Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Panoche Valley: Report for November 29, 2009

Hello, Birders,
This is a report for a long day ofbirding in Panoche Valley, San Benito County on November 29, 2009. Don Doolittle and I departed from Hollister about 5:45 am, heading out to Panoche Valley. We saw a GREAT HORNED OWL perched along the roadside. The first MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS we spotted were barely at dawn near the McCullough ranch.
We also found a few MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS on Panoche Road, near Silver Creek Ranch.
A ROADRUNNER, had Don running across the hills to get a photograph!


On Recalde Road, a MERLIN was speeding across the barren fields like lightning. SAY'S PHOEBES were common throughout the day.
LOGGERHEAD SHRIKES were found in good numbers, as well. We found a small flock of 18 HORNED LARKS near Silver Creek Ranch, but no Mountain Plovers.

However, the road to New Idria was where we spent many, many hours. In total, we found about 200 MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS on this road. They were not easy to photograph, often flying just as I slowed the car to a stop. Many of them were feeding out in the fields, making an accurate count difficult. We went all the way to the ghost mining town of New Idria, which is officially closed by BLM. (at least that's what we were told by some locals we met along the way). The buildings, of course, are a real hazard, and warning signs for hauta virus abound. Still, it was interesting to see what was left of the mine. A couple of dirt bikers were riding on the hills, while hunters were shooting ? In the town, we found DARK-EYED JUNCOS, one HERMIT THRUSH, BEWICK'S WRENS and one HOUSE WREN.

We had a picnic lunch on the road, near some cottonwood trees where some WESTERN BLUEBIRDS and a WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH were hanging out.


More Mountain Bluebirds were out on the fences on our return trip back to the valley, along with a PRAIRIE FALCON.
Reluctantly, in the late afternoon, we headed to Mercy Hot Springs where we ran into Donna Kirsacko and Jean Myers who were also birding in the valley. Everyone was practicing photographing the LONG-EARED OWLS.
Jean spotted one of the best birds for the day— a GOLDEN CROWNED KINGLET in the tamarisk trees at Mercy. Unfortunately, as kinglets do, it did not sit still long enough for a photograph. Don managed to get this Ruby-crowned, though.

Jean and Donna put us on to a "stake out" BURROWING OWL. So, we headed back to Panoche Road, just beyond the Little Panoche intersection. Sure enough, the owl was right where they said.
It was a gloriously beautiful fall day for Don to practice photography with his new Canon 7D. The WESTERN WOOD PEEWEE which I found on November 26th was still present.

Happy Trails,
Debi Shearwater
All images by Don Doolittle


Friday, November 27, 2009

Thanksgiving Birding: Panoche Peewee

Happy Thanksgiving, Birders,

Hope you didn't eat too much turkey, yesterday. Together with my friend, Donna Kirsacko, we spent the day birding in Panoche Valley. We were searching for the nearly 1000 Mountain Bluebirds previously reported by Clay Kempf and Earl LeBow. Although we did find one flock of 90 Mountain Bluebirds near the McCullough ranch orchard, a search throughout the valley did not turn up any other large flocks— only scattered, small groups of 4-12. We searched Panoche Road, all the way to Jackass Pass; Little Panoche Road almost to Interstate 5, and the BLM Panoche Hills to the far side where the Spanish Daggers grow. Donna spotted a Roadrunner in Panoche Hills, while I spotted one in a ditch near Spanish Cattle Ranch homes. A Rock Wren was near the microwave facility in Panoche Hills. Lots of Lark and Savannah Sparrows, as well as a large flock of Horned Larks were found on Little Panoche Road. Eighteen Long-billed Curlews were just beyond McCullough's orchard in the field.

The best find of the day was a WESTERN WOOD PEEWEE. This seems like a very late record.
Debi Shearwater

Sunday, October 25, 2009

HONORING LUKE COLE

Hello, Birders,

Today, we honor a dear friend of the birding community, Luke Cole. Luke was an attorney and a pioneer in the field of environmental justice, serving poor people and people of color.

Luke began going on Shearwater Journeys' pelagic trips in 1989. In 1999, he began co-leading our pelagic trips. He was an avid seabirder who enjoyed the seabirds, marine mamma
ls, and people from the world over whom he met on these trips.

