[CINC] Anacapa visit

[Catherine French]

Shirley Johnson and I took the Park boat to AI today. She trained me on the urchin settlement research project that begin in the 1990s. We then moseyed around the island. Kat Wasden was with the ice plant training contingent. Sarah Chaney, was there to train and lots of park people including the Channel Islands Live dive group, with Kelly Moore, Dave Stoltz, Josh Kaye-Carr and Laurie Harvey (all NPS). I may have missed someone, so sorry.

Shirley and I spied a humpback on the south side of the island, he was mostly just snorkeling. We did see his dorsal and tale stock, but he/she was just barely breaking the surface - we were at Inspiration Point.

On the way back, a handful of common dolphin came to ride the stern wake. 

Birds: lately, a peregrine falcon, juvenile bald eagle and red tail hawk have been taking turns scaring the Western gulls. No eggs yet, and so far little mating behavior to observe. Lots of fly overs from the pelicans in huge numbers; cormorants netting in the cliff side caves at landing cove as well as oyster catchers. Kat said that IWS posted that a bald eagle pair were nesting on middle or west end. Check it out on Facebook.

The coreopsis, fusilia, gold field and sand spurrey are making the island gorgeous! 

A great day to be on the island!

Calm seas,

Catherine French

Writer, naturalist, mentor
Cfrench1366 at aol.com
805.570.0432

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