Heat Waves

25 September 2016

Today was very hot on the island and very clear--and very birdy. Visibility greater than 60 miles often bodes poorly for bird arrivals on the island--but this was an exception. About 200 birds arrived, mostly Golden-crowned and Fox Sparrows with good numbers of Spotted Towhees, Hermit Thrushes, and Savannah Sparrows--see a complete eBird checklist here.

The island residents, J. Tietz, Alyssa Om, J. Drucker, and G. Duncan were very pleased with the avian bounty brought by Mastwell and Rockly.

Don Mastwell in action at Heligoland. He's either recording bird numbers or reading some trashy fantasy fiction. It's impossible to tell.

Smoke from the Sawmill Fire in Sonoma county provided for a nice sunset--and a further reminder that much of California remains in a severe drought.

Sacrificial Lamb

   There is no such thing as a free lunch.  Nor are there free state or island birds.  Any state bird anyone ever gets, no matter how free it feels, is costly to someone, somehow.  One way in which Farallon birds are earned is through the sacrifice of another.  A sacrificial lamb lays down his or her list for the benefit of others.  I'd say that it's altruism but the lamb generally has no choice and, given a choice, would choose otherwise.  Fate is in control of one's lambdom.

   Speaking of sacrifices, here is the final photograph of Uppy the Upland Sanpiper, who departed SEFI sometime on the 24th or early on the 25th.  Here we have a Meta-Portrait:  a portrait of a portraiter portraiting a portraitee.  If someone had taken my portrait while I was taking this portrait of a portrait...I don't think I can wrap my head around what that would have meant.

Eva obtaining crushing portraits of The King of Bartramia

Here is the current fall crew enjoying a fine evening on SEFI:

Dear pyre: please attract a Eurasian Dotterel.