from Point Reyes as they make their way down the Pacific Coast. Most tend to show up on the island during fall nights with overcast skies, low winds, and low levels of moonlight, and we suspect they are wandering too far from shore and visually cuing in on the light atop the island in an effort to find safe haven from the sea (http://www.fws.gov/sfbayrefuges/farallon/cryan&brown_2007_biocon.pdf). Southeast Farallon Island is the only place in North America where we know that hoary bats consistently show up during fall migration, the only place where they have been roosting in anything other than small family groups (> 4 individuals), and the only place where daytime mating has been seen. Add migratory bats to the list of incredible natural events that happen each year on the island.

PRBO and U.S. Fish & Wildlife biologists began cooperating with USGS bat researcher Paul Cryan in 2003 to try and learn more about the hoary bats on the island. For the past two years we have been deploying an automated bat detector on top of the lighthouse each fall to record the calls of hoary bats during their island stopovers. Visitation was sporadic last year, with only a handful of bats appearing in the trees during the day, but earlier this fall there was a landfall of at least 10 hoary bats during the day and the bat detector recorded more bat calls during the two adjacent nights than we have seen before. We are now analyzing those calls to try and figure out what the bats might be doing around the lighthouse at night, where they have previously been seen circling, sometimes in fairly large numbers. Echolocation calls should give us some indication of whether the bats are feeding during their migration stopover, or interacting in some other way, such as emitting social calls associated with mating and flocking behavior.

Why is all of this important? At about the turn of the millennium hoary bats began taking the lead role in a serious conservation issue facing bats—collisions with wind turbines. Although we are not yet sure exactly why it is happening, bats are colliding with industrial-scale wind turbines all over the world, sometimes at estimated rates as high as thousands of individuals per wind energy facility per year. We have never seen anything like it, as bats rarely collide with other anthropogenic structures. Alarmingly, hoary bats compose more than half of the bat fatalities at wind turbines in North America and they consistently show up beneath turbines at nearly every wind energy site adequately monitored for bats. It is unclear how many hoary bats might be out there roaming the continent, so it is difficult to assess the cumulative impacts of wind turbines on their populations, but it is entirely possible that turbines are increasing mortality to a level beyond what their relatively slow reproductive rate (~2 young per year) can offset. Migratory bats that concentrate in certain areas during migration are particularly susceptible to these types of threats.

How does Southeast Farallon Island fit into the picture? Aside from being near an important wintering area and the only place we know where hoary bats are consistently seen during migration, hoary bats appear on the island during a critical time—fall. The vast majority of bat fatalities at wind turbines, and particularly fatalities of hoary bats, occur during late summer and early fall. This led researchers studying the problem to conclude that something important is happening during fall migration in the lives of hoary bats, and therein lays the key to solving the puzzle of their mysterious susceptibility to turbines. Explanations for the susceptibility of bats to wind turbines span the board, ranging from random collisions of large flocks to bats being attracted to turbines as roosting, feeding, or mating sites. Whatever the cause, we hope that by continuing to take advantage of the incredible fall visitation of hoary bats to Southeast Farallon Island,we will move closer to explaining and hopefully solving this pressing conservation problem. Stay tuned for more bat blog news in the coming months and years! For additional info on the subtleties of bats, contact Paul Cryan (cryanp@usgs.gov).

29-October-2008

Today's weather was cloudy, with low visibility and light northwest winds. Despite the weather conditions, we had the arrival of a couple exciting birds. During the morning area search a group of five American Pipits were seen foraging on the marine terrace. Upon closer inspection, one of the pipits turned out to be of the japonicus subspecies, which breeds in Siberia. Maybe someday this subspecies will be promoted to full species status (one proposed name is Siberian Pipit). Note the bird's pale, almost white, belly, bold white wing bars, dark, bold malar stripe and pale legs.

"Siberian" Pipit (c) Dettling

Less than an hour later, we had a Snow Goose fly over. It was flying near a couple Brown Pelicans, so we were able to judge its size, and rule out Ross's Goose. Plus, we heard it honk and were able to get good looks at its large bill. The bird never landed, and wasn't seen again. We believe this is the first Snow Goose seen on the island in a decade. It's very interesting that a bird which is highly migratory and very abundant on the mainland, would be so rare out here.

Other new arrivals were: Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Mew Gull, Short-eared Owl, Cliff Swallow, "Western" Palm Warbler, and Purple Finch.

The complete bird list is below.

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/29/08
Number of species: 50
Greater White-fronted Goose 1
Snow Goose 1 White bird with black primaries. Long neck like a goose. Single honk. Too large in comparison to pelicans to be a Ross's Goose and bill too large.
Northern Pintail 3
Green-winged Teal 1
Pacific Loon 1
Common Loon 2
Eared Grebe 50
Pink-footed Shearwater 5
Buller's Shearwater 126
Brown Pelican 230
Brandt's Cormorant X
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Pelagic Cormorant X
Peregrine Falcon (Continental) 2
Black Oystercatcher 37
Wandering Tattler 2
Willet 1
Whimbrel 5
Black Turnstone 55
Black-legged Kittiwake 1
Heermann's Gull 1
Mew Gull 1
Western Gull X
California Gull 155
Herring Gull 2
Herring x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) 1 Large 1st year gull with black bill as large as Western Gull. Checkered back pattern slightly more muddy than a pure Herring. Wing tips darker than mantle, but not black. Inner primaries contrastingly paler than secondaries and outer primaries.
Glaucous-winged Gull 1
Pomarine Jaeger 2
Common Murre 65
Cassin's Auklet X
Rhinoceros Auklet X
Barn Owl 1
Burrowing Owl 2
Short-eared Owl 1
Black Phoebe 8
Say's Phoebe 2
Cliff Swallow 5
Rock Wren 2
House Wren 1
European Starling 1
American Pipit 4

"Siberian" Pipit 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 1
Palm Warbler (Western) 1
Chipping Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 2
Western Meadowlark 5
Purple Finch 1

28-October-2008

Moderate northwest winds and solid cloud cover today. There weren't a whole lot of birds around today, but we managed to find a few interesting things. In the morning we had a nice flight of shearwaters, dominated by Buller's, followed by Pink-footeds and Sooties. Other finds were Surf Scoter, Ring-billed Gull and Thayer's Gull.

