The Daily Bucket is a regular feature of the Backyard Science group. It is a place to note any observations you have made of the world around you. Rain, sun, wind...insects, birds, flowers...meteorites, rocks...seasonal changes...all are worthy additions to the bucket. Please let us know what is going on around you in a comment. Include, as close as is comfortable for you, where you are located. Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the patterns that are quietly unwinding around us.
June 27, 2015
Whale Rocks and Cattle Pass area
Salish Sea, PNW
A late bucket today with some observations from the boat yesterday.
(All pics by me, lightbox. Click to enlarge.)
The big news was the arrival of the Heermann's gulls for the season! I didn't see them last year until July. In their fresh breeding plumage, they are very distinct and striking, most obviously their bright orange beaks. The adults are mostly grey, with a white head.
Interestingly, I also saw some young Heermann's. They are mostly grey, with a somewhat less viibrantly orange beak. Usually they don't appear until later in the summer. 90% of all Heermann's gulls nest on one island in the Sea of Cortez, a tenuous situation.
These pics were taken near Whale Rocks, where Steller Sea Lions haul out over the winter. In their absence, gulls, cormorants and seals have taken over.
On this baitball, we can see the size difference between Heermann's and the considerably larger Glaucous-winged gulls (yellow bills) who live here all year round. The Heermann's hold their own.
One other observation yesterday, which I didn't realize I was looking at until I read a news report last night. I was taking a photo of this sailboat between Whale Rocks and Goose Island beyond. Now I can see the blackened patch on Goose Island (below the house beyond it, which is on San Juan Island). I read that some local dimwitted yahoos were out testing fireworks the other day and set Goose Island on fire. Since Goose Island is a wildlife preserve, and a major nesting site for gulls and cormorants, I'm sure quite a few birds have lost their nests and eggs.
Please, for the love of all you hold sacred, be careful with fireworks! And pass along stories like this to folks you know who are oblivious to the effects of their incendiary toys on wildlife. In the Pacific Northwest it is tinder-dry right now since we've had no appreciable rain since early May.
A quick bucket for our Sunday. All nature observations welcome in the comments.
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