Wildlife notes

The Keeper’s House oystercatchers are approaching their 6th week. They still seem a bit smaller than their parents and won’t look quite like them for a couple years. Their beaks are not fully orange and they don’t have those piercing yellow eyes and red eye rings.  In trying to determine when they reach adulthood and resemble their parents (year 3), I came across an article (Guzzetti et al 2008) on how their eyes can be used to sex them (93% accurate). Females develop black flecks or specks in the iris! If I manage to get to some good photos showing this on the parents at Race Rocks, I’ll post them. Until then see below.

This photo is from the Cayucos Land Conservancy website and it is from the Guzzetti et al 2008 paper.

The Keeper’s House black oystercatcher parent and its two brown eyed chicks on East Beach with the turnstones and surfbirds.

Facility work

Greg and Richard were here having fun going at the basement door frame with pry bars. The screen door and its trim were removed to determine the full dimensions for ordering a new basement door with casing. It will take 6 weeks or so. The new door should cut down on the whistling sounds and keep in more heat in the winter.

• cleaned solar panels
• worked on compost bin
• 150 metal rods for new electric fence dropped off
• Keepers House basement screen door removal

Basement door with the screen door and its trip removed.

Vessels

• Ecotourism: 14
• Private: 3

Weather

Clear skies.  Distant haze. Winds west 5 to 25 knots. Daytime temperatures 12 to 20 degrees.