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Los Farallones

Dispatches from Point Blue’s field station on the Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge

Eggs, eggs everywhere: The Rhinos

The Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata):
The second seabird study species to lay eggs were the Rhinoceros Auklets. On April 17th Viv found the first egg using the Rhino-Cam. This device is used to monitor natural breeding sites of this species (and to look a bit funky).

The glamour of science
The glamour of science

Four days later, the first eggs were seen inside the nest boxes. There are a total of 77 boxes distributed all over the island that we check every 5 days.P1130562
To each individual captured, we measure its bill depth and relaxed wing chord, weigh them and band all unbanded birds. We also measure the length and width of all eggs.P1130414 P1130420
Cute as they seem, these birds can bite!rhau viv