Random Jottings

Woh. Today and yesterday we had some major wind and wave action. Yesterday we had 15 to 20 foot waves and today we added some steady rain fall. Just watching the waves yesterday, made me pine a little bit for my surfboard left behind. Definitely some epic surf break. Here is a video of the small island 'Saddle Rock' getting hammered by a few waves.





Otherwise, this morning we spent time surveying for the nocturnal Farallon salamanders. During the spring, while the island is still fairly wet, they are out in larger numbers. After laying their eggs, they'll spend their summer in some of the deeper holes and cracks. They are technically a subspecies of the arboreal salamander on the mainland. (given the island has only three trees, they've obviously modified their behavior to living in caves and other damp areas underground) Which is interesting, since 10,00 years ago these islands separated from the rest of California.