FIELD NOTES Doug BELL LOCATION: Alcatraz I., SF. Co. CA. DATE: April 12, 1987 TIME: 9:15- WEATHER: sunny, clear. Mild windy - picking up TIDE: initial high rock about 1' exposed First recording gull voices on power house roof & platform - first use of the new Sony recorder. Some problems with the mike jack. 10:00 am - back in blind or cistern. About 25 birds on perimeter; 1/2 standing, 1/2 sitting. Of these 5 appear to be sitting on nests. 9 birds on platform. Colony watching 10:00 After attack by A_4, the & returned to ? in ag. Up. Recorded pair 5 copulating. 10:22 - 26 gulls around perimeter. 17 on platform. 10:24: Pair 13 under observation - both birds sitting with head tucked. 10:34- Colony: pair copulating out of view in cistern. 10:46 - Pair 15: One bird on nest, other standing nearby preening, ?. The ? is looking at her feet every so often: four times in its last 4 minutes. I think the male has a red blotch on its right neck/chuck. 10:54 Colony: 29 birds on perimeter, 10 on platform. 11:22- Watching pair on platform. Courtship feed of small fish seen. 11:24 - Both birds off territory. Wind is still intermittent and lite. 19 gulls on perimeter, 6 on the platform. 11:37 Pair 19(male): one bird sitting on "nest", other standing. Sitter appears to be ?. The ? is pulling grass intermittently to build nest. Does some choking inbetween. Checked for nests & scrapes on the cistern, same area as last time. About 25 nests & scrapes found, of which about 15 looked like good nests. I placed stones and grass on the platform itself to make 3 new nest sites. On one, the landed male (silver/pink) went to it immediately, hopped in. Hewed after while, female approached, did mips-myps, then also hopped in; both birds choked.