It could be said that Luke's seabirding experience reached its apex when he joined me on a voyage which departed from Ushuaia, Argentina this past March. From there, we embarked on a 25 day journey to the Antarctic Peninsula where Luke made a continental landing a Neko Harbor, thereby claiming to set foot on the Antarctic Continent. From the peninsula, we made seven glorious landings on the South Georgia, where Luke walked among the hundreds of thousands of King Penguins. Crossing the Southern Atlantic Ocean, we did a Zodiac cruise at Gough Island and then traveled on to the Tristan da Cunha Islands. Unable to land at either Nightingale or Inaccessible Islands, again, we Zodiac cruised on a warm, sunny day. Five days later, our voyage ended in Cape Town, South Africa. Here, Luke and I said farewells to each other, not knowing that it would be our last farewell.
Please join me in raising a toast of root beer to our dearly missed friend, Luke Cole, as we pay tribute to him and honor him this after noon in San Francisco.

More information can be found at this web site:


Luke was a friend without equal to me, personally, a loyal leader to Shearwater Journeys, and a faithful and true husband to Nancy Shelby, and a devoted family man. Truly, he was a man who "walked his talk." He will be sorely missed by countless friends, devotees, students, and family.

Fly well on your journey, Luke,
Debi Shearwater


Saturday, October 24, 2009

TRIP REPORT: 24 OCTOBER 2009 HALF MOON BAY

Howdy, Seabirders,

Shearwater Journeys' unscheduled pelagic trip from Half Moon Bay today was, unfortunately, weathered out. A hearty, sold out, boat load of throughly prepared seabirders departed from Huck Finn Sportfishing Center, www.huckfinnsportfishing.com, in Half Moon Bay, attempting to make it to the Continental Shelf. The weather deteriorated rapidly, while the forecast was updated to include winds up to 30 knots. Six miles offshore, we aborted the day. I would like to thank the folks who took a chance, and showed up for this special charter with Captain Dennis Baxter. Our captain did a great job, but sometimes weather conditions make it impossible to conduct a trip.

Please stay tuned for more trips with Captain Baxter on the New Captain Pete in 2010. We look forward to working with him next year!

Shearwaters forever,
Debi Shearwater

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

CHASING SEABIRDS: OCTOBER 24 from HALF MOON BAY

Howdy, Seabirders,

By popular request, Todd McGrath and I have organized a pelagic trip on Saturday, October 24th, departing from Half Moon Bay Sportfishing on the New Captain Pete. Todd and I will be co-leading. The fee is $135 per person, payable in cash, at the dock. We have only a few spaces open on this trip which will run from 7 am until 4:30 pm. Advance reservations are essential. Please contact me by email: debi@shearwaterjourneys.com.

Recent pelagic trips from Half Moon Bay have produced some fantastic seabird records, including Short-tailed Albatross, and the stunning first confirmed and photographed record of a WHITE-CHINNED PETREL! To view images of this petrel, please see the following links:

Alvaro Jaramillo's images:

John Sterling's images:
Please contact me as soon as possible, if you would like to join Shearwater Journeys' pelagic trip on October 24th.
See you out there,
Debi

TRIP REPORT: 18 OCTOBER 2009 FORT BRAGG

Howdy, Seabirders,

Folks on board Shearwater Journeys' October 18, 2009, departing from Noyo Harbor, Fort Bragg enjoyed a beautiful day, with non-stop seabirding. Most trips from this port head for Noyo Canyon, to the north. However, since the weather and sea conditions were so good, I decided to head south to the Point Arena Buoy, Navarro Canyon and Arena Canyon. In years past, this has been a great hangout for albatrosses. We were not disappointed, as we saw flocks of 50+ BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES, sitting on the water. In all, we tallied 168 Black-foots for the day. Hundreds and hundreds of CASSIN'S AUKLETS were feeding on krill between shore and the 100 fathom line, along with 2 BLUE WHALES and 2 HUMPBACK WHALES. The nearshore seabirding was best, as offshore, we lost the vast majority of the birds. Some very nice schools of PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED and NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHINS were on the shelf, as well. A single FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER was a highlight for many of the folks on board, as well as a county bird. FOS (first of the season) MEW GULL was spotted amongst the many gulls following the boat. Two SABINE'S GULLS were a good find this late in the season. Finally, on the way home, two ANCIENT MURRELETS were spotted. Our captain did a great job of getting the boat positioned so that everyone on board could see these little birds, FOS for me, as well as a Mendocino County bird for me!

Many thanks to the birders on board, from near and far. The leaders on this trip were: Lisa Hug, Todd McGrath, Scott Terrill, Linda Terrill, and Debi Shearwater.