Thayer's Gull, Greater White-fronted Goose and Ring-billed Gull (c) Dettling

Over the past couple of weeks we have started to see a larger variety of gulls, which is to be expected as we transition into the winter season. Unfortunately for the passerine lovers, that means there is a decreasing chance of seeing a rare songbird. Sometimes it's a challenge to keep alert, and ready to identify that next rarity. Today's bird list is below.

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/28/08
Number of species: 38
Greater White-fronted Goose 7
Cackling Goose 5
Surf Scoter 5
Pacific Loon 1
Eared Grebe 47
Pink-footed Shearwater 21
Buller's Shearwater 94
Sooty Shearwater 6
Brown Pelican 146
Brandt's Cormorant X
Pelagic Cormorant X
Peregrine Falcon 3
Killdeer 1
Willet 1
Whimbrel 2
Black Turnstone 65
Ring-billed Gull 1
California Gull 542
Herring Gull 5
Thayer's Gull 3
Common Murre X
Pigeon Guillemot X
Cassin's Auklet X
Rhinoceros Auklet X
Band-tailed Pigeon 1
Burrowing Owl 3
Black Phoebe 6
Say's Phoebe 3
Rock Wren 2
House Wren 1
American Pipit 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 1
Chipping Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 2
Western Meadowlark 4

27-October-2008

The winds switched around to the northwest and remained relatively light. We had decent visibility and cloud cover. The geese (Greater White-fronted and Cackling) that arrived yesterday were still around today. Wilson's Snipe and Band-tailed Pigeon were new today, although the snipe didn't make it the whole day since it was "taken out" by one of the Peregrine Falcons.

Band-tailed Pigeon (c) Dettling

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/27/08
Notes: Also a Glaucous-winged x Herring Hybrid
Number of species: 44

Greater White-fronted Goose 7
Cackling Goose (Aleutian) 3
Surf Scoter 1
Pacific Loon 2
Common Loon 7
Eared Grebe 77
Sooty Shearwater 1
Brown Pelican 465
Brandt's Cormorant X
Double-crested Cormorant 4
Pelagic Cormorant X
Peregrine Falcon 4
Wandering Tattler 3
Willet 1
Whimbrel 9
Black Turnstone 42
Wilson's Snipe 1
Heermann's Gull 2
California Gull 338
Herring Gull 6
Glaucous-winged Gull 1
Common Murre X
Pigeon Guillemot X
Cassin's Auklet X
Rhinoceros Auklet X
Band-tailed Pigeon 1
Barn Owl 1
Burrowing Owl 3
Black Phoebe 6
Say's Phoebe 3
Cliff Swallow 3
Rock Wren 2
House Wren 1
European Starling 2
American Pipit 4
Cedar Waxwing 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 2
Chipping Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 2
White-throated Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 2
Western Meadowlark 4
Pine Siskin 1

26-October-2008

Today we had light east to southeast winds, but fog through the morning prevented many new birds from finding the island. New arrivals included Greater White-fronted Goose, Aleutian Cackling Goose, Surf Scoter, Ruddy Turnstone, Least Sandpiper, Ancient Murrelet, Cliff Swallow and Varied Thrush. The complete bird list follows.

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/26/08
Number of species: 48
Greater White-fronted Goose 7
Cackling Goose (Aleutian) 3
Surf Scoter 1
Pacific Loon 4
Eared Grebe 40
Pink-footed Shearwater 4
Black-vented Shearwater 1
Ashy Storm-Petrel 1
Brown Pelican 584
Brandt's Cormorant X
Pelagic Cormorant X
Peregrine Falcon (Continental) 2
Killdeer 1
Black Oystercatcher 33
Wandering Tattler 3
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Willet 1
Whimbrel 4
Ruddy Turnstone 1
Black Turnstone 42
Least Sandpiper 4
Heermann's Gull 1
Western Gull X
Herring Gull 10
Glaucous-winged Gull 1
Common Murre 5
Pigeon Guillemot 1
Ancient Murrelet 1
Cassin's Auklet 100
Rhinoceros Auklet 2
Barn Owl 1
Burrowing Owl 3
Black Phoebe 9
Say's Phoebe 2
Cliff Swallow 3
Rock Wren 2
House Wren 1
Varied Thrush 1
European Starling 1
American Pipit 1
Cedar Waxwing 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 1
Chipping Sparrow 2
White-throated Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 2
Western Meadowlark 4
Pine Siskin 1

18th-25th October 2008

As always the internet connection has been very uncooperative, so we'll just try to post a large block of lists now that it's working. Over the past week the winds have generally been out of the northwest with varying degrees of cloud cover. There have been a smattering of new arrivals including Swamp Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Lapland Longspur, and some fly-over Cackling Geese. One of the more interesting birds on the island was a Song Sparrow, likely coming from the Pacific Northwest. We average only around two Song Sparrows a year on the island, so we were very excited to see this bird. Also on the 23rd we had a nice flight of Black-vented Shearwaters just offshore. The bird lists follow.

