Here is one of the pictures I meant to put up yesterday. Most of them are of common murres,which are my favorite birds. Their plumage makes them look velvety and clean cut, and they have beautiful dark, expressive eyes. Plus, they have a very goofy way of flying with their feet out behind them, and rather than landing, they tend to sort of crash into things. To top it off, the inside of their mouth is a startling yellow color. Pretty cool! Here is a close-up:
Murre Close-Up
Anyway, today I did more cormorant re-sighting, a little bit of murre counting, some more lid construction adn placement, and then I got to shower! We are on four day rotations for now, and so I will have to wait a little while before my next shower. The only hot running water is located in the Coast Guard House next door. In the house we live in, we have running water, but all of it is cold, so we have to heat water on the stove to do dishes, etc. The problem with showering in the Coast Guard House is that you have to get all dressed up to go outside, just to get to the shower–this means boots, guano protection, and everything. And this is also starting to include hard hat.
As more and more gull chicks hatch, the gulls are getting more and more desparate to protect them, which means swooping down on us fairly frequently. Jordan got pecked in the head today, but I have yet to be actually attacked. I doubt that will last for long, and soon a hardhat will be standard outside issue here.
Today, I also saw a humpback whale, and from the Sea Lion Cove Blind, I got to watch a California Sea Lion give birth to a squishy-looking, dark-skinned pup. Very cute. I also had the dubious pleasure of watching a Western Gull eat one of its own chicks. Very sad…I think it didn’t recognize it, maybe? It is not uncommon for gulls to eat other gull chicks, just not usually their own. They can eat things that are remarkably big compared to them, sometimes swallowing a chick whole.
It’s my turn to cook dinner tomorrow, so wish me luck! I’m pretty tired for now, so I’m off to bed.
Best,
Eleanor