Birds

bald eagle

At a perched height eagles measure 75-100 centimeters
The average wingspan measures 180-230 centimeters (6-7.5 feet)
Eagles have hollow bones weighing only half as much as their feathers
Eagles primarily feed on fish
Eagles are masters of piracy including kleptoparasitism - stealing prey from other species
A healthy adult is able go a week without food
The largest Eagle nest was recorded as the same weight and size as a Volkswagen bug
Eagles vision is 3-4 times further than humans
Eagles mate for life
The average speed an eagle will travel is 60-75 kilometers per hour but can reach up to 160 km/hr on dives!

Cormorants are large, dark waterbirds with a long, thin neck
They are deep divers that need to dry off when they come to the surface - why often spot the birds with their wings spread out
2 common species to our area: double crested and pelagic
The Double Crested Cormorant makes a nest out of seaweed, moss, grass - in trees or on top of rocks structures (higher points of the colony)
The Pelagic Cormorant makes a much smaller nest (again our of seaweed and such) but in the lower sections of rocks

A duck sized black and white seabird
Known for their rapid flying
Otherwise known as the poor man's penguin
If the Common Murre weighed just a few ounces more they would be a flightless bird

Medium sized alcid that dives for food from the water's surface
They have a large white patch in the wing which is visible at rest and in flight
The Pigeon Guillemot have red legs and feet
The feet actually become more red during mating season to attract breeding adults
Usually these birds utilize the lower parts of rock colonies (with and below the Pelagic Cormorants)

The Oystercatcher is a well known coastal species
These birds are black and white with long orange bill
Feed on mollusks
These birds have a unique feeding pattern that is a learned behaviour - they feed specifically on what their parents have trained them to feed on (for example they pry or hammer things off the shore - all based upon what they were taught)

The population along the Pacific Coast is estimated at 200-300,000 birds
During the majority of the year they are found in marine waters
During October/November migration to wintering areas occur
Breeding occurs at 2-3 years of age between May and June
Feeding on shore creatures (amphipods, limpets, chitons)
Named after the characters in an Italian opera because they look like they have masks
Also known as "sea-mice" and "squeekers" because of their mouse-like call

Only 1 breeding species of Gulls found in our area
Approximately one dozen different species of Gulls throughout the year including: Heerman's Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Thayers Gull, Western Gull, Mew Gull, California Gull, Bonaporte's Gull, Ring-billed Gull

This brownish/black bird has a long tail and a small red head
The Turkey Vulture can coast for hours, riding on columns of warm air called thermals
This is the only bird known to vomit on it's own legs to cool them down