Song Sparrow (c) McAllister

Swamp Sparrow (c) McAllister

Grasshopper Sparrow (c) McAllister

Clay-colored Sparrow (c) McAllister

Lapland Longspur (c) McAllister

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/25/08
Number of species: 42

Eared Grebe 103
Pink-footed Shearwater 2
Brown Pelican 802
Brandt's Cormorant X
Pelagic Cormorant X
Peregrine Falcon (Continental) 3
Black Oystercatcher X
Wandering Tattler 1
Willet 1
Whimbrel 9
Black Turnstone 45
Least Sandpiper 1
Heermann's Gull 2
Western Gull X
California Gull 218
Herring Gull 2
Glaucous-winged Gull 1
Common Murre X
Burrowing Owl 2
Black Phoebe 9
Say's Phoebe 3
Brown Creeper 1
Rock Wren 1
House Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
European Starling 8
American Pipit 1
Cedar Waxwing 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 3
Palm Warbler (Western) 1
Chipping Sparrow 2
Clay-colored Sparrow 2
Grasshopper Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 1
White-crowned Sparrow 1
Golden-crowned Sparrow 3
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 3
Red-winged Blackbird 1
Western Meadowlark 9
Pine Siskin 1

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/24/08
Number of species: 42

Eared Grebe 103
Pink-footed Shearwater 2
Brown Pelican 802
Brandt's Cormorant X
Pelagic Cormorant X
Peregrine Falcon (Continental) 3
Black Oystercatcher X
Wandering Tattler 1
Willet 1
Whimbrel 9
Black Turnstone 45
Least Sandpiper 1
Heermann's Gull 2
Western Gull X
California Gull 218
Herring Gull 2
Glaucous-winged Gull 1
Common Murre X
Burrowing Owl 2
Black Phoebe 9
Say's Phoebe 3
Brown Creeper 1
Rock Wren 1
House Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
European Starling 8
American Pipit 1
Cedar Waxwing 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 3
Palm Warbler (Western) 1
Chipping Sparrow 2
Clay-colored Sparrow 2
Grasshopper Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 1
White-crowned Sparrow 1
Golden-crowned Sparrow 3
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 3
Red-winged Blackbird 1
Western Meadowlark 9
Pine Siskin 1

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/23/08
Number of species: 51

Eared Grebe 66
Pink-footed Shearwater 5
Buller's Shearwater 1
Sooty Shearwater 2
Black-vented Shearwater 33
Brown Pelican 1054
Brandt's Cormorant X
Pelagic Cormorant X
Merlin 1
Peregrine Falcon (Continental) 2
Black Oystercatcher X
Wandering Tattler 1
Willet 1
Whimbrel 7
Black Turnstone 32
Black-legged Kittiwake 1
Heermann's Gull 1
Western Gull X
California Gull 503
Herring Gull 3
Thayer's Gull 1
Glaucous-winged Gull 1
Pomarine Jaeger 3
Parasitic Jaeger 1
Common Murre X
Barn Owl 1
Burrowing Owl 3
Anna's Hummingbird 1
Black Phoebe 9
Say's Phoebe 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Rock Wren 2
House Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2
European Starling 28
American Pipit 2
Cedar Waxwing 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 2
Common Yellowthroat 1
Chipping Sparrow 2
Clay-colored Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 1
White-crowned Sparrow 2
Golden-crowned Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 8
Western Meadowlark 14
Pine Siskin 3
Lesser Goldfinch 1

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/22/08
Number of species: 51

Common Loon 1
Eared Grebe 95
Pink-footed Shearwater 5
Sooty Shearwater 3
Black-vented Shearwater 3
Brown Pelican 986
Peregrine Falcon (Continental) 2
Killdeer 1
Black Oystercatcher X
Wandering Tattler 1
Willet 1
Whimbrel 5
Black Turnstone 41
Heermann's Gull 41
Western Gull X
California Gull 141
Herring Gull 2
Glaucous-winged Gull 1
Common Murre X
Burrowing Owl 3
Anna's Hummingbird 1
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 1
Black Phoebe 7
Say's Phoebe 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Rock Wren 2
House Wren 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
Hermit Thrush 1
Varied Thrush 2
American Pipit 2
Cedar Waxwing 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 5
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 3
Palm Warbler (Western) 1
Common Yellowthroat 1
Spotted Towhee 1
Chipping Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 3
Fox Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 2
White-crowned Sparrow 2
Golden-crowned Sparrow 3
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 4
Red-winged Blackbird 1
Western Meadowlark 11
Brewer's Blackbird 1
Pine Siskin 3
Lesser Goldfinch 2

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/21/08
Number of species: 42

Common Loon 120
Eared Grebe 52
Pink-footed Shearwater 16
Buller's Shearwater 126
Sooty Shearwater 2
Brown Pelican 582
Peregrine Falcon (Continental) 3
Black Oystercatcher X
Wandering Tattler 1
Willet 1
Whimbrel 5
Black Turnstone 44
Heermann's Gull 3
Western Gull X
California Gull 520
Pomarine Jaeger 2
Common Murre X
Burrowing Owl 2
Anna's Hummingbird 1
Black Phoebe 8
Say's Phoebe 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch 2
Rock Wren 2
House Wren 1
Varied Thrush 1
American Pipit 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 4
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 2
Black-throated Gray Warbler 1
Spotted Towhee 1
Fox Sparrow 1
Lincoln's Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 1
White-crowned Sparrow 3
Golden-crowned Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 1
Lapland Longspur 1
Red-winged Blackbird 1
Western Meadowlark 5
House Finch 1
Lesser Goldfinch 1

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/20/08
Number of species: 40

Eared Grebe 56
Western Grebe 1
Pink-footed Shearwater 6
Buller's Shearwater 3
Brown Pelican 424
Peregrine Falcon (Continental) 2
Black Oystercatcher X
Wandering Tattler 1
Willet 1
Whimbrel 4
Black Turnstone 47
Heermann's Gull 3
Western Gull X
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) 1
California Gull 315
Herring Gull 4
Glaucous-winged Gull 2
Common Murre X
Burrowing Owl 1
Black Phoebe 9
Say's Phoebe 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch 3
Rock Wren 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
American Pipit 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 9
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 7
Black-throated Gray Warbler 1
Spotted Towhee 1
Chipping Sparrow 1
Clay-colored Sparrow 1
Fox Sparrow 1
White-crowned Sparrow 2
Golden-crowned Sparrow 5
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 3
Lapland Longspur 1
Western Meadowlark 4
Pine Siskin 1
Lesser Goldfinch 1

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/19/08
Number of species: 52

