Yesterday, June 27, 2008, Shearwater Journeys had a pretty good pelagic trip from Monterey. We departed from Fisherman's Wharf at 7:30 am, amidst the smokey skies due to the 1,000 wildfires that are currently burning in California. The smoke cast a haze over the skies for miles and miles. Surprisingly, the (BBB) leaders found both HARLEQUIN and LONG-TAILED DUCKS sitting on the same rock in the harbor! Along Wharf No. 2, we had great views of PIGEON GUILLEMOTS. (They nest under the wharf and along Cannery Row). A commercial fishing vessel that is not in use was covered with nesting BRANDT'S CORMORANTS, as was the Coast Guard jetty. Many young cormorants were being fed by their attentive parents. Along Cannery Row, we saw a mother/calf pair SHORT-BEAKED COMMON DOLPHINS. This is pretty unusual, both for the location and the fact that only two of these normally gregarious dolphins were seen. The calf repeatedly jumped! As we headed out into the bay, the winds picked up. However, we were able to find most of the wildlife concentrated in one area where huge balls of bait (anchovies and, possibly sardines) showed on the fish finder. All of the seabirds and marine mammals were active in this single spot — BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES, SOOTY and PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATERS, a few ELEGANT and CASPIAN TERNS, COMMON MURRES, RHINOCEROS AUKLETS, and a fair number of CASSIN'S AUKLETS — along with breaching and tail slapping HUMPBACK WHALES, RISSO'S and NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHINS. On our return to the dock, we headed off the Monterey Beach Hotel, where a number of HARBOR PORPOISES were found. Pulling a rabbit out of the hat at the last minute on the trip, David Pearson of Arizona, spotted a HORNED PUFFIN!! What a great ending to a darn good June pelagic trip.
Shearwater Journeys thanks all of the participants who came from far and wide for this journey, including Debra's Patagonian friends, Claudio Vidal and Rodrigo Bustamante from Chile. (Their birding company is Fantastico Sur). The leaders for this trip were: Jennifer Green, Matt Brady, Oscar Johnson, Ryan Terrill, John Hiles, Don Doolittle, and Debra Shearwater.
Our next pelagic trips from Monterey are: JULY 25; AUGUST 15, 22, 29; SEPTEMBER 7, 12, 13, 14, 15, 22, 25, 27, 28; OCTOBER 3, 4, 5, 11, 18; NOVEMBER 29. Trips departing from Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor on the north side of Monterey Bay are scheduled for: SEPTEMBER 26 & OCTOBER 12. Trips from Bodega Bay are scheduled for: AUGUST 1 & 12; SEPTEMBER 19; OCTOBER 9 & 17. And, trips from Fort Bragg are scheduled for: AUGUST 8 & 10. All of these trips have spaces available. Our August 10th trip from Sausalito to the Farallon Islands is SOLD OUT. (waiting list available).
The complete species list for JUNE 27, 2008 MONTEREY BAY PELAGIC TRIP FOLLOWS:
PACIFIC LOON- 1
COMMON LOON- 5
EARED GREBE- 1, in the harbor
BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 35
NORTHERN FULMAR- 4
PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 18
SOOTY SHEARWATER- 6000
BROWN PELICAN- 85
BRANDT'S CORMORANT- 2600
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT- 1
PELAGIC CORMORANT- 1
HARLEQUIN DUCK- 1, in the harbor
SURF SCOTER- 3
LONG-TAILED DUCK- 1
BLACK OYSTERCATCHER- 1
HEERMANN'S GULL- 200
CALIFORNIA GULL- 40
WESTERN GULL- 400
ELEGANT TERN- 7
CASPIAN TERN- 5
COMMON MURRE- 75
PIGEON GUILLEMOT- 15
CASSIN'S AUKLET- 30
RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 4
HORNED PUFFIN- 1
GREAT BLUE HERON- 1
BARN SWALLOW- 2, out at sea
SEA OTTER- 25
CALIFORNIA SEA LION- 25
HARBOR SEAL -18
HUMPBACK WHALE- 8
SHORT-BEAKED COMMON DOLPHIN- 2
NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHIN- 12
RISSO'S DOLPHIN- 14
HARBOR PORPOISE- 6
Shearwaters forever,
Debra
Debra Shearwater
Shearwater Journeys, Inc.
PO Box 190
Hollister, CA 95024
831.637.8527
www.shearwaterjourneys.com
*Antarctica, South Georgia, & The Falkland Islands, January 5-24, 2010*
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