It Is Raining Outside

Bird of the Day was Brewer's Sparrow.  My first for the Island.  It was hanging out with a Palm Warbler all day.  Then, on a different part of the Island, I found a Clay-colored Sparrow that had also befriended a Palm Warbler.  Apparently Spizella love Palm Warblers.  Cute.  I expect more arguments against the second bird being a Clay-colored.  I would appreciate that.  Also of note yesterday were a Least Flycatcher and FOF Short-eared Owl.

Brewer's Sparrow

Clay-colored Sparrow

Goosey

Apparently there are a lot of Greater White-fronted Geese on the move right now.  Yesterday, we saw many coming out to the Island throughout the day.  These birds didn't seem to know which way was up.  They were very confused; flying in circles, landing for a minute, flying back out over the ocean.  Unfortunately, the landbirds weren't so eager to pay us a visit.  We did have a few quality birds, but it was still a slow day on the Farallones. Warblers: Cape May, Blackburnian, Palm, American Redstart, and two Yellow-rumped.  It's interesting that we can have a total of about six individual warblers on the Island, and four of them are vagrants.  It seems as though you should have to sift through hundreds of common birds to find a single rare one, but out here that is simply not the case.

Greater White-fronted Goose

Cape May and Blackburnian Warblers.

Lackluster

Despite the nearly perfect conditions, there was no Megawave.  I did manage to get two Island Birds:  Ring-billed Gull and South-polar Skua.  Other highlights were FOF Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Eared Grebe, Blackburnian Warbler, Ovenbird, Pectoral Sandpiper, and a Blue-winged/Cinnamon Teal that sadly went unidentified.


Last night we watched the South Park with Indiana Jones called The China Problem.  You should watch it because it is funny and shocking.  MB made his Infamous Chili and famous cornbread, which will likely hurt all of our digestive tracts today.

Pectoral Sandpiper at Dead Sea-lion Flat.

A cave-dwelling Swainson's Thrush.