Some Vagrants: My First Farallon Wave

Blackburnian Warbler at the Lighthouse.

Tuesday night the conditions were good for a small wave to hit the Farallons yesterday.  The light south winds and low overcast sky made made my fourth day on the island a good one.  As I was eating breakfast this morning, the first landbirds started dropping in to the lighthouse, with reports of Bay-breasted and Blackburnian Warblers, American Redstart, Olive-sided Flycatcher, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak over the radio.  After my morning sea watch, where I picked up my year Pink-footed Shearwater, I began searching the island for birds, turning up several new arrivals including two Clay-colored Sparrows, several Townsend's Warblers, and the Blackburnian Warbler.  However, it wasn't until I made it up to the lighthouse for my shark-watching shift that I got to see almost all of the vagrants reported on the island for the day.  The only one I missed was Ovenbird.

Tuesday afternoon was good as well, with a couple vagrants arriving in the afternoon including Baltimore Oriole and Tennessee Warbler.

This Tennessee Warbler was present since Tuesday, along with one new arrival on Wednesday.

Bay-breasted Warbler on Lighthouse Hill.

 Magnolia Warbler at the lighthouse

Townsend's Warbler at the Lighthouse

American Redstart at the Lighthouse

Rose-breasted Grosbeak on Lighthouse Hill

Magnolia Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler at the lighthouse

First Days on the Farallons

Northern Gannet.  This is the first Pacific ocean record has been present at Southeast Farallon Island since April.  Today it flew right by while I was white shark-watching from the lighthouse and allowed for some great photos.

My first few days on Southeast Farallon Island have been pretty amazing for me.  Although we haven't had any megas or big waves of migrants yet, it has been a real treat for me just to be here.  Some of the birds we've had just since Wednesday include Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Flycatcher, Cape May Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Black-headed Grosbeak, Bobolink, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Painted Bunting, Western Wood-Pewee, Barn Owl, Chipping, Clay-colored, and Brewer's Sparrows, Lark Bunting, and Lark Sparrow among many others.  Here are some photos.

This Blackpoll Warbler has been around since before I got here, but somehow remained under the radar for the past three days.

One of the several Red-breasted Nuthatches that have been around the past few days.  This one paid no attention to me at all, while foraging in one of the three trees on the island.  It was eventually banded.

This Northern Pintail has been here for several days as well, spending most of its time in "Stinky Pond."

Pelagic Cormorants nest ont the island.

Common Murres nest on the island as well, although their breeding season is over.  This bird is oiled.

Birds aren't the only wildlife on the island.  This adult male elephant seal is one of five pinniped species that can be commonly found on the island.  The others are California and Steller's sea lions, northern fur seal, and...

Harbor seals are another pinniped species on the island.