Face Rock was sunny and rocking today! In addition to seeing hundreds of common murres at the top of Face Rock, we were treated to about an hour-long “courtship” by 2 tufted puffins. After strolling about near the top for 20 or 30 minutes, they spent 20 or 30 minutes more knocking beaks together in an act of courtship before walking off together into a burrow that I suspect became their love nest.
Only 20 or 30 feet from this display sat a peregrine falcon on its nest beneath a boulder, presumably with an egg beneath its sculpted chest. Shifting positions often, sometimes with its head facing outward, sometimes with it tail feathers gracing our scope, the peregrine thrilled viewers every time it moved.
Amazingly, a third tufted puffin sat on the very same
boulder immediately about the peregrine’s shaded nest, apparently content to simply watch all of the activity around it, perhaps unaware of the falcon only a few feet below. I personally think that this puffin was relishing the attention it was getting from the gaggle of humans in the parking lot that were constantly pointing at it and jumping around in the funny way that only humans do.
Pigeon guillemots – a baker’s dozen resting at the surf line for over an hour – later parted company with one another with 5 of them flying to the top of Face Rock to what looked to be potential nest sites.
And, of course, we were in almost constant sight of the two black oystercatchers on their nest atop the first rock island north of Face Rock.
It was a great day for SEA volunteers and all of the visitors we thrilled with our scopes.
Shoreline Education for Awareness, Inc. 