10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

Fall is the transition season, and for a while I used to be the transition guy, linking up the crazy summer seabird season on the Farallon Islands with the slightly more laid back fall landbird and shark season there. Under the surface we could sea Oceanic Sunfish and Blue Sharks. A Pigeon Guillemot late in the season.

Whales 157

Whales Whaling Sharks Bats 157

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2014

They are warm-blooded, but their prey is not, and this gives the birds (and other warm-blooded predators, like seals) a vital speed advantage in cool waters. They’re also more vulnerable to attack from large cold-blooded predators like sharks. See Cairns et al.

Penguins 268

Penguins Puffins 2008 Sharks 268

Critter News

FEBRUARY 1, 2012

The animal protection group Seal Sitters says a necropsy showed that the sea lion had suffered a shark bite and had twisted intestines in addition to a bullet wound. The bodies of seven sea lions with bullet wounds were recently found on the Nisqually River. On Monday, a sea lion was found dead on West Seattle’s Lincoln Park beach.

Sea Lions 100

Sea Lions Lions Wounded Washington 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

And, they wear tuxedos, which seem to provide camouflage while they are swimming, where leopard seals, sharks, and other creatures would like to make a meal of them. They are excellent underwater swimmers, can capture prey with their well-adapted beaks, and can hold their breath for very long periods of time. Salas-Gismondi, R.,

Penguins 231

Penguins Seals Peru Science 231

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2012

Pelagic Scene off Cape Point: Trawl being retrieved This is the best time for close-up photography, so engrossed are the squabbling birds with their feeding priorities as they slow their pace to alight on the surface as scraps and by-catch drifts back along the wake triggering a competitive feeding frenzy.

Albatross 223

Albatross Penguins Dolphins Whales 223

10,000 Birds

JULY 16, 2013

Sharks, Cape Fur Seals and even Killer Whales will prey on them in the ocean. White Sharks, especially young ones, will prey on African Penguins. But, although they are extremely agile and quick swimmers, they are not out of danger when they enter the water.

Penguins 249

Penguins South Africa Africa Sharks 249