Qualla: The Farallon Islands: California's Forbidden Rock https://qualla.com/farallones-islands-wildlife en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:05 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_res/siteimages/rsslogo.png Qualla: The Farallon Islands: California's Forbidden Rock https://qualla.com/farallones-islands-wildlife The Farallon Islands: California's Forbidden Rock: Introduction https://qualla.com/farallones-islands-wildlife/ Twenty-seven miles outside the Golden Gate, a cluster of granite rocks rises from the Pacific like the spine of something ancient. The Farallon Islands are visible from San Francisco on clear days - jagged silhouettes that seem too dramatic to be real. They're also completely off-limits. The Farallones are a National Wildlife Refuge, home to 300,000 nesting seabirds, a haul-out for sea lions and elephant seals, and hunting ground for great white sharks. Only researchers are allowed to land; even boats must keep their distance during breeding season. The islands have been protected since 1969, recovering from a century that saw millions of seabird eggs harvested to feed Gold Rush San Francisco. What humans nearly destroyed, nature is slowly rebuilding.

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]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/q/8/w/farallones-islands-wildlife-wk/9q8w-the-farallon-islands-californias-forbidden-rock-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full The Farallon Islands: California's Forbidden Rock: The Colony https://qualla.com/farallones-islands-wildlife/ The Farallon Islands host the largest seabird colony in the contiguous United States. Thirteen species breed here: common murres, Cassin's auklets, Brandt's cormorants, western gulls, and others, packed onto 211 acres of rock in densities that seem impossible. During breeding sea...

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]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/q/8/w/farallones-islands-wildlife-wk/9q8w-the-farallon-islands-californias-forbidden-rock-the-colony.mp3 0:06 2 full The Farallon Islands: California's Forbidden Rock: The Slaughter https://qualla.com/farallones-islands-wildlife/ From 1850 to 1880, the Farallones supplied eggs to Gold Rush San Francisco. Companies hired 'eggers' to harvest murre eggs by the hundred-thousand - an estimated 14 million eggs taken over three decades. The eggers kicked previous eggs off cliffs to ensure freshness, killing coun...

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]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/q/8/w/farallones-islands-wildlife-wk/9q8w-the-farallon-islands-californias-forbidden-rock-the-slaughter.mp3 0:06 3 full The Farallon Islands: California's Forbidden Rock: The Sharks https://qualla.com/farallones-islands-wildlife/ Every fall, great white sharks gather around the Farallones to feed on the elephant seals and sea lions that haul out here. The 'Red Triangle' - the waters between Bodega Bay, the Farallones, and Monterey - has the highest concentration of white sharks in North America. Researche...

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]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/q/8/w/farallones-islands-wildlife-wk/9q8w-the-farallon-islands-californias-forbidden-rock-the-sharks.mp3 0:06 4 full The Farallon Islands: California's Forbidden Rock: The Research https://qualla.com/farallones-islands-wildlife/ Point Blue Conservation Science maintains a research station on Southeast Farallon Island - the only permanent human presence. A rotating team of biologists monitors seabirds, marine mammals, and sharks year-round, living in a cluster of buildings powered by solar and suffering r...

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]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/q/8/w/farallones-islands-wildlife-wk/9q8w-the-farallon-islands-californias-forbidden-rock-the-research.mp3 0:06 5 full The Farallon Islands: California's Forbidden Rock: Visiting the Farallones https://qualla.com/farallones-islands-wildlife/ You cannot visit the Farallon Islands - landing is prohibited except for authorized researchers. But you can see them from the sea. Whale watching and wildlife cruises from San Francisco often pass the islands, maintaining required distances while offering views of the seabird co...

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]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/q/8/w/farallones-islands-wildlife-wk/9q8w-the-farallon-islands-californias-forbidden-rock-visiting-the-farallones.mp3 0:06 6 full