The full report follows:

PACIFIC LOON- 2
COMMON LOON- 1
WESTERN GREBE- 4
CLARK'S GREBE- + in the harbor
BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 168
NORTHERN FULMAR- 121
PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 48
FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 1
BULLER'S SHEARWATER- 17
SOOTY SHEARWATER- 3
BROWN PELICAN- 14
BRANDT'S CORMORANT- 30
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT- 3 in the harbor
PELAGIC CORMORANT- 1
SURF SCOTER- 27
WHITE-WINGED SCOTER- 8
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 200
RED PHALAROPE- 60
SOUTH POLAR SKUA- 1
POMARINE JAEGER- 14
HEERMANN'S GULL- 4
MEW GULL- 1
CALIFORNIA GULL- 50
WESTERN GULL- 280
WESTERN/GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL- 15
SABINE'S GULL- 2
COMMON MURRE- 1060
ANCIENT MURRELET- 2
CASSIN'S AUKLET- 1200
RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 29
CALIFORNIA SEA LION- 50
NORTHERN FUR SEAL- 2
BLUE WHALE- 2
HUMPBACK WHALE- 2
NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHIN- 200
PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN- 250
OCEAN SUNFISH- 1
BLUE SHARK- 1

Shearwaters forever,
Debi

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Flocking Long-billed Curlews

Hi, Birders,

While making a short birding run mid-day, I spotted a flock of 363 high-flying LONG-BILLED CURLEWS! I was on Santa Ana Valley Road. Gunning the engine, I tried to follow them with my car, hoping that I would get a better view once they landed. Speeding around and over the hills, I headed for Quien Sabe Road. Sure enough, I arrived just in time to see a portion of the flock, settling down on the grassy knolls. However, raucous RAVENS drove them off! As this flock took to the sky, they were joined by the remainder of their flock, which had settled somewhere else. Now, they were together, flying and circling higher. Finally, they were joined by yet a third flock of 130 additional birds. Circling higher yet, were some 493 birds, calling as they went. They split up into smaller flocks, finally heading off toward Panoche Valley, or the great Central Valley. Meanwhile, as I watched all of this, a winter resident FERRUGINOUS HAWK sat on the telephone pole and an adult GOLDEN EAGLE was chased by a RED-TAILED HAWK. I had already passed 2 other Golden Eagles and one PRAIRIE FALCON.

I headed over to Paicines Reservoir. In a small elderberry shrub north of the turnout, I found at least 8 PHAINOPEPLAS feeding.

Birding on the Faultline,
Debi Shearwater


Tuesday, September 29, 2009

TRIP REPORT: SEP 27, 2009: MONTEREY BAY

Whoaaa, Cowboys & Cowgirls,

Monterey seabirds and marine mammals put on quite the show on the Shearwater Journeys' September 27th pelagic trip run in conjunction with the Monterey Bay Birding Festival. The day began auspiciously with Alvaro Jaramillo spotting a high-flying female WOOD DUCK, while we were still at the dock. This was quickly followed by the PEREGRINE FALCON who was eating breakfast on the radio tower along Cannery Row. Next up, were two BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS, spotted by leader, Jennifer Green. On top of that, the sun was out and the seas were glassy-calm! We had not seen much sun for the past 3 days, being enshrouded in fog. I guess this should have been our clue that we were in for a great day. Yup, next up, BLACK-VENTED SHEARWATERS. These coastal shearwaters have not made much of an appearance in Monterey Bay for several years. It was nice to see our southern friends, again. Hold on! Abe Borker yells, "What's this bird?" I fix my bins on a fast-flying black and white MANX SHEARWATER! Abe is the newest leader to join the Shearwater Journeys' crew. His enthusiasm is very contagious! Approaching several fishing vessels, we found good numbers of BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES. A few stops for COMMON MURRES and RHINOCEROS AUKLETS were made. Some scattered ASHY STORM-PETRELS were passing by. Then, Terry Hunefeld of Southern California Seabirding, asks me, "Do you have orcas here?" Do we ever! Thanks to Terry for spotting the ORCAS (KILLER WHALES) which led us to observe one of the most amazing events I have ever witnessed.