Cackling Goose 26
Eared Grebe 45
Pink-footed Shearwater 5
Brown Pelican 930
Brandt's Cormorant X
Pelagic Cormorant X
Peregrine Falcon (Continental) 2
Peregrine Falcon (Peale's) 1
Black Oystercatcher X
Willet 1
Whimbrel 3
Black Turnstone 55
Heermann's Gull 4
Western Gull X
California Gull 846
Herring Gull 2
Thayer's Gull 1
Glaucous-winged Gull 1
Common Murre X
Barn Owl 1
Burrowing Owl 1
Black Phoebe 6
Say's Phoebe 4
Violet-green Swallow 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Rock Wren 2
House Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2
Hermit Thrush 1
American Pipit 1
Cedar Waxwing 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler 7
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 17
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 6
Black-throated Gray Warbler 2
Palm Warbler (Western) 2
Spotted Towhee 1
Chipping Sparrow 1
Clay-colored Sparrow 1
Fox Sparrow 1
Lincoln's Sparrow 1
Swamp Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 3
White-crowned Sparrow 1
Golden-crowned Sparrow 4
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 6
Red-winged Blackbird 2
Western Meadowlark 2
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
Purple Finch 1
Pine Siskin 2

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/18/08
Number of species: 39

Eared Grebe 73
Pink-footed Shearwater 5
Brown Pelican 791
Brandt's Cormorant X
Pelagic Cormorant X
Northern Harrier 1
Peregrine Falcon 2
Black Oystercatcher X
Wandering Tattler 1
Whimbrel 2
Black Turnstone 66
Heermann's Gull 2
Western Gull X
California Gull 281
Herring Gull 4
Glaucous-winged Gull 1
Common Murre X
Pigeon Guillemot X
Cassin's Auklet X
Rhinoceros Auklet X
Barn Owl 1
Burrowing Owl 3
Black Phoebe 8
Say's Phoebe 3
Red-breasted Nuthatch 2
Rock Wren 2
House Wren 1
American Pipit 1
Magnolia Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 4
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 2
Black-throated Gray Warbler 1
Palm Warbler (Western) 1
Chipping Sparrow 1
Fox Sparrow (Sooty) 1
White-crowned Sparrow 1
Golden-crowned Sparrow 1
Western Meadowlark 3
House Finch 1

A Seabird guy in a Songbird season

There are three main "seasons" on the Farallones. These are not defined by weather or hours of daylight, but rather by the species of animals that inhabit the island. December to early March is "the elephant seal season" when research activities center on the breeding biology of the Northern Elephant Seal. Mid-March through August is "the seabird season", when the life of island residents is dedicated to studying and monitoring the large colonies of seabirds which breed on the island. Finally from September to December is the "songbird season". During these months our primary focus is monitoring western landbird migration with the occasional off-course vagrant showing up to provide some identification challenges.

Can you find the vagrant clinging

to the side of the lighthouse in this photo?

Last weekend we had a crew change in which four people left the island and three new people arrived. Among those leaving was the regular songbird season biologist, who has gone off island for a two week break. We couldn't leave the island unsupervised for those two weeks so I got the opportunity to come out for a rare two week visit during songbird season. Although I have spent more then 1,000 nights on the island, most of my time has been during the spring/summer seabird breeding season.

View out the front door during summer with Western Gulls dominating the landscape.

Upon arriving at the island I immediately noticed many differences between the island I normally see and the island during the fall. First of all, there are no birds here! The 300,000 seabirds that occupy these rocky shores all summer are all finished breeding and have departed, giving the island the impression of a desolate and lifeless place. Most striking is the absence of Western Gulls which seemingly cover every inch of the island during the summer. The island is also amazingly quiet. The seabird symphony of gulls screaming, guillemots whistling, and murres complaining to each other has been replaced by an eerie silence. But, there are benefits to the fall as well. There is more freedom of movement for the island biologists. Areas of the island which are normally closed for seabird breeding are once again accessible, and you can walk around without fear of being pecked in the head by an angry gull or becoming covered in bird guano.

Similar view of the Marine Terrace during the fall season.

Of course, there are still birds here. They are just smaller, quieter, and harder to find then those that inhabit the island during the summer. Brightly colored warblers and cryptic sparrows now dominate the island avifauna. Peregrine Falcons, Burrowing Owls and Eared Grebes have returned to spend the winter. Large numbers of marine birds which are not present here during the summer stream past the island - species such as Buller's and Black-vented Shearwaters. Vagrant landbirds often make an appearance during this season when they get off course during their migration. Many songbirds that normally occur only on the East Coast or in Asia visit the Farallones during the fall giving us a unique opportunity to view some unusual species. In fact, the Farallones have been the site for many first recorded sightings of some species in California (and even a few for North America).

Although we haven’t had any rarities during my stay, we have had many common migrants such as the Yellow-rumped warbler, Oregon Junco, and Golden-crowned Sparrow. There have also been a few notable birds including a Magnolia Warbler (above), Palm Warbler, Lapland Longspur, Clay-colored Sparrow, Violet-green Swallow, Yellow-headed Blackbird, South Polar Skua, and a Barn Owl which seems to want to come into my room at night.

Whether you study seabirds, songbirds, or elephant seals, the Farallones always stand out as a special place and a true refuge for many types of wildlife. When this week is over, I will return to the mainland and will probably not be back until the seabirds return to breed in the spring. That is the nature of my Farallones migration. I suppose my short, “out of season” visit to the island makes me just one more vagrant to find my way to the island this fall.

Below is a list of the birds that we have seen over the past week.

