To start the day, we tried our luck on some more pigeon guillemot banding at the same spot as before. In this case we were able to capture four birds and one was a recapture from earlier this week. Still, it seems to be a good start to be able to better understand how the guillemots are doing on the island year to year.
Photo-op, right before releasing one of the birds. The technique, (as seen in an earlier picture) is to give the birds a toss out towards the water and thus allow them time to fly away to sea.
Most commonly, my days start with resighting Common Murres in a specific study plot and noting attendance and eventually not chick raising success. Murre mornings, as I call them. Also, a wellspring of bad murre jokes and puns. (Q: What do you call a Murre colony in the Gobi desert. A: A Murre-age)
Every three days I'm also involved in checking elephant seals to see who is tagged and who is around. Specifically I note where on their fliiper they have a tag and depending on the color and number, I can note where the animal was tagged and who they are. In the case of the photo above. The seal was tagged near Big Sur, California. "X408" As it follows, today was a third day to check tags and this afternoon we systematically looked around the island for elephant seals.
Last but not least. Every day is ended at the lighthouse, conducting a survey for visiting sea gulls. Although it sounded very daunting at first, it actually is fairly easy and straightforward. I only have to look around intertidal zones, the Western Gull is dominant everywhere else. Also, only two or three other gull species are commonly seen. In any case, one of the perks, is afterward watching the sun set. Pretty nice view from my office. Feet up too.
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