Die Brücke Nach Nirgendwo

Thursday, 27th August

Here we have a favorite Zalophus (California sea lion) perch:

Representative Ted Stevens (R-Farallonia) helped secure funding for this bridge

  They fight over it and it's nearly always occupied.  Why do Zalophus like bridging to nowhere? Difficult to say but perhaps it will be easy to say once I finish reading The Natural History and Behavior of the California Sea Lion by Richard S. Peterson and George A. Bartholomew.

Here are some scientists working with a Cassin's Auklet chick:

Boo Curry(L), Cassin's Auklet(M), and Eva Gruber(R) performing the science

  They are weighing him/her to track rate of growth (= are its parents finding enough food?) and placing a leg band to allow tracking of future reproductive success, longevity, etc. Monitoring breeding success and survival by marking birds in this way is fundamental to our understanding of the basic biology and life history of birds--and allows us to track changes that result from changing climate.

  The nesting seabird season is just about to wrap up with only a handful of Alcid nests and Ashy Storm-Petrel nests still being monitored--and we will soon lose Eva Gondwana and gain one Don Mastwell.  A worthy trade?  Too early to tell.

eBird checklist--not too shabby but the drought approacheth...

Battle Score...
SEFI: 63
SCI:   54

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.