The Serengeti of the Sea!
Cloaked in fog (and a heavy blanket of bird guano), the rugged Farallon Islands are a place few ever get to see—yet they’re humming with one of the greatest concentrations of wildlife on the West Coast. This gallery offers a window into this mysterious world 30 miles offshore from San Francisco: Common Murres packed shoulder to shoulder on rocky cliffs, nesting Western Gulls noisily standing ground against invaders, and Pigeon Guillemots plunging into the sea in search of slick gunnels. Here, California sea lions haul out on foggy ledges, sharing the islands with the birds in a tense, deafening balance. From wide views of wind-battered colonies to intimate moments—like a researcher cradling a downy auklet chick—these images reveal a place that feels otherworldly, wild, and exuberantly alive.