From the get-go, the orcas were tail-lobbing and splashing quite a bit, thrashing all around. A single XANTUS' MURRELET flew off in between the orcas. Finally, as they approached our vessel, we were able to see that they appeared to be trying to kill an OCEAN SUNFISH, (Mola mola)! I've seen an adult male orca kill a Blue Shark, but never a Sunfish. The spyhopping, breaching and tail lobbing continued. Once, they went after a COMMON MURRE! (I've seen them kill a Rhinoceros Auklet). We were enjoying this show in beautiful, sunny weather, with calm seas! Then suddenly, some HUMPBACK WHALES appeared at our 10 o'clock. The orcas were at the 2 o'clock. Unbelievably, the three humpback whales made their way, keeping their ranks extremely close to each other, toward the orcas! It was hard to believe what we were seeing. I have seen orcas killing and chasing large baleen whales. But, this was the other way around! The humpbacks were chasing and bearing down on the killer whales! It was as if the humpbacks were acting like passerines that mob an owl. They seemed quite intent on their pursuit of the killer whales and came incredibly close to them. At least one of the humpbacks was making a racket with its blowing. We watched all of this with great interest. Many cameras were firing away! Our captain had radioed the other vessels. Alas, as they approached, the entire scene was engulfed in fog. We departed, leaving four vessels chasing the whale, or each other, in the fog. Thank you, Terry! Yes, indeedy, we do have orcas!

Heading out along the canyon edges, we searched for rafts of storm-petrels. Finding several small flocks, we finally found a raft of about 4,000 ASHY STORM-PETRELS. Two WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS were among these. One of the Wilson's was lured to our oil slick for a close view. One BLACK STORM-PETREL was also spotted. It is quite possible that the variety of storm-petrels will increase over the next few weeks.

We visited both Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties. Jennifer Green kept detailed notes for both counties, as well as GPSing our spots. Many thanks to Jennifer. We thank the Monterey Bay Birding Festival folks who joined us, as well as the many folks who journeyed from far away. Shearwater Journeys' leaders on this trip were: Alvaro Jaramillo, Denise Wight, Abe Borker, Jennifer Green, and Debi Shearwater. Many thanks to Terry Hunefeld for his gracious help.

The complete species list follows for SEPTEMBER 27, 2009
Monterey/Santa Cruz

RED-THROATED LOON-1/0
PACIFIC LOON- 2/0
EARED GREBE- 1/0
WESTERN GREBE- 3/0
BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 28/32
NORTHERN FULMAR- 1/1
PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 85/60
BULLER'S SHEARWATER- 3/4
SOOTY SHEARWATER- 190/32
MANX SHEARWATER- 1/0
BLACK-VENTED SHEARWATER- 10/0
WILSON'S STORM-PETREL- 1/1
ASHY STORM-PETREL- 4000 on the county lines
BROWN PELICAN- +
BRANDT'S CORMORANT- +
PELAGIC CORMORANT- 12/0
SURF SCOTER- 6/0
WOOD DUCK- 1/0
BLACK TURNSTONE- 12/0
SURFBIRD- 1/0
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 133/9
RED PHALAROPE- 9/0
SOUTH POLAR SKUA- 1/0
POMARINE JAEGER- 4/0
PARASITIC JAEGER- 1/0
HEERMANN'S GULL- +
CALIFORNIA GULL- +
WESTERN GULL- +
SABINE'S GULL- 7/0
ELEGANT TERN- 62/0
COMMON TERN- 2/0
FORSTER'S TERN- 14/0
COMMON MURRE- 330/82
XANTUS' MURRELET-1/0
XANTUS/CRAVERI'S- 2/0
CASSIN'S AUKLET- 0/24
RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 140/235
TUFTED PUFFIN- 0/1
GREAT EGRET- 3/0
PEREGRINE FALCON-1/0
SEA OTTER- +
CALIFORNIA SEA LION- +
HARBOR SEAL- +
HUMPBACK WHALE- 5
KILLER WHALE- 5 or 6, no adult males observed
BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN- 2
DALL'S PORPOISE- 4
OCEAN SUNFISH- 4
BLUE SHARK- 2

I invite you to visit the following web sites:
Abe Borker's stunning images
Denise Wight's web site
Alvaro Jaramillo on the Field Guides web site
Southern California Birding
Monterey Bay Birding Festival

Happy trails to you until we meet again,
Debi Shearwater
Shearwater Journeys, Inc.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

TRIP REPORT: SEP 12, 2009: MONTEREY: OFFSHORE ALBACORE GROUNDS

Howdy, Seabirders,

Monterey seabirds delighted and thrilled us on Shearwater Journeys' offshore pelagic trip on September 12th. Highlights included one HAWAIIAN PETREL and 24 COOK'S PETRELS, a single LEACH'S STORM-PETREL, and a STEJNEGER'S BEAKED WHALE which circled our vessel, repeatedly popping up within inches of the boat! We were treated to great views of three FIN WHALES, while the LONG-TAILED JAEGER show continued along with good numbers of POMARINE JAEGERS. As of this date, every one of our trips has had a grand slam on all of the jaeger species, including SOUTH POLAR SKUA. SABINE'S GULLS were found in good numbers. The Hawaiian Petrel was the first pterodroma of the day! We tried to chase it, but could not. So, I stopped the boat to have Wes lay out a slick. At 9:30 am, I spotted the first Cook's Petrels of the day over the slick. In contrast to other trips, nearly every single Cook's Petrel made a close pass at the boat, allowing photographers to get some excellent images! The weather was perfect, as were the seas. We could not have asked for more. A PEREGRINE FALCON was on the radio tower along Cannery Row at the day's end.

