Expedition Field Report

Seagull

The Western Gull is a seagull that lives on Anacapa Island. There are many gulls there and a lot of nests are there too. Western Gulls are very protective of their nests. They don't mind if you're there for a little bit, but they will get cranky if you're there too long. They will start to dive bomb you. The gulls make their nests in the flowers and roam the island for food like fish and maybe a new home. East Anacapa is a safe place for the Western Gull to live because there are not so many predators to eat them or their eggs. -- Jade

Seagull Nest

The seagulls at Anacapa Island were very peaceful. The female seagulls were sitting on their nests that had eggs in them. The only thing they would do is squeak. The eggs are green. The eggs are not all that interesting to watch. They just lay there. The male seagulls, on the other hand, were flying all over the place. They were showing off, trying to impress everyone who was there. It was very cool. We saw a lot of seagulls. -- Cinthia

Coreopsis

The Coreopsis is a very special type of flower. Each spring it blooms, the trunk gets covered with bright green foliage and the yellow blossoms look like golden crowns. The Coreopsis is also an amazing flower because during the dry season it survives nine to ten months of each year while remaining dormant. During this period the stems get damaged or broken easily, there are not very many animals to damage it so it stays protected. If you ever get to see the Coreopsis think about these facts. -- Carla

Indian Paintbrush

There are many types of flowers on Anacapa Island. The one bright flower you see in the picture above is called Coreopsis. Coreopsis is a beautiful flower and only blooms during spring time. The red flower is called the Indian Paintbrush. The Indian Paintbrush is a beautiful red flower. The purple flower is called Island Morning Glory and also only blooms in the spring. There are not as many Morning Glories on the island as there are Coreopsis and Indian Paintbrush. We were very lucky to be able to see all the beautiful flowers in bloom because they only bloom once a year for about two weeks. -- Elysia

Island Vista

The Island Vista is a very beautiful spot. This particular picture taken from East Anacapa shows West Anacapa, and Middle Anacapa. There is a lot of ice plant here. Ice plant is a problem to the island, because it takes up all the rainwater that the other plants need to grow. It was brought to the island by the Coast Guard to stop the island from eroding. This it did, but it has its bad side, too. This spot is a place where a lot of seagulls come, too. The Island Vista is a gorgeous place. -- Alex

Inspiration Point

Inspiration Point is a place that inspires the soul. It is a quiet area where you can see the natural beauty, and uniqueness of Anacapa Island. Graceful gulls and pelicans soar through the air above you, while the foaming waves spray a cool mist of salty ocean water on you. You can see the sea lions hauling themselves out of the water and basking in the heat of the sun. From up here you will also notice how much the island is isolated, except for the few buildings such as the "church", visitor's center, and campgrounds. This is the wonderful experience you have atop Anacapa at Inspiration Point. -- Payal

Our Chaperones

These are three of the chaperones that came along on our trip with us. The people or chaperones in this picture are: Payal's dad, Elysia's mom, and Esperanza's dad. The other chaperones that went with us on our trip were: Michelle's dad (my dad), Jade's dad, and Nathan's mom. Every one of these chaperones was a great help to us. We all appreciated their help. They helped us when we were feeling blue. Sometimes we had our ups and downs, but they were fixed by the end of the VERY LONG day. We thank them VERY much!! -- Michelle