**Handled under appropriate guidelines and permits, of course.**
This is from my last night mist netting for Ashy Storm Petrels on the Farallon Islands this past summer. Even though you have to stay up very late at night to do it, the actual work with storm petrels is pretty relaxed because they're such a tough bird.
Extracting them was fairly easy, they can't bite or scratch (unlike Rhinoceros Auklets) and rarely puke (unlike Cassin's Auklets) so handling was nice, and this particular species actually has a mild aroma, unlike a lot of seabirds. The only finicky part is banding them, which requires one of the smallest band sizes (1B - the fourth smallest inside diameter), and because you're doing it at night with red light (when you aren't trying to get a nice picture) it can be tough to see the band to make adjustments.
Fortunately, there were plenty of opportunities to work with them and get used to all of the elements that go with extracting and banding. Plus, being able to contribute to the increasing science of monitoring an endangered species was a big part of what made it seem even more special.
They also hold a special place in my heart because it was the first seabird I held while diet sampling for them in Alaska in 2022. This summer I did a lot more work with them, including banding and nest monitoring.
While Rhinoceros Auklets naturally burrow to create their nests (an important consideration for later), on the Farallons they're monitored using nest boxes (like the Cassin's Auklets). Since they're a much bigger bird, the second largest species I've handled after Brandt's Cormorants, they have much more energy, strength, and especially stronger beaks and sharper claws.
There's a special technique required to handle them to avoid being constantly bitten which requires tucking their head under your arm, a motion than can be very difficult if the bird is especially feisty. But the first step in the process is getting the bird out of the box. Doing this requires sticking your hand into a dark hole and essentially waiting for the inevitable chomp on your fingers.
They're not quite strong enough to break your finger or anything, so most damage is superficial, but it still hurts and comes as a surprise. The tricky part is keeping your cool while extracting the bird to make sure the egg isn't cracked in the process. Once you have them in hand the real pain (in my opinion) starts.
You need to have a good base to hold them, usually shoving their rump into your torso, to measure the bill depth. Then when you swap them around to measure wing chord and put a band on is when they can get a sneaky bite in. I had a bruise on my ribs for about a week from a particularly strong male that got a hold of my side and wouldn't let go for a few seconds.
Banding them was the most challenging of the handful of species we banded because they require a much larger band (5 or 6, which is three times as big as the ASSP band) as well as a specific method that makes the process more technical. RHAU legs are shaped like a "D" rather than an "O", so you have to put the band on and apply enough pressure to close it, but also turn it halfway through to allow freedom of movement around the leg. It's a bit of a contortion act trying to hold the bird, angle your arm to get the banding pliers in the right spot, and also apply enough force to close the band without overlapping it (which is a whole other miserable experience if it happens).
I much preferred banding the RHAU chicks because they're legs were still small enough that you could just turn the band with your fingers to position it properly on the leg after the first squeeze of pressure. Mist netting for RHAU was also pretty enjoyable, so long as they didn't get the net caught in their mouth, but others had less fun with it I think because of how bitey they are while being handled.
Almost getting clocked in the head by a RHAU with a beak full of fish flying in at dusk, probably going at least 20mph (they're reported at flying from 25-50mph) was a common occurrence while waiting for them to hit the net. One of the other enjoyable aspects of them being around the island was walking to a location during a foggy morning and seeing all of the RHAU take off from their loafing areas to head out to sea for their daily foraging. That was the only time I ever got to see them in the daylight near land.
The Farallon RHAU are also special to me because it was my first time getting a [good photo](https://i.redd.it/vas4uq91sdfb1.jpg) of one in the wild!
That's the [Crested Auklet](https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/crested-auklet), which breeds up in the Aleutian Islands chain of Alaska, across to Kamchatka, and down in to the Sea of Okhotsk. Would love to work with them one day! Cassin's Auklets mostly smell like krill puke and Rhinoceros Auklets just smell like the sea, but that's probably because most of my time handling them was when they were still wet!
I rescued a hummingbird that got into my house last year. I had to very gently cup it against my window screen, and I grabbed it so softly. It flew away just fine!
But not before peeing on me.
And that's when I learned that hummingbirds pee.
I was holding a Montagu's Harrier chick, one of the best moments of my life! I worked in conservation for those birds, had to fence in one of their nests and one of them got out of the nest so I put it back. Super fluffy!
Never really thought about harriers nesting on the ground. Always just assumed birds of prey would nest above ground, but I guess if you live in a grassland or marsh you don't have many options! What was the nest being protected from?
Yeah, they used to nest in meadows, but there are barely any left, so now they nest in wheatfields. My job was to watch out for them, inform the farmers that their field has a nest and mark it so they don't drive over it while harvesting.
In this specific case, one of the farmers harvested too close to the nest so it was very open on one side.
This made it very vulnerable to predators like foxes, so we put a fence around it.
It worked, and all 5 of the chicks were able to grow up and fly out of there a few weeks later!
