Lest we forget:
It was exactly a year ago that an extraordinary atmospheric event occurred in San Francisco. In memoriam, I’ve re-written this anchovy anthem.

June 30, 2022.

        A blast of cold water off the coast has led to a boom in the number of anchovies moving into the bay, making it a buffet for birds. “There is more oxygen [in the water] and there is a lot of food for the anchovies… They’re near shore now, so it's easy for birds to pick them off the water and fly inland and sometimes they drop them.”
https://sf.eater.com/2022/6/30/23189903/raining-anchovies-san-francisco

        A dozen 8-inch silver fish rained down from the sky onto a roof and back deck in the Outer Richmond. “I heard a whoosh behind me,” one resident said, “And I heard a massive splat, and saw the driveway covered in tiny silver fish.”

        One person “almost got hit by a fish waiting for a bus” in the Castro, and another said they “assumed a band of roving kids were doing a Tik Tok sardine-throwing challenge on a roof.”

        Local fishers blame seabirds. “From Half Moon Bay to Point Reyes, people say they’ve never seen bait this thick,” said Larry Collins of the S. F. Community Fishing Association. “Guys told me about pelicans: instead of diving they’re skimming the water. The bay was covered with thousands of birds sitting with anchovies in their mouths, because they couldn’t eat any more.”

        Adam Ratner, of the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, attributes the phenomenon to normal upwelling. Cold, nutrient-dense water rises from the ocean depths, replacing warmer water at the surface. "This has provided food for anchovies, seabirds and marine mammals," Ratner said.
        Some species, like the double-crested cormorant, prefer to stay inland, near freshwater lakes, but will travel to the coast when there’s a large number of fish to feed on. Brown pelicans also tend to fly longer distances on daily foraging routes.
        “I could see them going to Ocean Beach and picking up anchovies,” said Whitney Grover of the Golden Gate Audubon Society. “Then flying over the Castro and into the bay.”
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/raining-fish-in-san-francisco-17272717.php

(Slightly edited and paraphrased by HT)


Anchovies Falling On My Head
Lyrics: F the Ineffable
Tune: Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

Anchovies falling on my head
And just like a guy whose head is too big for his brain
No one can explain
These anchovies falling on my head, they keep falling

So I did me some talking to the moon
She said she thought I ought to steal a well-known tune
So I could lampoon
These anchovies falling on my head, they keep falling

        But there's one thing I know
        The pelicans that greet them
        Gonna eat them, it won't be long
        Till they bloat up and excrete them.

Anchovies falling on my head
Waiting for the bus I felt a massive splat
Thought a pelican had shat
Wish that I had worn a hat
Anchovies falling on my head, they keep falling

Anchovies falling on my head
“All stuff and nonsense,” were the words my mother said.
“Seabirds must be fed,”
Now she’s lying dead.
Anchovies falling from the sky
They keep falling

But I’m never gonna stop the fish by complaining
I’ll stay inside as long as it’s raining
Anchovies. In my bedroom I’m free.
Under my bed
Nothing’s hitting my head
No fish falling on me