(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The Daily Bucket - late summer near the Rocks [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-09-09 August 22, 2024 Salish Sea, Pacific Northwest Glassy calm surface makes it easier to see stuff at a distance Today’s Bucket documents the changes I saw out on our nearshore waters as summer winds down. Most of these sightings were near Whale Rocks, a stony reef near the entrance to San Juan Channel in northwest Washington state. My sister and brother were up visiting and luckily for them the water was as glassy calm as it ever gets around here. The typical high pressure system over the North Pacific Ocean can be thanked for quiet summer days and onshore flow. That marine air blowing down the Strait made it foggy and overcast, but it wasn’t windy. There was some tidal current at the Rocks, as usual. That’s why the birds and mammals hang out there. Good fishing. Plus the Rocks are safe haulout and roosting, a mile from land. Photos and captions have details about the phenology of the animal activity on these inshore waters. These are just two of the dozen or so Marbled murrelets you can see in the title image. When MMs fledge, families come out onto the water in good size flocks, the only time of year you see more than two at a time. They are mostly out of breeding plumage right now. At the Rocks, two Harbor seals are hauled out. Once the main Steller Sea lion group returns in the fall there won’t be room for seals on these rocks and they’ll leave for a less primo haulout. About 20 Stellers have been remaining behind for the past decade or so when the rest of the group migrates down to the Rogue River Reef off southern Oregon for breeding season every year in May. These are non breeders. Also a lot of Heermann’s gulls roost on the Rocks. Plenty of Brandts cormorants now, back from breeding. They’ll hang out here until the first part of next year. Hundreds of cormorants in the water feeding, and resting on the rocks. The cormorants were fishing in the swirling tidal current. Also visible in this photo is a juvenile (all grey) Heermann’s gull, an indication their breeding season was probably ok this year. Adult Heermann’s gulls have molted out of their breeding plumage: grey heads rather than white (still have the bright orange bill). The immature grey-headed Glaucous-winged gull behind is a third year I think. Adult Olympic gulls are still in breeding plumage: white head, chest. This gull has darker wingtips than pure GWGUs which is what makes it more the hybrid Olympic gull (GWGUxWEGU) rather than pure Glaucous-winged. GWGU/Olympics are residents and breed late. There was a flock of 30 or so Common murres. They are not common in these waters anymore, except during post fledge like this. They are mostly out of breeding plumage now. In the background are some Rhinoceros auklets, reliably present all year. Gulls and seabirds on a baitball, foggy haze on the Strait behind 🛥️ The season is shifting now we’re into September. The high pressure system is breaking down and we’re getting offshore flow which includes wildfire smoke from inland fires. Cooler with low marine overcast today in the PNW islands today, a change from the past few days of smoky haze. Foggy. Calm. Temps in 60s. What’s up in nature in your neighborhood? [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/9/9/2268442/-The-Daily-Bucket-late-summer-near-the-Rocks?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/