Glaucous-winged gull chicks, newly hatched

The glaucous-winged gulls have started hatching all over the island. Stressed parent gulls are VERY protective, dive-bombing any passersby. And for good reason because the juvenile bald eagle has paid a few visits in search of lunch.

There are generally 3 eggs to a nest although many only have two.

Oystercatcher chicks

The oystercatchers on the south side of the island hatched on Sunday mid-morning. Notice the similarly coloured eggshells. Even though the two chicks have different nesting environments, a similar pattern camouflages them in their surroundings. The oystercatcher shells are also considerably smaller in size.

Although we’ve had less whale-watchers these past few days, a number of dive boats have visited the underside of the island. Don’t be fooled–the weather might look nice, but the water’s still only 10 degrees celsius!

Dive boat in the currents between the Race Rocks and North Race