Hello folks who wonder if Harbor seals obsess over seal-ebrities,
In the previous post, we discussed the Common Murres, which nest in very close quarters on the island.
Researchers are prohibited from using white light flashlights while walking around the island at night; they can only use red light flashlights. This rule is designed to protect certain bird species from being preyed upon by Western gulls, which are found throughout the island. As a result, most of the videos in this post were captured using an infrared light source.
So please, refrain from complaining about the lack of color in the videos or making comments like "Did we go back to the 1950s?" Behave yourself.
This is what a scene outside the house at night looks like.
When the island is not illuminated by moonlight, blowing out its cover, one type of seabird called Cassin's Auklet comes back home after foraging for tiny crustaceans and fishes. This bird nests in burrows around the main island. They will, however, accept handouts - that is, human-made structures that researchers use to study them.
This is what the Cassin's Auklet looks like as it hangs out in the presence of the Western Gulls. The Gulls wouldn't think twice before trying to gobble up the Auklet. The one thing that protects the Auklet is its ability to see well in low light conditions.
During the breeding season, both parents take turns caring for their young. When one parent returns from its shift, the other leaves to begin its own. Before Cassin's Auklets retreat into their burrows, they often make calls near their nesting sites.
Interestingly, while Western Gulls can hear these calls, they struggle to determine the exact location of the Auklets. On nights when there is a full moon, the Auklets skip their calls altogether and head straight to their burrows. This behavior helps them avoid detection by the gulls, who would find it easier to spot them in the bright moonlight.
So you might be asking why do we call it Cassin's Auklet? Does Mr. Cassin own all the auklets in the world? Good questions, and thank you for asking.
John Cassin was a taxonomist in the 1800s who spent his life classifying different species of birds behind a desk. He was a nerd, which means that if you ran into him during a cocktail party, he would geek out on the scientific names and families of birds, making you regret starting this conversation in the first place. That said, he was pretty dedicated in his work of scientific classification of different specimens at the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences. This bird was named in his honor.
To preserve the specimens of birds he classified, arsenic was the standard choice used to protect the specimens from being infested by insects and prevent decomposition. Unfortunately, Cassin died from arsenic poisoning in his later years.
The moral of the story is that if a substance is too toxic for all the animals you are trying to protect your specimens from, it might be too toxic for you to handle as well.
Here is a photo of Mr. John Cassin.
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| This guy has five birds and a cicada named after him, but I wouldn't even give him a second glance if I saw him on the bus. |
Another plant that blankets the island is the Farallon weed or the Maritime Goldfield.
This is what it looks like during the day.
At night, under black or UV light, certain patterns and colors become visible that are not seen in normal light. This effect is especially striking in the reproductive parts of flowers, which are designed to attract pollinators.
Another inhabitant of the island is the Rhinoceros auklet which nests in caves and cavities on the island. During my time on the island, I just managed to spot one who was camera shy while being huddled away in a cavity.
I did manage to spot a dead Rhino auk and was able to check it's fluorescent bill structures under the UV light.
One unique amphibian found exclusively on the Farallon Islands is the Farallon Arboreal Salamander. This subspecies became isolated from the mainland approximately 10,000 years ago when rising ocean waters submerged the land bridge that once connected Point Reyes to the islands. At night, you can spot these salamanders resting on rocks.
Researchers have observed that this subspecies of Arboreal Salamander is much more spotted than the ones on the mainland. It's a good thing they are isolated from the mainland, since they would likely lose their minds once they learn that Avocado Toast costs $20 there.
During most of my nights on the island, the moon was so bright that I barely needed to use my flashlight to find my way around. However, this brightness also meant that I didn’t observe much activity from the Cassin's Auklets. On my final night, though, I was lucky enough to capture a glimpse of one running around.
In the final post of this series, we’ll take a closer look at some of the fascinating arthropods that inhabit this island. I understand that many of you might be feeling homesick and eager to return to the mainland, but I invite you to stick around for just one more post.
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