Scott Terrill's image of one of the Cook's Petrels on the Albacore trip. Copyright, Scott Terrill, 2009.

Many thanks to the participants who hailed from 14 states, Canada, Germany, England and The Netherlands. Leading this offshore trip were: Scott Terrill, Linda Terrill, Abe Borker, Wes Fritz, and Debi Shearwater.

The complete species list follows. All records are for Monterey County.

12 SEPTEMBER 2009 MONTEREY BAY OFFSHORE TO THE ALBACORE GROUNDS

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 19
NORTHERN FULMAR- 48
HAWAIIAN PETREL- 1
COOK'S PETREL- 24
PTERODROMA SP. (large)- 1
PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 72
BULLER'S SHEARWATER- 5
SOOTY SHEARWATER- 385
LEACH'S STORM-PETREL- 1
ASHY STORM-PETREL- 110
BROWN PELICAN- 6
BRANDT'S CORMORANT- 250
SURF SCOTER- 2
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 300
RED PHALAROPE- 17
SOUTH POLAR SKUA- 5
POMARINE JAEGER- 27
POMARINE/PARASITIC- 2
PARASITIC JAEGER- 12
PARASITIC/LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 2
LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 93
HEERMANN'S GULL- 90
CALIFORNIA GULL- 125
WESTERN GULL- 200
SABINE'S GULL- 69
ELEGANT TERN- 18
ARCTIC TERN- 4
FORSTER'S TERN- 2
COMMON MURRE- 18
CASSIN'S AUKLET- 42
RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 59
PEREGRINE FALCON- 1, along Cannery Row
SEA OTTER- 8
CALIFORNIA SEA LION- 15
NORTHERN FUR SEAL- 4
HARBOR SEAL- 1
FIN WHALE- 3
HUMPBACK WHALE- 5
STEJNEGER'S BEAKED WHALE- 1
NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHIN- 8
DALL'S PORPOISE- 25
BLUE SHARK- 1

Our last offshore trip from Monterey to the albacore grounds is October 10th. Spaces are still available.

Pterodromas forever,
Debi

TRIP REPORT: SEP 20, 2009: BODEGA BAY

Howdy, Seabirders,

This is a trip report for Shearwater Journeys' pelagic trip departing from Bodega Bay on September 20, 2009. A huge sea surface temperature break, ranging from the low 50s to 61 F beyond the 1500 fathom curve, was found. We reached 61F offshore at 1300 fathoms, our target spot, where we put out a large chum slick. The LONG-TAILED JAEGER show continued, but the much hoped for Pterodromas did not show up. We returned to our mini-slick at the north end of Cordell Bank, but the much hoped for Short-tailed (Steller's) Albatross did not show up. For a significant portion of the day, fog hampered our visibility. Like a veil, the fog lifted as we neared the 100 fathom line. It was here that we found five BLUE WHALES lunge feeding at the surface on krill. It was a spectacular, sublime ending to the day, watching the blues feeding in the brilliant sunshine. Little butterball CASSIN'S AUKLETS were so stuffed with krill that they could not lift off the water to fly away!


Image by Mark Rauzon, copyright, 2009.


Many thanks to all of our passengers who traveled to join our trip. The leaders on board were: Peter Pyle, Lisa Hug, Scott Terrill, Linda Terrill, Oscar Johnson, Wes Fritz, Todd McGrath, and Debi Shearwater. Thanks to Wes Friz for his magical chumming and to Oscar Johnson for tallying the county lists for Marin and Sonoma Counties.



The complete species list follows.