October 15th:

Eared Grebe 45
Pink-footed Shearwater 31
Buller's Shearwater 78
Sooty Shearwater 2
Ashy Storm-Petrel X
Brown Pelican 947
Merlin 1
Peregrine Falcon 2
Black Oystercatcher 28
Wandering Tattler 2
Whimbrel 6
Ruddy Turnstone 1
Black Turnstone 52
Heermann's Gull 6
Western Gull X
California Gull 1107
Herring Gull 3
Parasitic Jaeger 1
Common Murre X
Barn Owl 1
Black Phoebe 6
Say's Phoebe 2
Western Kingbird 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch 2
Rock Wren 2
House Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 4
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3
American Robin 1
Yellow Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 7
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 3
Black-throated Gray Warbler 1
Savannah Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 1
White-crowned Sparrow 1
Golden-crowned Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 2
Western Meadowlark 9

October 16th:

Eared Grebe 60
Pink-footed Shearwater 16
Buller's Shearwater 44
Sooty Shearwater 1
Black-vented Shearwater 7
Ashy Storm-Petrel X
Brown Pelican 641
Brandt's Cormorant X
Pelagic Cormorant X
Peregrine Falcon 3
Wandering Tattler 2
Whimbrel 8
Ruddy Turnstone 1
Black Turnstone 60
Least Sandpiper 4
Heermann's Gull 2
Western Gull X
California Gull 406
Herring Gull 9
Pomarine Jaeger 4
Parasitic Jaeger 1
Common Murre X
Cassin's Auklet X
Barn Owl 1
Burrowing Owl 3
Black Phoebe 7
Say's Phoebe 4
Western Kingbird 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch 4
Rock Wren 2
House Wren 1
Hermit Thrush 1
American Robin 1
American Pipit 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 3
Black-throated Gray Warbler 1
Chipping Sparrow 1
Clay-colored Sparrow 1
Lark Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 1
Golden-crowned Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 1
Western Meadowlark 8
Pine Siskin 1

October 17th:

Cackling Goose 14
Eared Grebe 82
Pink-footed Shearwater 1
Ashy Storm-Petrel X
Brown Pelican 921
Brandt's Cormorant X
Pelagic Cormorant X
Northern Harrier 1
Peregrine Falcon 3
Wandering Tattler 3
Willet 1
Whimbrel 2
Black Turnstone 85
Least Sandpiper 3
Heermann's Gull 4
Ring-billed Gull 2
Western Gull X
California Gull 363
Herring Gull 5
Glaucous-winged Gull 1
Common Murre X
Pigeon Guillemot X
Cassin's Auklet X
Rhinoceros Auklet X
Barn Owl 1
Burrowing Owl 1
Anna's Hummingbird 2
Black Phoebe 8
Say's Phoebe 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch 4
Rock Wren 2
House Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
Swainson's Thrush 1
American Robin 2
American Pipit 1
Magnolia Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 5
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 5
Black-throated Gray Warbler 1
Spotted Towhee 1
Chipping Sparrow 2
Lark Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 1
Western Meadowlark 7
Yellow-headed Blackbird 1

Yellow-headed Blackbird (c) McAllister

14-October-2008

Light and variable winds with cloud cover overnight gave us hope for a wave day, but by morning we were in some pretty heavy fog. Since any migrating birds would have a hard time finding the island, we ended up only seeing a few new arrivals (flock of Cackling Geese flying over, Cassin's Vireo, and Tree Swallow). We saw a few more pods of Risso's Dolphins as well.

The other big island news is that the powerhouse roof/solar panel refurbishing was completed today. We are now back up and running on solar again.

The bird list follows.

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/14/08
Number of species: 48

Cackling Goose 34
Eared Grebe 24
Northern Fulmar 1
Pink-footed Shearwater 1
Buller's Shearwater 21
Brown Pelican 501
Merlin 1
Peregrine Falcon 3
Killdeer 1
Wandering Tattler 1
Whimbrel 2
Black Turnstone 37
Black-legged Kittiwake 1
Heermann's Gull 5
Western Gull X
California Gull 438
Herring Gull 2
Glaucous-winged Gull 1
Common Murre X
Burrowing Owl 1
Anna's Hummingbird 1
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 2
Black Phoebe 5
Say's Phoebe 3
Western Kingbird 1
Cassin's Vireo 1
Tree Swallow 3
Red-breasted Nuthatch 6
Rock Wren 2
House Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 5
American Robin 2
American Pipit 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 4
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 11
Black-throated Gray Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 1
Spotted Towhee 1
Savannah Sparrow 1
Lincoln's Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 2
White-crowned Sparrow 3
Golden-crowned Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 3
Red-winged Blackbird 1
Western Meadowlark 5
Pine Siskin 1

13-October-2008

Light winds with high visibility meant only a handful on new arrivals, but with most of the birds from yesterday sticking around. New birds included: Band-tailed Pigeon, Western Flycatcher, American Robin, Varied Thrush, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Spotted Towhee, Fox Sparrow, and Lincoln's Sparrow. We also saw a shark attack off of Saddle Rock, a couple pods of Risso's Dolphins, and a good flight of California Tortoiseshell butterflies. The bird list is below.

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/13/08
Number of species: 55

Pacific Loon 1
Eared Grebe 43
Pink-footed Shearwater 8
Buller's Shearwater 12
Sooty Shearwater 1
Brown Pelican 318
Merlin 1
Peregrine Falcon 4
Killdeer 2
Wandering Tattler 2
Willet 1
Whimbrel 2
Black Turnstone 30
Heermann's Gull 2
California Gull 197
Herring Gull 4
Band-tailed Pigeon 1
Mourning Dove 1
Burrowing Owl 2
Anna's Hummingbird 1
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 3
Pacific-slope/Cordilleran Flycatcher (Western) 1
Black Phoebe 7
Say's Phoebe 3
Western Kingbird 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch 8
Rock Wren 2
House Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 7
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 19
Hermit Thrush 1
American Robin 1
Varied Thrush 1
American Pipit 2
Orange-crowned Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 15
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 12
Black-throated Gray Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 1
Spotted Towhee 1
Clay-colored Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 14
Fox Sparrow (Sooty) 5
Lincoln's Sparrow 2
White-throated Sparrow 2
White-crowned Sparrow 5
Golden-crowned Sparrow 7
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 8
Red-winged Blackbird 5
Western Meadowlark 11
Brewer's Blackbird 1
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
House Finch 5
Pine Siskin 6

12-October-2008

Today was a boat day, meaning that we were transferring people and supplies from a boat to the island. The transfer was made easier because yesterday a helicopter ferrying the crew working on the roof back to the mainland, brought out all of our food. That left just people and gear to move back and forth. Four of our crew left and three new biologists came on. The winds lightened up even more today and we saw more new arrivals. Highlights include: Sharp-shinned Hawk, Merlin, Western Kingbird, Wilson's Warbler, Clay-colored Sparrow and Pine Siskin. A shark attack was seen off of Great Arch. The full bird list is below.

