Helping Seabirds Thrive
Posts written by Site Admin
Partnering with Pilots: Celebrating Seabirds’ Allies in the Sky
In 1903, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the Wright brothers changed the world forever by building and flying the world’s first airplane, a “flying machine” that flew 120 feet and reached an airspeed of 34 mph before falling back to earth. To engineer such a…
Volunteer Seabird Monitors Share Stories
“I had the opportunity to share my binoculars with about eight people looking at the seals on the bluff above Jenner. What they hadn’t seen was there were two bald eagles next to the surf and about 15 or 16 different cormorants fishing right in the mouth.…
Black-footed Albatross – A North Pacific Wanderer
The Black-footed Albatross (scientific name Phoebastria nigripes) is an ocean wanderer that regularly visits Greater Farallones, Cordell Bank and Monterey Bay national marine sanctuaries. If you are lucky enough to catch a glimpse of one, you will be impressed. Black-footed Albatrosses can live 40-50 years. They have long…
Breeding Season Update
Seabirds on the Farallon Islands and at coastal colonies had a late start to egg laying in 2015. On the Farallones, the first Brandt’s and Double-crested Cormorant chicks and the first Pelagic Cormorant eggs were seen in early June. Pelagic Cormorant numbers were the lowest since 2011.…
Sanctuary Expands – More Protected Areas for the Birds!
Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (formerly Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary) has expanded. Now the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary protects 3,295 square miles of ocean, including important breeding and feeding areas for seabirds from just north of San Francisco to Manchester Beach near Point Arena.…
A Boater’s Day on the Water – A Murre’s Day on the Rock
In this post we share one story from two perspectives. The first is from the perspective of a Common Murre at her breeding colony in “A Murre’s Day on the Rock”. The second is from the perspective of a fisherman on a charter boat, whose actions unwittingly impact…
A Pilot’s Day in the Sky and A Murre’s Day on the Rock
A Murre’s Day on the Rock The murre stretched her head skyward and shook out her feathers as the sun’s rays began to warm her after the cool night. She then reached down and turned the speckled blue-green egg resting under her, using her bill to secure…
Seabird Spotlight: Rhinoceros Auklet
The Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata) is named for the unique horn-like projection that appears on its bill during the breeding season. These auklets have a compact body with short wings and tail. They are built for diving so their feet are set far back on…
From the Flight Deck, Part 2: Wildlife conservation collaborations: the USCG Auxiliary, West Coast National Marine Sanctuaries, and Wildlife Protection
By Ron Darcey, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Assistant District Staff Officer – Aviation/Training Successful conservation of marine and coastal species is accomplished through numerous partnerships among local, state, and federal agencies, and non-profit organizations. This is especially true for the Seabird Protection Network. This article…
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