I got back to the island late Saturday, a couple days delayed by the late-week heavy weather.
We put up a sub-adult BALD EAGLE here when we arrived and what may have been a different Eagle returned a bit later. That raptor appeared to have some sort of prey and stayed around until dark.
No real surprises but the migration is definitely well underway. RED WINGED BLACKBIRDS, GRACKLES & ROBINS are apparent, but SONG SPARROWS are far and away the most numerous species. There are hundreds spread over most of the island, with a heavy concentration around the lawns and buildings. A few scoops of WHITE MILLET is keeping them pretty busy.
I've also seen a handful of Ipswitch-type SAVANNAH SPARROWS but very few typical Savannahs.
About a half dozen FOX SPARROWS and a similar number of JUNCOS have been foraging for a day or two.
There were a couple COWBIRDS around, as well as a handful of as-yet unidentified Thrushes.
Sunday, the 31st, saw the ALCIDS ...... virtually all RAZORBILLS ...... begin to concentrate into small-ish, loose rafts and do some "reconnaissance" flights towards sunset. Those flights are a typical lead-in to the mass landing which kickstarts the breeding colony each year. No birds land during these initial flights and the birds only over-fly the outer edges of the island.
Yesterday, April 1st, the Alcids were not fooling around, and rafting increased throughout the day. As expected, Razorbills dominated, with no more than a hundred or so PUFFINS evident before noon.
By midafternoon, Puffins were counting closer to 1000 but Razorbills and MURRES still outnumbered them by well over 10:1.
About 3 P.M., birds started taking flight and orbiting NEAR THE ISLAND and it looked, at first, like more reconnaissance. However, by 4 P.M. they decided to make their first landing.
A half hour later the rocks were well loaded with thousands of Razorbills & Murres but barely a handful of Puffins.
While the other Alcids were coming ashore, the Puffin rafts were growing rapidly and an hour or so after the Razorbills began the arrival the Puffins were landing strongly. By dark they were well represented but still well short of anticipated numbers. Their population should grow over the next weeks.
This morning, April 2nd, as the Alcids emerged, in was obvious that a large portion of the arrivals had stayed the night, which isn't always the case.
Now the whole process of socialization starts with one big question. Will the birds stay for the remainder of the season?
Usually everyone leaves the island for anywhere from a few days, up to 3 weeks. When they return, they stay for the remainder of the season.
This year, I'm guessing it will be a brief departure, if at all, because of the date. This is a bit late for the Razorbill arrival but it's the earliest that I've ever seen the Puffin show up, by several days.
Hindsight will tell the story.
Yesterday brought 4 BRANT to circle a few times, but as usual, they didn't land. We offer no suitable habitat for that species so stops are rare and brief, perhaps one small group ever year or two.
CANADA GEESE, on the other hand, love our lawns, and in the lead-up to my arrival, the other lightkeepers had to contend with a couple of goose incursions.
I'm told that one small group appeared to be habituated to people and they were particularly difficult to convince that they should depart.
Eventually, though, all of them were sent packing before they could amass too many droppings.
A HARRIER arrived just as the sun was disappearing yesterday and was still hunting hard when I lost sight of it in the darkness. Presumably it was that same bird that was active by sunrise and it was seen to diving into the scrub and staying there .... a presumed kill ......... possibly a Puffin.
The Razorbills show scant notice to Harriers, likely secure in their larger size. Puffins, however, seem split between diving for cover or standing firm.
Puffins are right at the extreme maximum size for Harrier prey, and they are generally unmolested. However, Harriers do take Puffins on occasion, particularly if the raptor is a big female. They can't fly with their prey, but they will consume the prize right where it is killed.
I suspect that is what happened this morning when the large female Harrier disappeared into the vegetation. I'll check the site when I won't cause too much disturbance.
On the water the activity is seasonally normal: HERRING AND GREAT BLACK BACKED GULLS are numerous, with several hundred in mixed flocks often lounging around the island, on adjacent GULL ROCK and along local tide streaks.
Most of these are recently arrived migrants.
I'm sure that some arrive ahead of the Alcids each year in anticipation of the Alcid's return and opportunistic feeding opportunities. Some are showing early breeding behavior.
There are still a handful of ICELAND GULLS & a couple of GLAUCOUS GULLS to be seen.
I've only seen a couple of KITTIWAKES since arriving and a bare handful when flying out to the island.
HARLEQUIN DUCKS are still here, albeit somewhat fewer than the winter average. I'd say there's about 30-35 still here but it's a bit difficult to get a true count as they are often mixed into the near-shore Razorbill flocks.
There are also still a sprinkling of COMMON MERGANSERS and COMMON EIDERS.
They have been joined by small groups of SCOTERS, most notably SURF SCOTERS but all three species are represented. As is typical, not many stop here, perhaps no more than a few dozen at any one moment. However, quite a few flocks of 1, 2 or 3 dozen are seen passing outside of the island.
LOONS, COMMON & RED NECKED, are moving eastward in small but steady numbers. Only a few, mainly Common Loons, pause around the island.
Both CORMORANTS are daily, with a few seeming to linger for multiple days. They forage all around MSI and Gull Rock, with Gull Rock being the main roost for drying their feathers.
As with most other species, the number actually hanging around is low. Most observed birds are in transit northeastward, up the bay.
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