It’s shark season at the Farallon Islands!
October 13, 2023
Every fall, the white sharks return to the Farallon Islands from their annual migration to the middle of the Pacific Ocean. We typically see the first shark predation event during late August, and then the number of predations increase through September to when they peak in October.
Gifts from the Easterlies
April 21, 2022
Spring weather on the Farallones is deceptive. While the mainland begins to wake up from the dormant stage of winter, the temperature on the islands becomes cooler. The trademark northwesterly winds of spring that creates rich upwelling zones within the California Current rips through the lonesome rock, sometimes reaching gusts up to 40 knots. After
Happy New Year, let’s talk about E-Seals! By Seth Bartusek
February 20, 2022
Hello everyone and Happy 2022! It’s already been an exciting Northern Elephant Seal breeding season on SEFI, and I’m excited to update you all on the Colony. But first let’s back up and go over some background context: Elephant Seals have been recolonizing SEFI since the 1960s, and we now have a modestly sized breeding
Winter Elephant Seal Research Crew 2021-2022
December 13, 2021
It is winter time on the Farallones again, where Elephant Seals are the focus of our research. Meet the new team of research assistants!
Exciting Encounters at SST Point!
May 27, 2021
One of the most exciting aspects of our daily weather observations that take place midday every day is heading towards East Landing to record Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and to collect salinity samples at the aptly named SST Point. While a seemingly straightforward procedure, the position of the point past the landing with the potential
The Ghost Murre
April 19, 2021
The Farallon Islands are home to one of the largest aggregations of breeding seabirds in North America south of Alaska, with the Common Murre (Uria aalge) being the most abundant, reaching numbers upwards of 300,000 individuals during the peak breeding season. To the unfamiliar eye, one might look at a murre and mistake it for
E Seal, E Seal! Read All About It!
March 25, 2021
The 2021 Elephant Seal breeding season has come to a close… and we’ve got some fun elephant seals facts for you!
Goodbye West End, Until Next Year
March 21, 2021
Every year around this time we say goodbye to the magical place that is West End.
New Wintering Songbirds On SEFI
March 10, 2021
SEFI has a suite of typical wintering songbirds, but this year we had a few extra sparrows that have never been documented in the winter!
SEFI’s Giant Gray Visitors
March 3, 2021
Each winter the waters surrounding the Farallon Islands teem with charcoal-colored, behemoth-sized visitors arriving from the north… the Gray Whale!