20 SEPTEMBER 2009 BODEGA BAY SHEARWATER JOURNEYS' PELAGIC TRIP:
Sonama/Marin/Total

RED-THROATED LOON- 2/0/2
PACIFIC LOON- 2/0/2
COMMON LOON- 5/0/5
WESTERN GREBE- 10/0/10
BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 15/11/26
NORTHERN FULMAR- 9/6/15
PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 16/18/34
BULLER'S SHEARWATER- 0/3/3
SOOTY SHEARWATER- 17/17/34
WILSON'S STORM-PETREL- 0/1/1
FORK-TAILED STORM-PETREL- 0/1/1
ASHY STORM-PETREL- 2/17/19
BROWN PELICAN- 6/0/6
BRANDT'S CORMORANT- 35/0/35
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT- 3/0/3
PELAGIC CORMORANT- 15/0/15
SURF SCOTER- 2/0/2
BLACK TURNSTONE- 0/1 (offshore)/1
RED KNOT- 5/0/5
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 50/3/53
RED PHALAROPE- 250/6/256
SOUTH POLAR SKUA- 0/5/5
POMARINE JAEGER- 2/7/9
PARASITIC JAEGER- 0/2/2
LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 0/31/31
JAEGER SP. -0/2/2
CALIFORNIA GULL- 25/55/80
WESTERN GULL- 125/20/145
SABINE'S GULL- 0/11/11
COMMON TERN- 1/0/1
ARCTIC TERN- 0/6/6
COMMON MURRE- 300/4/304
PIGEON GUILLEMOT- 8/0/8
CASSIN'S AUKLET- 800/0/800
RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 11/18/29
CALIFORNIA SEA LION- +
STELLER'S SEA LION- 1
FUR SEAL SP.- 1
HARBOR SEAL- +
MINKE WHALE- 1
BLUE WHALE- 5
HUMPBACK WHALE- 1
DALL'S PORPOISE- 2
OCEAN SUNFISH- 2
BLUE SHARK- 2
SALMON SHARK- 12

Shearwaters forever,
Debi

Saturday, September 19, 2009

TRIP REPORT: 18 SEPTEMBER 2009 BODEGA BAY

Howdy, Seabirders,

Shearwater Journeys' pelagic trip departing from Bodega Bay could be best described as, "Just another day in paradise." Highlights included: BLUE WHALES, a single TUFTED PUFFIN, over 50 BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES, high counts of RED and RED-NECKED PHALAROPES, CASSIN'S AUKLETS, and a SALMON SHARK. The incredible, non-stop JAEGER show continued, with 85 LONG-TAILED JAEGERS, 29 POMARINE JAEGERS, and 4 PARASITIC JAEGERS tallied. This is the first trip of the fall season that we have missed South Polar Skua. Best part of the day was the weather, in total contrast to the marine forecast. A PEREGRINE FALCON flew over the dock at the end of the day.

The "New Sea Angler," the vessel that we regularly use was fully repaired. We departed the harbor about 7 am, and returned at 6:30 pm. The extensive mudflats were covered with shorebirds, White Pelicans, and other species. We made it well beyond the 1000 fathom line, to at least 1300 fathoms. Birdlife was much more abundant than the September 16th trip. This just goes to show you how readily the marine life changes in response to migration and food supplies. It is all the more reason why birders should book as many trips as possible during their visit. Just as migration on land changes daily, so it does at sea.

Many thanks to our wonderful participants. Leaders for this trip were: Lisa Hug, Oscar Johnson, Abe Borker, Wes Fritz, Todd McGrath, and Debi Shearwater.

We spent a some time in both Sonoma and Marin Counties. The complete species list follows;

18 SEPTEMBER 2009 BODEGA BAY
TOTAL/ SONOMA/MARIN

RED-THROATED LOON- 1/1/0
PACIFIC LOON- 5/5/0
WESTERN GREBE- 13/13/0
BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 54/40/14
NORTHERN FULMAR- 11/4/7
PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 79/21/58
BULLER'S SHEARWATER- 2/2/0
SOOTY SHEARWATER- 59/47/12
WILSON'S STORM-PETREL- 1/1/0
FORK-TAILED STORM-PETREL- 7/7/0
ASHY STORM-PETREL- 22/18/4
BRANDT'S CORMORANT- 125/125/0
PELAGIC CORMORANT- 4/4/0
SURF SCOTER- 5/5/0
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 350/350/0
RED PHALAROPE- 800/800/0
POMARINE JAEGER- 29/15/14
PARASITIC JAEGER- 4/2/2
LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 85/49/36
JAEGER SP.- 2/2/0
HEERMANN'S GULL- 25/2/23
CALIFORNIA GULL- 50/30/20
WESTERN GULL- 60/45/15
SABINE'S GULL- 18/16/2
COMMON TERN- 1/1/0
ARCTIC TERN- 17/17/0
COMMON MURRE- 1250/1245/5
PIGEON GUILLEMOT- 8/8/0
CASSIN'S AUKLET- 700/690/10
RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 30/15/15
TUFTED PUFFIN- 1/1/0
CALIFORNIA SEA LION- +
NORTHERN FUR SEAL- 1
HARBOR SEAL- +
BLUE WHALE- 3
HUMPBACK WHALE- 10
OCEAN SUNFISH- 1
SALMON SHARK- 1
PEREGRINE FALCON- 1, in the harbor

Thursday, September 17, 2009

SEP 16, 2009: TRIP REPORT- A STELLER DAY!

