The scientists also study sources of disturbance to the birds. Brandt's cormorant researcher Nathan Fairman of Point Reyes Bird Observatory, who has spent hundreds of hours sitting in a tiny wooden blind mounted on a stone wall overlooking a cliff, has observed that aircraft seem to bother Brandt's cormorants more than boats. Such observations are far from trivial. Last year, the premiere of the movie The Rock took place with great hoopla on the island during breeding season. She has been investigating gull parenting habits and has been surprised to find that although both gull partners feed their chicks, males tend to bring offspring essentially junk food.
Males bring back more garbage.
When females do more chick feeding, chicks do better. And, of course, she has confirmed the species' unusual ability to recognize a human face. That could be bad news for the stars of The Rock or anyone else who has created a memorable disturbance on the island in recent years, at least if they ever return to Alcatraz and make the mistake of staring at the gulls. Senior Editor Lisa Drew visited Alcatraz for this article. Copyright 1998 National Wildlife Federation.