From Pacific to Prairie and Pole to Pole

This summer, with funding from the Thoreau Foundation (http://www.thoreauscholar.org/), I’m keeping track of the animals that visit different areas of the field station. The main question this project is exploring is how species composition is different between burned and unburned areas, and because of the 2013 fire, the BFS is an invaluable resource for this project. We have set up 10 cameras in a grid at the BFS, with 4 in the unburned area and 6 in the burned area. So far we’ve seen far more kangaroo rats and rabbits in the burned area, and woodrats have only been seen in unburned areas. This makes sense, since kangaroo rats and rabbits prefer more open areas similar to the burned portion of the BFS, while woodrats prefer more densely vegetated areas. More updates coming soon!

Kangaroo rat

Rabbit

Kangaroo rat and rabbit!

Today we are in our third week of our time here at Sea Ranch, and I am amazed at how quickly the days fly by. It seems really like only a few days since we got here. From having dinner at Diane’s to walking along the top of the bluff, to watching the first western gull chicks stumble out from the safety of their nests, all these things you could tell me had happened yesterday and, though they happened even a week or two ago, I might be convinced that I had simply imagined that intervening time. Perhaps part of the cause of this is our return nearly daily to the same points of observation, whether it be between the two vantages of Gualala Point Island or the two coves of Breakers Reach, so that each day flows into the next with a mixing of the time between.

I quite enjoy the feeling actually, and especially enjoy the observation of the pelagic cormorants, as it allows me to return almost daily to the same location and consistently observe the same group of birds. While I appreciate seeing and learning of many places, I often wish I could go beyond the surface of what I am observing. A study like ours allows that opportunity.

Four days a week we venture onto the bluff finding, at least for my site, a comfortable place to sit on the exposed shale of the rocky point. From there we observe nests of a six pairs of pelagic cormorants (or PECOs), with the areas in between visited intermittently by various other PECOs which having no nest site themselves simply find a place to rest upon the rock face. For three hours at a time we sit and watch these birds as intently as we can, recording their comings and goings so that later perhaps we can analyze their feeding habits and tracking the state of their nest success over time. In the meantime I’ll enjoy watching their progress and learning more of their character and even perhaps personalities.

Three of the nests are well built stacks of grass and twigs formed into comfortable bowls in which to sit, their bottom edges colored white by the feces which lightly coat the rocks beneath each nest. Each has a clutch of three to four eggs, which are often in need of re-positioning by the waiting parent. One of the other nests has almost matched these original three in its construction, yet there is more work to do before it can be considered fully developed. Another follows closely behind, and just today we found that two new pairs had started form nests among our original six.

It has been awesome to see a nest built from nothing over a matter of days, and to know for certain that the eggs I see today had not been there the day before. And I have to admire the parents, who sometimes will sit still for the entire three hours of an observation while their mate is away foraging or otherwise occupied. They do get uncomfortable from time to time, and adjust the same as we do when sitting on an awkward seat. But always they are thinking of the eggs, adjusting them for best positioning beneath them, rearranging and reinforcing the nest structure, or even trying discourage the landing of wandering PECOs on any nearby rock.

They makes calls at the intruder’s presence, their cries ringing with a sense of time gone by, bringing to mind what one might imagine the dinosaurs to have sounded. The harsh line of their beak, combined with the raw gaze of a blue-green eye in a sea of red give it the look of something ancient. If I were to only look upon them, I might think them fierce creatures, cold in the ways of emotion. Their actions however speak differently, for when the mates of some return from a time away, the cormorants reveal another side of themselves. They call softly, craning their necks forward and backwards toward their partner. A few nests in particular are especially affectionate, cooing and rubbing against each other for minutes at a time. Perhaps I read too much into things, but I can’t think of a better explanation than that they wish to greet their partner after a time away, though perhaps they ask as we might what took them so long in coming back.

I hope that during my stay here I may be able to unlock such secrets, or at least glean some little information from the light filtering through the keyhole. At the very least I can follow the fate of these wonderful birds, and learn all I can as they reveal the measure and pace of their lives to us day after foggy day.

A family of California quails, with two adults and three chicks, made a visit to the BFS a few days ago, and their outing was captured by one of our cameras! If you look closely you can see the three chicks following the adults in the pictures. California quails are very social birds and have been spotted in groups of two and three in other pictures taken by our cameras. Fun fact – the California quail is the state bird of California! Looks and personality – good choice California.

Today we spotted our first BLOY egg! Hopefully there will be more to come and many new hatchlings.

PECO nests aren’t too far behind either.

And the day wouldn’t be complete without exploring a few tide pools.

The Sea Ranch Sagehens (Kyle, Jeffrey, Leo, and me, Nicole) were excited to have Ramon visit to help settle into our research! He has been especially helpful with the protocol of the Pelagic Cormorant study; with his advice we were able to locate the same nests he did last last year to have consistency and a new set in the cove next door.  We’ve gotten a lot of really great work done in the last few days!

Leo and I surveying the south side of Gualala Point Island this morning!

It was rather foggy so seeing the island (right above the scope in this picture) was difficult this morning.

It’s been a ton of fun to have Ramon staying with us, we’ve been playing board games and rented The Birds because not only are we studying birds but it is also filmed in the area! It was pretty dated so we had a lot of fun joking about the acting and misidentification of the birds.

Playing Settlers of Catan!

The DVD menu for The Birds.

They kept calling the birds Seagulls and Crows, when really they were Western Gulls and Ravens!

Looking forward to many more eventful weeks at Sea Ranch!

