Rounding up the last adventure, and starting a new one

I have now been off the farallones and in society for a month, and it has gone quickly. I explored the California Academy of Sciences, flew back to Edinburgh to recover from jet lag, and then flew to Malta for a three day conference (European Cetacean Society) where I presented a poster on the results of my MSc thesis. Since then I have been applying for jobs, visiting friends and family, and been to an interview (more on that later!). Firstly, here is a quick round-up of the final month on the farallones.

Possibly the most important day was a relatively quiet one at first. As the elephant seal colony had almost emptied, we were doing odd jobs to pass the time, and investing more energy into side projects. I was wandering the island looking for song birds, and nearly falling asleep in the afternoon heat under a tree waiting for sooty fox sparrows to show their leg rings. Others were working in the carp shop to make "corn holes" (a game where you throw beanbags into a hole in a wooden stand - it's more fun that it first sounds). I decided to take a break and see what Brian (from US Fish and Wildlife Services) was doing. He was heading up the side of lighthouse hill to pull invasive spinach plants, so I followed him, scrambling up the crumbling granite peak. Once at the top, Vanessa was doing a cetacean watch, and we all looked as hundreds of Californian sea lions swam fast back to the island. So fast that it created a line of white-water. We wondered why they were moving so fast until I saw a giant fin cut through the water. Orca. We sprinted down the hill (no small feat as I fall down it whilst walking very carefully) and prepped the boat, with Brian staying on land after launching us. We followed the Orca at a safe and respectful distance for awhile, off to the south-east and then back towards the island. There was a male, female, juvenile and calf (we think). The male came straight towards our small SAFE boat, and photos of the dorsal fin really don't do it justice. It's massive when you are on the surface of the water. It was the best wildlife experience I have had so far, and we were all grinning madly for days.

Photos taken by me on the boat

Photo taken from the island by Brian White

We also had the opportunity to explore the caves on the island, some of which are expansive and are rather difficult to climb down into (and one of which I fell into...), one has an endemic camel cricket species lining the walls and a floor with ankle deep guano, and one that requires crawling through that opens up to reveal walls with some names of early 1900s lighthouse keepers carved in to the rock.

In one of the larger caves (photo by Meumeu Fromant)

The rest of our time was spent sneaking around the island to avoid disturbing the rising numbers of Californian sea lions in poor body condition hauled out high, checking on the remaining elephant seals with ninja-like prowess, carrying out pre-breeding season checks on cassin auklet boxes, band (ring) resights on common murres, and finishing up the season with inventories and data proofing. Below are some photos to round up the season (photos by myself, Vanessa Delnavez, and Amanda Hooper)

A very fat super weaner (a pup who suckled from two cows, gaining more weight than normal)

An arboreal salamander being handled during a survey

The view west from lighthouse hill trail

Myself, Amanda and Ryan on a landing day

Me and meumeu stamping cows and pups with dye to help identify them

More stamping action

The full winter crew

Climbing up to the murre blind to re-sight rings

Posing in front of a stormy sea

Relaxing and being socially anti-social

During a landing day at the always interesting north landing



Having a Christmas-time beer in the colony to celebrate our first pup being born

Ready to zip-line back from west end

Travelling over crashing waves

I've had an amazing time on the farallones and will keep many amazing memories for a very long time. Thank you to the whole team from Point Blue Conservation Science and the visitors from US Fish and Wildlife Services and NOAA for making it such a great season. This chapter may be over, but the next one is equally exciting. I have just accepted a job with British Antarctic Survey as the Zoological Field Assistant for seals on Bird Island. I'll be spending 18 months predominantly studying Antarctic fur seals and leopard seals, although I will also assist other biologists working on penguins, petrels and albatross. I can't wait to start this journey, although there is a lot of prep work ahead, from learning wilderness first aid and dentistry to deciding what music and books to enjoy for 18 months.
To see some photos taken by a previous seal biologist, follow this link. There is also a facebook page under the same name: http://shotsfromadarklight.com/?page_id=18