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/12/08
Number of species: 56

Surf Scoter 1
Common Loon 2
Eared Grebe 30
Pink-footed Shearwater 30
Buller's Shearwater 20
Sooty Shearwater 2
Ashy Storm-Petrel X
Brown Pelican 580
Brandt's Cormorant X
Double-crested Cormorant X
Pelagic Cormorant X
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Merlin 1
Peregrine Falcon 2
Killdeer 1
Black Oystercatcher 6
Wandering Tattler 2
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Whimbrel 4
Black Turnstone 14
Sabine's Gull 2
Heermann's Gull 2
Western Gull X
California Gull 453
Herring Gull 2
Thayer's Gull 1
Common Murre X
Cassin's Auklet X
Mourning Dove 1
Anna's Hummingbird 1
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 1
Black Phoebe 4
Say's Phoebe 2
Western Kingbird 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch 8
Rock Wren 1
House Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 5
Hermit Thrush 3
Orange-crowned Warbler 4
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 4
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 6
Palm Warbler (Western) 1
Wilson's Warbler 1
Clay-colored Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 3
White-throated Sparrow 1
White-crowned Sparrow 3
Golden-crowned Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 1
Red-winged Blackbird 3
Western Meadowlark 4
Brewer's Blackbird 2
Pine Siskin 1
Lesser Goldfinch 1

11-October-2008

The winds of the past few days finally started to calm down, though they were still blowing 15 knots. Compared to the 30 knot winds, it felt like a light breeze. With this slight change in weather we saw a handful of new arrivals. They included: Least Sandpiper, Anna's Hummingbird, another pure Yellow-shafted Flicker, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Hermit Thrush, Varied Thrush, American Pipit, Orange-crowned Warbler, Audubon's Warbler, Myrtle Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Lapland Longspur, Red-winged Blackbird, and Lesser Goldfinch. The complete species list is below.

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/11/08
Number of species: 48

Surf Scoter 3
Pacific Loon 1
Eared Grebe 19
Pink-footed Shearwater 23
Buller's Shearwater 11
Sooty Shearwater 4
Ashy Storm-Petrel X
Brown Pelican 253
Brandt's Cormorant X
Pelagic Cormorant X
Peregrine Falcon 3
Black Oystercatcher 28
Wandering Tattler 2
Whimbrel 5
Black Turnstone 22
Least Sandpiper 1
Red Phalarope 1
Black-legged Kittiwake 1
Heermann's Gull 15
Western Gull X
California Gull 774
Herring Gull 4
Thayer's Gull 1
Pomarine Jaeger 1
Barn Owl 1
Burrowing Owl 1
Anna's Hummingbird 2
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 1
Black Phoebe 4
Say's Phoebe 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Hermit Thrush 1
Varied Thrush 1
European Starling 7
American Pipit 1
Orange-crowned Warbler 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 2
Palm Warbler (Western) 1
Common Yellowthroat 1
Savannah Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 2
White-crowned Sparrow 2
Golden-crowned Sparrow 1
Lapland Longspur 1
Red-winged Blackbird 1
Western Meadowlark 2
Lesser Goldfinch 1

10-October-2008

Our third straight day of very high NW winds was relected in our low species total. We only had 10 individual passerines of 7 species. A tough day for all of the biologists. The "list" is below.

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/10/08
Number of species: 20

Pacific Loon 4
Eared Grebe 18
Pink-footed Shearwater 25
Buller's Shearwater 25
Sooty Shearwater 14
Brown Pelican 11
Peregrine Falcon (Continental) 3
Wandering Tattler 2
Whimbrel 1
Black Turnstone 14
Heermann's Gull 1
California Gull 166
Pomarine Jaeger 3
Black Phoebe 3
Say's Phoebe 2
House Wren 1
Palm Warbler (Western) 1
Savannah Sparrow 1
White-crowned Sparrow 1
Western Meadowlark 1

Playing catch-up

The internet connection has been very spotty and so we haven't been able to get the bird lists up in a timely fashion. For the 6th-9th of October the winds started out moderate and increased to heavy from the NW. The bird lists reflect that by not having many new birds and decreasing diversity as the winds picked up. Highlights were a South Polar Skua on the 7th and a pure Yellow-shafted Flicker on the 8th. Red-shafted and Yellow-shafted Flickers hybridize so we always make sure to check all the flickers for traits of both subspecies. The birds lists are below.


Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/6/08
Number of species: 42
Greater White-fronted Goose 1
Northern Pintail 1
Eared Grebe 28
Brown Pelican X
Brandt's Cormorant X
Pelagic Cormorant X
Peregrine Falcon (Continental) 2
Killdeer 5
Black Oystercatcher X
Wandering Tattler 5
Whimbrel 8
Black Turnstone 59
Least Sandpiper 1
Heermann's Gull 5
Western Gull X
California Gull 81
Common Murre X
Pigeon Guillemot X
Cassin's Auklet X
Rhinoceros Auklet X
Burrowing Owl 1
Least Flycatcher 1
Black Phoebe 7
Say's Phoebe 3
House Wren 1
Hermit Thrush 3
American Pipit 2
Yellow Warbler 1
Magnolia Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 5
Palm Warbler (Western) 1
Common Yellowthroat 1
Clay-colored Sparrow 1
Lark Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 2
Fox Sparrow (Sooty) 1
White-crowned Sparrow 4
Golden-crowned Sparrow 3
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 4
Brewer's Blackbird 1
Lesser Goldfinch 1


Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/7/08
Number of species: 43

Pacific Loon 1
Eared Grebe 15
Pink-footed Shearwater 18
Buller's Shearwater 11
Sooty Shearwater 1
Brown Pelican 280
Brandt's Cormorant X
Pelagic Cormorant X
Peregrine Falcon (Continental) 1
Killdeer 2
Black Oystercatcher X
Wandering Tattler 1
Whimbrel 3
Black Turnstone 19
Heermann's Gull 4
California Gull 460
South Polar Skua 1
Pomarine Jaeger 2
Common Murre X
Cassin's Auklet X
Rhinoceros Auklet X
Burrowing Owl 1
Black Phoebe 5
Say's Phoebe 3
Violet-green Swallow 3
Barn Swallow 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
American Pipit 3
Yellow Warbler 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 4
Palm Warbler (Western) 1
Common Yellowthroat 1
Chipping Sparrow 1
Clay-colored Sparrow 1
Lark Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 1
Fox Sparrow (Sooty) 1
White-crowned Sparrow 2
Golden-crowned Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 4
Western Meadowlark 1
Lesser Goldfinch 1



Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/8/08
Number of species: 36
Northern Pintail 1
Eared Grebe 25
Pink-footed Shearwater 22
Buller's Shearwater 15
Sooty Shearwater 4
Brown Pelican 270
Brandt's Cormorant X
Pelagic Cormorant X
Peregrine Falcon (Continental) 1
Black Oystercatcher X
Whimbrel 5
Black Turnstone 20
Least Sandpiper 8
Heermann's Gull 1
Western Gull X
California Gull 60
Pomarine Jaeger 4
Common Murre X
Cassin's Auklet X
Rhinoceros Auklet X
Burrowing Owl 2
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 1 adult male
Black Phoebe 6
Say's Phoebe 3
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
House Wren 1
American Pipit 6
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 4
Palm Warbler (Western) 2
Common Yellowthroat 1
Lark Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 2
Golden-crowned Sparrow 2
Lapland Longspur 1
Western Meadowlark 1


Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/9/08
Number of species: 17

Pacific Loon 1
Pink-footed Shearwater 1
Buller's Shearwater 21
Sooty Shearwater 1
Short-tailed Shearwater 1
Brown Pelican 7
Peregrine Falcon 2
Wandering Tattler 2
Whimbrel 1
Black Turnstone 5
California Gull 8
Burrowing Owl 1
Black Phoebe 5
Say's Phoebe 1
American Pipit 1
Palm Warbler 1
Western Meadowlark 1

Farallonathon Postscript

During this year’s dismal Farallonathon, which we knew could be the worst on record, we looked back into past journals to determine what the lowest total had ever been. We found that 1992 was the first year of the Farallonathon. From 1993-1995 they called it the Farallon Research Week, but continued with the same point system as 1992. Over the past 16 years the lowest total was 133 points in 1995. The point system has gone through some slight modifications over the years, and because of this, the totals are not fairly compared. In an effort to put all years on an equal playing field (and possibly bring this year out of last place) we recalculated previous totals with the current point system (began in 2004).

In the current point system, the following sightings receive points:
breeding birds (1 point), pinnipeds (1), cetaceans (1), bats (1), butterflies (1), dragonflies (1), salamanders (1), shark sighting (1), shark attack (5), fish (1), turtles (1), migrant birds (1), CBRC birds (5), and any new island record (10). For most of the above, each new species for the week sighted gets awarded a point. The exceptions are shark sightings, shark attacks, and CBRC birds in which each individual sighting is awarded points (i.e., 3 shark attacks in one day gets 15 points, 2 Red-throated Pipits receive 10 points). In the past, all shark sightings were worth 5 points, and they didn’t give fish any points.

Below we list the past totals as they were recorded at the time as well as the recalculated totals under the current point system. Unfortunately, this year was still, by far, the worst Farallonathon on record. Doh!

Year Journal Total Recalculated Total
1992 147 152
1993 149 149
1994 200 202
1995 133 133
1996 175 178
1997 188 164
1998 230 222
1999 196 180
2000 240 216
2001 244 240
2002 174 175
2003 195 183
2004 216 216
2005 146 146
2006 185 185
2007 139 139
2008 129 129

5-October-2008

****FARALLONATHON DAY 7****
The last day of Farallonathon was somewhat eventful….though, much less than we had hoped for. The winds were light out of the SSW, but visibility was good enough that we (and the birds) could see the mainland. We added 11 points, making this the lowest final total (129 points) for the history of the Farallonathon. We all cried shamelessly and endlessly, possibly raising the level of the Pacific Ocean with our tears. Ok, ok….it really wasn’t that bad. We all shook our hands at the sky at the end of the day and continued on our daily activities on the Island while trying to move on with our lives. So, what did we see on our last day of the FARALLONATHON?

FISH 1 China Rockfish (1point)
DAMSELFLIES: 1 Swift Forktail (1; possibly a first island record)

Swift Forktail (teneral female)
Photo © Matt Brady

SALAMANDER 1 Arboreal Sally (1; due to the evening search by one of the hopelessly dedicated interns)
BIRDS: 1 Tufted Puffin (1; our last breeder to be found since most finished breeding weeks ago and have left the island by now)
3 Common Loons (1)
1 Northern Pintail (1)
1 Glaucous-winged X Western Gull (1; yeah, a point for a hybrid….that’s right!)
1 Rufous/Allen’s Hummingbird (1)
1 Wilson’s Warbler (1)
1 Lapland Longspur (1)
1 Brewer’s Blackbird (1)

ebird list below:

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/5/08
Number of species: 42

Greater White-fronted Goose 1
Northern Pintail 1
Common Loon 3
Eared Grebe 23
Pink-footed Shearwater 13
Buller's Shearwater 3
Sooty Shearwater 4
Brown Pelican 801
Brandt's Cormorant X
Pelagic Cormorant X
Peregrine Falcon 3
Black Oystercatcher 41
Wandering Tattler 3
Whimbrel 6
Black Turnstone 78
Heermann's Gull 19
Western Gull X
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) 1
California Gull 77
Common Murre X
Pigeon Guillemot X
Cassin's Auklet X
Rhinoceros Auklet X
Tufted Puffin 1
Barn Owl 1
Burrowing Owl 1
Rufous/Allen's Hummingbird 1
Least Flycatcher 1
Black Phoebe 4
Say's Phoebe 2
House Wren 1
American Pipit 3
Magnolia Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 1
Wilson's Warbler (Pacific Coast) 1
Chipping Sparrow 2
Clay-colored Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 1
Lapland Longspur 1
Brewer's Blackbird 1