Howdy, Seabirders,

This is a trip report for the September 16, 2009 Shearwater Journeys' pelagic trip departing from Bodega Bay.

The day began at 6:15 am with the skipper of our vessel up to his elbows in grease, down in the engine room. Not a good sign! Emerging from the engine room, we agreed to meet again at 9:30 am to assess the situation, while the skipper drove off to Santa Rosa to try to get an alternator for the boat. Some birders went off in search of early morning birds, while others, including myself went to breakfast. Reconvening at 9:30 am, I announced that the skipper was not able to get the parts and his boat would not be operable. Instead, he and I had made arrangements to take another vessel out, the ProFishn't. I also reminded folks that during past trips with these sorts of problems, we had encountered meg-rare seabirds. I doubt that anyone put much faith in this at that moment, though. Trouble was, the replacement boat could only take 29 passengers, maximum. Immediately, two of the Shearwater Journeys' leaders were knocked off the trip. Those passengers who had signed up first for the trip were given the option to join us. (Remarkably, some declined! One gracious couple from Pennsylvania, who were also signed up for Friday's and Sunday's trips, offered their spots to two young ladies who could only go out on Wednesday). So, lesson learned: sign up early! The later sign ups had to "walk the plank" as one of them put it, and forego the trip.

At 9:45 am, we were off and running out of the foggy harbor. The fog very soon gave way to completely clear conditions! We could see for miles, but there was precious little to see. Not very many seabirds or marine mammals were around. It was hot, warmer than I can remember in about ten years. We did not even wear coats or jackets. Soon, we were over Bodega Canyon and approaching the 1000 fathom line. I laid out one slick here. A few LONG-TAILED JAEGERS and ASHY STORM-PETRELS came in, along with one FORK-TAILED STORM-PETREL. BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES were all around. We continued along the 1000 fathom line, heading for the Cordell Bank. Nearing the Bank, hundreds of RED PHALAROPES were flushing off the water. My co-leader, Steve Howell, wanted me to put out another slick. After nagging me a second time, I did so. And, that's when the SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSS flew in! It sat around for a long time with the other albatrosses. The lucky young ladies who garnered their slots from the Pennsylvania folks could not believe the magic of it all! Probably half the folks on board had cameras and were shooting lots of images of this albatross gem. Images will be posted as soon as possible. Photos © Tom Blackman. It was about 3:30 pm and time to head for the harbor. The return ride turned out to be quite tough with spray and water running through the gunnels for nearly two hours solid! Nevertheless, we were all happy campers on board, especially when we looked in our wake to find the SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSS still following us at 4:30 pm.


I would like to thank my co-leader, Steve Howell, for joining me on this trip at some inconvenience for him, since he had a flight to catch immediately after the trip. I also thank all of the participants who hailed from ten different states in the USA. And, I thank everyone for remaining patient with our morning situation.

The complete species list for SEPTEMBER 16, 2009 follows:

RED-THROATED LOON- 2
PACIFIC LOON- in the harbor
COMMON LOON- in the harbor
WESTERN GREBE- 4
BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 47
*SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSS- 1, immature (14-16 months old, approx.)
NORTHERN FULMAR- 8
PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 48
SOOTY SHEARWATER- 36
FORK-TAILED STORM-PETREL- 1
ASHY STORM-PETREL- 15
BROWN PELICAN- in the harbor
BRANDT'S CORMORANT- +
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT- in the harbor
PELAGIC CORMORANT- in the harbor
SURF SCOTER-2
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 150
RED PHALAROPE- 2000
SOUTH POLAR SKUA- 4
POMARINE JAEGER- 22
PARASITIC JAEGER- 1
LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 21
JAEGER sp. - 4
HEERMANN'S GULL- 40
CALIFORNIA GULL- 45
WESTERN GULL- 150
SABINE'S GULL- 8
COMMON/ARCTIC TERN- 1
COMMON MURRE- 300
PIGEON GUILLEMOT- 6
CASSIN'S AUKLET- 200
RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 40
CALIFORNIA SEA LION- +
STELLER'S SEA LION- 1
HARBOR SEAL- +
LARGE WHALE SP.- 2
HUMPBACK WHALE- 4
PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN- 10
DALL'S PORPOISE- 6
BLUE SHARK- 1
SALMON SHARK- 1

Remember: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!