Nicole

Two black oyster catchers hanging out on the rocks at Breakers Reach

Another BLOY

Another BLOY

And another BLOY

Rough seas and lots of wind

Cormorants nesting at Breakers Reach

It’s been a week since we first arrived in Sea Ranch, and I can’t quite believe how much we’ve already done. It’s taken a little time to get into the swing of things, but by next week it seems we’ll be settling into a steady rhythm. While the beginning is still fresh in our minds I thought now would be a good time to reflect on how we’ve started, and maybe talk a little of where we are and where we’re going.

The reality of this experience really only set in for me once the plane was lifting from the tarmac, and I could see Missoula become small through the foggy airplane glass. The sun shone bright in the chill mountain air, and as the mountains I knew so well passed from my sight I became excited for what lay ahead.

view over Missoula, MT

I knew we had reached San Francisco when I saw the fog on the ground below us. We circled around to land near the edge of it, and I got off the plane ready for anything. Leo picked me up, and after we went to get Jeffrey we were on our way.

After a long winding drive along the edge of the coast, we finally arrived, where we were warmly greeted by Bryant and Diane Hichwa, and Bridgett, who was certainly our most eager greeter.

Bridget saying hi to Leo

We took some time to get our things in order, and wind down from our travels. The Hichwa’s keep a beautiful home, and we were thankful to them for letting us into their space for a time. The view was fantastic, and I could have spent hours simply staring out to the ocean, watching birds play across the trees.

view from the Hichwa’s porch

When Nicole arrived we started to discuss what we would be doing over the next few days, and what all we needed to cover before we would start going out on our own later in the week. Jim Weigand, the California state biologist for the BLM, was going to meet up with us the next day. But that was for tomorrow, and after some dinner we settled in to rest.

The next few days passed in a blur of scopes and sea birds. That first morning we got up to go explore the coast with Diane, going to Black Point where we saw the nests of oystercatchers, gulls, and the handsome pigeon guillemots. Pelicans flew overhead in formation while we familiarized ourselves with the forms we would be using for the rest of the summer.

Diane leading us to Black Point

When Jim arrived we began to look at the nests of the Pelagic Cormorants on the bluff, and started what will become our early morning tradition of data collection from both a northern and southern perspective of Gualala Point Island. We were formally introduced to the western gull and the black oystercatcher, as well as the several varieties of cormorants. We learned a lot about these birds, in a short amount of time, but by the end I felt prepared for our studies. Already we have detailed the nest location of over twenty pelagic cormorants, and investigated the nest locations of many black oystercatchers, and conducted multiple surveys on Gualala Point Island. As we’ve begun to really get into the substance of our work I have come more and more to appreciate the beauty of these birds, and am eager to learn more about how they live and what their roles are within the greater ecosystem. Jim and Diane have been wonderful teachers so far, and I have no doubt they will continue to be valuable sources of knowledge and wisdom as our study progresses.

Pelagic cormorants on the cliff-side

This really has been an amazing week, and the amount we have learned is astonishing. The details of the Breeding Seabird Survey, Nest Survey, Mobile Chick Survey, and the pelagic cormorant feeding study have been informative in the details of their construction, as well as working through the methods we will employ in studying the black oysteractchers. Already I have a better understanding of what it really means to conduct field work, and I am excited to engage in this project, and develop a truly meaningful understanding of these seabirds and their place here. Perhaps we can find some good answers, to questions both unknown and yet to be asked. In the meantime I will enjoy the mystery of this beautiful place, and revel in each new sight.

The coast along Sea Ranch

At some point we can get more into the details of what exactly we will be doing over the next few months, but for now it is late and I must say goodnight. Till next time!

-Kyle Jensen

Elika is spending her summer spying on the wildlife at the Bernard Field Station.

Elika tending her traps.

She is continuing and expanding on a project started this past year by Katie’15 and Nola’15 and Maki’17. This project is supported by the Thoreau foundation. The tools of the trade are motion sensitive camera “traps”.

Elika checking on a camera trap.

With the changeover in people working on the project, we temporarily ‘lost’ a camera trap. Here we are celebrating that we found it again! Also, wish Elika happy birthday today!

Elika (left) and Prof. K. solved the mystery!

I don’t head to woods hole for another few weeks, but I thought I’d let y’all know what was up right now! 

I’m back home in Kansas City, hanging out with my family and taking care of my doggie (Ralph) and kitty (Reese)

  
Ralph tore the dog equivalent of his ACL, so I’m in charge of his PT while I’m home. We’re working on hills right now… Needless to say, he’s pretty sore. 

I got Reese a collar from birdsbesafe.com so that she can go outside again! 

I think she knows how ridiculous it looks, because she is very sassy whenever I try to put it on. But yay for saving the birds! And to the best of my knowledge, it works! I haven’t seen any dead birds around, and she now only stays outside for a few minutes, presumably because she’s not having her usual sadistic fun killing baby birds. 

I’m also spending a lot of time in my grandmas studio throwing pots. 

So I’m having a great time at home, but I’m also so excited to start at WHOI on the 29th! 🙂 

All the best and more to come later!

-Mimi

This summer four Sagehens (Jeffrey, Nicole, Leo and Kyle) are studying the seabirds breeding on the offshore rocks of the Sonoma coastline at Sea Ranch.

Sea Ranch Welcomes Back Sagehens

Assessing status of the seabirds.

Diane explains the protocols to Jeffrey, Kyle and Leo.

The project started this past weekend with three full days of “bird boot camp” with Diane of the Madrone Audubon Society and Jim from the Bureau of Land Management introducing the four to the project. The students are supported by grants from the Pomona College Summer Undergraduate Research Program, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Madrone Audubon Society and the Bureau of Land Management. Photos in this post were taken by Nicole’15. Congratulations Nicole on your graduation!