When the chance arose to visit Ano Nuevo Island off of the north-central California Coast to volunteer with my good friend Kirsten Lindquist on another one of PRBO’s projects, I could hardly deny the opportunity. This past Monday and Tuesday (July 17-18), I was able to fulfill my duties as a volunteer, and in doing so, had one of the best experiences yet with PRBO as I assisted with research on Rhinoceros Auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata) on an amazing seabird colony filled with Western Gulls, Brandt’s and Pelagic Cormorants, Brown Pelicans, and a variety of pinnipeds such as Steller’s and California Sea Lions and Northern Elephant Seals.

We departed shore from Ano Nuevo State Park in a Zodiak research craft around noon, and made the half-mile trip to the island where we quickly set up shop getting our bunks in order, and the necessary supplies to their homes…mostly food into the kitchen.

After getting things squared away, and eating a quick lunch, I assisted one of Kirsten’s interns (Sandy), in the monitoring of Rhinoceros (Rhino) Auklet burrows, all of which are man-made. In doing so we would venture out into the Western Gull colony and find the burrows which are boxes buried into the ground with some tubing acting as a passage way. Blocking the entrance to the tube with one’s foot, it is just a quick matter of reaching into the box, extracting any Rhino chicks that are there and processing them in the necessary fashion. To process a Rhino chick you check the status of its feathers (mostly feathered, partially feathered, downy feathered), weigh the bird in a bag, measure its wing cord (wing length), and apply a band to it if it is at the right age. Once that is done you check the burrow for any fish that were remaining from the previous feedings and take note on what species they were and in what condition. All of this info is great for helping to determine what is going on with the marine environment around the island and in the California Current. The whole process described above can be found in the following pictures. Simply hover the cursor over an image for a detailed description.

After taking a break from working out in the field for a few hours, I pitched in and helped mend a few nets inside the living quarters which at one point was the old fog horn building on the island. After that I assisted Kirsten in setting up the mist nets and getting them ready for the real show…banding adult Rhinos flying into the island at night to deliver fish to their chicks.

At 9pm we opened 3 mist nets and layed on the ground amidst a plethora of Western Gulls and guano. There is something to be said about the aroma of a seabird island that I wish I could convey better in words here. Laying on the ground we waited patiently near the nets for anything to fly into it before we hopped to our feet and ran over to extract the bird. Sometimes the birds were Western Gulls, in which case we simply opened the net and gave a sideways “heave-ho” tossing the gull to the ground. At other times it was the exact thing we were after…the adult Rhinos. Once in the net the Rhinos put up a good fight. The thing that one needed to worry about most was the bite from their bill. An adult Rhino has a very strong bill, with a very sharp edge. If caught in the wrong place it is nothing short of excruciating pain. But as always, WELL worth it. I mean, laying on the island watching the stars and listening to the sounds of life all around was nothing short of spectacular, and having the ability to get up and actually catch a few auklets was amazing. Once extracted from the net, they were brought to Kirsten inside the kitchen which was lit up via generator.

After she processed the bird, they were walked outside to get used to the dark conditions, and in a quick toss are hurled as high as one can throw them into the air to allow them enough time to get their wings going. 20 auklets and 3 hours later it was now 1am and the lot of us headed off to bed. Rustic conditions for sure, but when you have been up since 5 am, had a long night the night before at an end-of-season party (sorry I can’t give details) and worked hard all day on an island, it doesn’t take much to fall asleep.

The next day the volunteers were allowed to sleep in (I got up at close to 9). The rest of the morning was spent cleaning up the kitchen and taking down the nets we repaired. And within two hours we were suiting up in our wetsuits (now I can finally say I did that in CA).

After getting things ready we got down the shore and loaded things up into the zodiak. The first run was completed without me, but that was completely fine as it gave me time to check out the locals as they basked on the beach.

Ano Nuevo, like every other seabird island I have been on (Eastern Egg Rock, South East Farallon Island) is an amazing experience, and I owe so much to Kirsten for allowing me the time to spend out there. It was a great time, and I added so many wonderful memories that will last through my life. Thanks a bunch!

~Chad (07/26/2006)