4-October-2008

****FARALLONATHON DAY 6****
Absolutely no new birds arrived on the island, allowing us to delve deeply into the fun-filled world of data entry!!! Even though we were not socked in with fog today, the light westerly winds must have pushed the birds towards the mainland. Although there were no birds to look at today, the White Sharks put on quite a show for us with 3 attacks: 2 off Shubrick and one in Mirounga Bay. All three attacks appeared to be on California Sea Lions because they happened quickly with the carcass and shark disappearing under the water after a just a minute or two, and the blood and gulls dissipated rapidly. At five points a piece, these three shark attacks gave us 15 points for the day and brought our overall total up to118 points.

ebird list below:

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/4/08
Number of species: 34

Greater White-fronted Goose 6
Eared Grebe 13
Pink-footed Shearwater 26
Buller's Shearwater 15
Sooty Shearwater 8
Short-tailed Shearwater 1
Ashy Storm-Petrel X
Brown Pelican 651
Brandt's Cormorant X
Pelagic Cormorant X
Peregrine Falcon (Continental) 2
Black Oystercatcher X
Wandering Tattler 2
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Whimbrel 3
Black Turnstone 45
Western Sandpiper 1
Least Sandpiper 1
Pectoral Sandpiper 1
Heermann's Gull 12
Western Gull X
California Gull 129
Pomarine Jaeger 3
Barn Owl 1
Burrowing Owl 1
Black Phoebe 3
Say's Phoebe 3
House Wren 1
Magnolia Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1
Palm Warbler (Western) 1
Chipping Sparrow 4
Clay-colored Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 3

3-October-2008

****FARALLONATHON DAY 5****
Today was a major boat day, with 14 people arriving on the Island. Most were contractors that began work on refurbishing our solar panel system. Amazingly, virtually everything on the Island is powered entirely by 30 solar panels on the roof of the Power House. We derive all of the power we need to live on the Island from the sun! Even the lighthouse, with its six powerful beams, is powered by the sun. The only thing on the Island that is not powered by solar power is the boom that we use to move the boat on and off the island. It is powered by two diesel generators that also serve as a back-up power supply. The new solar power array will be new-and-improved and modernized and the project will (hopefully) be finished by the end of the week.

Similar to yesterday, the morning winds were light out of the SSW, but with a thick blanket of fog concealling the island from most of the wayward migrants. Despite this, we added four new species of birds to our Farallonathon total today: a Greater Yellowlegs flew by the Lighthouse, a Least Flycatcher was found near E-Seal Blind Hill, an Eastern Phoebe was at Sea Lion Cove, and a Bay-breasted Warbler was on Corm Blind Hill. A mid-sized Mola Mola, or Ocean Sunfish, was spotted from the Lighthouse during shark watch, for another point. Mola Molas generally only show up in ‘warm water’ years, so seeing this odd fish from the Island was a nice treat. Finally, a shark attack on an immature Elephant Seal east of Fisherman’s Bay gave us five points. We gained ten new points for the day, leaving us at 103 Farallonathon points.

Eastern Phoebe

Photo © Matt Brady Bay-breasted Warbler

Photo © Matt Brady

ebird list below:

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/3/08
Number of species: 34

Greater White-fronted Goose 13
Eared Grebe 17
Pink-footed Shearwater 14
Ashy Storm-Petrel X
Brown Pelican X
Brandt's Cormorant X
Pelagic Cormorant X
Peregrine Falcon (Continental) 2
Black Oystercatcher X
Wandering Tattler 4
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Whimbrel 7
Black Turnstone 20
Least Sandpiper 1
Heermann's Gull 43
Western Gull X
California Gull 412
Barn Owl 1
Burrowing Owl 1
Least Flycatcher 1
Black Phoebe 6
Eastern Phoebe 1
Say's Phoebe 3
House Wren 1
Chestnut-sided Warbler 1
Magnolia Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 1
Palm Warbler (Western) 1
Bay-breasted Warbler 1
Ovenbird 1
Chipping Sparrow 4
Clay-colored Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 2

2-October-2008

****FARALLONATHON DAY 4****
Farallonathon Day 4 was very quiet and yielded only a couple of new additions to our list. The winds were light out of the SSW, which is not bad, but a thick fog settled in making it difficult for birds to find the island. A shark attack on a California Seal Lion just off the East Landing Buoy gave us five points, while a flock of 45 Greater White-fronted Geese and 2 Barn Owls granted us one point each. With these additions our Farallonathon total stood at 93 points by the end of the day.

ebird list below:

Location: Southeast Farallon Island
Observation date: 10/2/08
Number of species: 37
Greater White-fronted Goose 45
Pacific Loon 1
Eared Grebe 11
Pink-footed Shearwater 6
Ashy Storm-Petrel X
Brown Pelican X
Brandt's Cormorant X
Pelagic Cormorant X
Peregrine Falcon (Continental) 2
Black Oystercatcher X
Wandering Tattler 3
Willet 1
Whimbrel 9
Black Turnstone 64
Western Sandpiper 2
Least Sandpiper 1
Heermann's Gull 15
Western Gull X
California Gull 118
Common Murre X
Pigeon Guillemot X
Cassin's Auklet X
Rhinoceros Auklet X
Barn Owl 2
Burrowing Owl 1
Black Phoebe 5
Say's Phoebe 2
House Wren 1
Chestnut-sided Warbler 1
Magnolia Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 1
Palm Warbler (Western) 1
Ovenbird 1
Chipping Sparrow 4
Clay-colored Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 1