Photo by Bob Isenberg
I’m still getting days with high winds which is not unusual for spring weather. Today 12 to 15 foot swells at sea with wind gusts up to 50 plus miles per hour. We have included our photographs of blowing sand and Coast Guard Station gale warning pennants.
I’ve been watching the three new chicks on the webcam at San Jose City Hall, California and I am envious. I can’t wait to see something here at Morro Rock that resembles something white and fuzzy like a chick, but we don’t have the privilege of having a camera in the nest site so we’ll just have to wait until they are strong enough to come to the opening and then we can get a head count. I love the suspense, but hate the wait.
Aside from the two falcons’ nests at the rock, we will have a black turkey vulture nest site to watch. If you remember last year, they fledged one young vulture.* I did see the adults copulating near the eyrie earlier this year, but like the falcons we won’t know until the young stand up behind the rock that hides the eyrie.
The Western gulls are staking out their territories and breeding has just begun in the last couple days. Nest building should start soon.
We have added a couple new pieces to our arsenal of equipment. Cleve Nash has just acquired a brand new 600mm lens which weighs 2 1/2 ounces more than the old 500mm that it is replacing. Also, my daughter gave me for my 72nd birthday the new two piece Swarovski 95mm spotting scope, 30-70 power. This has to be the Cadillac for birders. “Thank you, Molly!”
Morro Rock offers an up close and personal visit with peregrine falcons. If you get a chance while traveling the Pacific Coast, stop in and see them. It won’t cost a dime.
Happy trails, Bob
*See our post on August 7, 2012 “Welcome “Spec” to Morro Rock” http://wp.me/p3fFac-7S
Thanks for all your time Bob, Heather. Miss our visits
You are very welcome.
Action here has lots of suspense. Every morning, Bob eagerly goes down to Morro Rock to see IF the chicks are willing to make their debuts. Well, at least the north side chicks are… We are still waiting for the south side chicks to make it up their steeper eyrie to give us a head count.
~Heather