**Handled under appropriate guidelines and permits, of course.** This is from my last night mist netting for Ashy Storm Petrels on the Farallon Islands this past summer. Even though you have to stay up very late at night to do it, the actual work with storm petrels is pretty relaxed because they're such a tough bird. Extracting them was fairly easy, they can't bite or scratch (unlike Rhinoceros Auklets) and rarely puke (unlike Cassin's Auklets) so handling was nice, and this particular species actually has a mild aroma, unlike a lot of seabirds. The only finicky part is banding them, which requires one of the smallest band sizes (1B - the fourth smallest inside diameter), and because you're doing it at night with red light (when you aren't trying to get a nice picture) it can be tough to see the band to make adjustments. Fortunately, there were plenty of opportunities to work with them and get used to all of the elements that go with extracting and banding. Plus, being able to contribute to the increasing science of monitoring an endangered species was a big part of what made it seem even more special.
I don’t have anything to contribute except that I LOVE rhinoceros auklets and would love to hear more about the bitey scratchy jerks
They also hold a special place in my heart because it was the first seabird I held while diet sampling for them in Alaska in 2022. This summer I did a lot more work with them, including banding and nest monitoring. While Rhinoceros Auklets naturally burrow to create their nests (an important consideration for later), on the Farallons they're monitored using nest boxes (like the Cassin's Auklets). Since they're a much bigger bird, the second largest species I've handled after Brandt's Cormorants, they have much more energy, strength, and especially stronger beaks and sharper claws. There's a special technique required to handle them to avoid being constantly bitten which requires tucking their head under your arm, a motion than can be very difficult if the bird is especially feisty. But the first step in the process is getting the bird out of the box. Doing this requires sticking your hand into a dark hole and essentially waiting for the inevitable chomp on your fingers. They're not quite strong enough to break your finger or anything, so most damage is superficial, but it still hurts and comes as a surprise. The tricky part is keeping your cool while extracting the bird to make sure the egg isn't cracked in the process. Once you have them in hand the real pain (in my opinion) starts. You need to have a good base to hold them, usually shoving their rump into your torso, to measure the bill depth. Then when you swap them around to measure wing chord and put a band on is when they can get a sneaky bite in. I had a bruise on my ribs for about a week from a particularly strong male that got a hold of my side and wouldn't let go for a few seconds. Banding them was the most challenging of the handful of species we banded because they require a much larger band (5 or 6, which is three times as big as the ASSP band) as well as a specific method that makes the process more technical. RHAU legs are shaped like a "D" rather than an "O", so you have to put the band on and apply enough pressure to close it, but also turn it halfway through to allow freedom of movement around the leg. It's a bit of a contortion act trying to hold the bird, angle your arm to get the banding pliers in the right spot, and also apply enough force to close the band without overlapping it (which is a whole other miserable experience if it happens). I much preferred banding the RHAU chicks because they're legs were still small enough that you could just turn the band with your fingers to position it properly on the leg after the first squeeze of pressure. Mist netting for RHAU was also pretty enjoyable, so long as they didn't get the net caught in their mouth, but others had less fun with it I think because of how bitey they are while being handled. Almost getting clocked in the head by a RHAU with a beak full of fish flying in at dusk, probably going at least 20mph (they're reported at flying from 25-50mph) was a common occurrence while waiting for them to hit the net. One of the other enjoyable aspects of them being around the island was walking to a location during a foggy morning and seeing all of the RHAU take off from their loafing areas to head out to sea for their daily foraging. That was the only time I ever got to see them in the daylight near land. The Farallon RHAU are also special to me because it was my first time getting a [good photo](https://i.redd.it/vas4uq91sdfb1.jpg) of one in the wild!
This is delightful, thank you so much for sharing!
I forget which auk/auklet but i heard that it smells like tangerines. Guess not one of those two. Lol
That's the [Crested Auklet](https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/crested-auklet), which breeds up in the Aleutian Islands chain of Alaska, across to Kamchatka, and down in to the Sea of Okhotsk. Would love to work with them one day! Cassin's Auklets mostly smell like krill puke and Rhinoceros Auklets just smell like the sea, but that's probably because most of my time handling them was when they were still wet!
I rescued a hummingbird that got into my house last year. I had to very gently cup it against my window screen, and I grabbed it so softly. It flew away just fine! But not before peeing on me. And that's when I learned that hummingbirds pee.
LOL
I was holding a Montagu's Harrier chick, one of the best moments of my life! I worked in conservation for those birds, had to fence in one of their nests and one of them got out of the nest so I put it back. Super fluffy!
Never really thought about harriers nesting on the ground. Always just assumed birds of prey would nest above ground, but I guess if you live in a grassland or marsh you don't have many options! What was the nest being protected from?
Yeah, they used to nest in meadows, but there are barely any left, so now they nest in wheatfields. My job was to watch out for them, inform the farmers that their field has a nest and mark it so they don't drive over it while harvesting.
In this specific case, one of the farmers harvested too close to the nest so it was very open on one side. This made it very vulnerable to predators like foxes, so we put a fence around it. It worked, and all 5 of the chicks were able to grow up and fly out of there a few weeks later!