Albatrosses forever,
Debi

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSS

Howdy, Seabirders,

The single most stunning seabird of today's Shearwater Journeys' pelagic trip from Bodega Bay was a SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSS found by Steve N. G. Howell near the Cordell Bank. This immature (12-16 months old) albatross flew into the wake of our vessel, sat on the water with the Black-footed Albatrosses, and posed for the many photographers on board. It then followed us for nearly an hour. In addition to being one of the rarest albatrosses of the world, it is also one of the rarest of all birds in the world—period!

Many thanks to our wonderful participants, some of whom traveled a long distance to join us. And, many thanks to our leader, Steve Howell, who is a professional tour leader for the bird tour company, Wings, Inc., www.wingsbirds.com

A full report of this most unusual day will follow.

Albatrosses forever,
Debi

Monday, September 14, 2009

DOUBLE PUFFINS: SEPTEMBER 13TH

Howdy, Seabirders,

I had a great birthday pelagic trip, yesterday. We saw all of the usual fall suspects, including a grand slam on all three jaegers: POMARINE, PARASITIC & LONG-TAILED, and SOUTH POLAR SKUA. Highlights included one TUFTED PUFFIN, and one HORNED PUFFIN. Stay tuned for a full trip report.

Shearwaters forever,
Debi

Thursday, September 10, 2009

SEP 9, 2009 REPORT: SABINE'S GULLS & DOLPHINS

Howdy, Seabirders,

Seabirding does not get any finer than yesterday's trip on Monterey Bay. Glassy-smooth seas throughout the day, a constant flow of seabirds, and hundreds of dolphins and sunshine in the afternoon— we had it all. The show of SABINE'S GULLS, ASHY STORM-PETRELS, and two different TUFTED PUFFINS were the highlights of a pleasant day. As Pete Dunne once described his days on Monterey Bay with me, it was "quite civilized seabirding."

Things have changed in Monterey Bay over the past four weeks. Where warm water was once well inside the bay, it has now been replaced by very cold water ranging from 53-55F. The warm water is now almost 50 miles off Monterey. It is very warm— 60-65F. This presents a great temperature break, although it is not within reach of standard 7 am to 3 pm trip. (We will shoot for it this Saturday on our 12 hour Albacore trip). The cold water has attracted hundreds of CASSIN'S AUKLETS, as well as hundreds of RED and RED-NECKED PHALAROPES. The upwelling has produced krill, which has also attracted BLUE WHALES. Both Cassin's Auklets and Blue Whales feed on krill. Sightings of these three species have been very slim the past three years. This is a great sign. Krill is the keystone species in our nutrient-rich canyons. Flocks of 15- 30 SABINE'S GULLS were sitting on the water, making a beautiful display as they took to flight. Fewer BULLER'S SHEARWATERS are around. I suspect that most of them are out at the temperature break along the warm water edge. I hope to find out on Saturday's trip. Even the Davidson Seamount has a sea surface temperature break right now. Ten degrees is a significant temperature break! 

 We headed north to the canyons off Davenport, where we found the storm-petrels milling around, as though they were feeding which they sometimes do on overcast days. A TUFTED PUFFIN was found, both on our way out and our return to the harbor. Close views allowed us to determine that they are definitely two different birds. Feeding HUMPBACK WHALES surrounded by feeding PINK-FOOTED and SOOTY SHEARWATERS gave a good show in the morning. NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHINS and PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHINS in scattered subgroups, leaping and breezing across the water, and bow riding for several hours spent the afternoon with us. HARBOR PORPOISE have been hanging around the coast of Pacific Grove, while DALL'S PORPOISE were offshore. Fewer jaegers were found, but we did manage a clean sweep of all three species, including SOUTH POLAR SKUA. All in all, it was simply a delightful day. 

Many thanks to our participants who came from seven states, Canada, and the UK. Leaders on this trip were: Don Doolittle and John Sterling who are leading on our charter Antarctica voyage in January 2010; Ted Chandik who has been leading with Shearwater Journeys for over three decades; and Abe Borker who has been leading with Shearwater Journeys for three weeks! And, of course, I was there. The complete species list follows.

Spaces are still available on the following Monterey trips: 
SEPTEMBER 11, 12, 24, 25, 26, 27
OCTOBER 3, 4, 10, 11, 25
NOVEMBER 28
Reservations: Please contact me by email: debi@shearwaterjourneys.com

SPECIES LIST FOR SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 MONTEREY BAY 

PACIFIC LOON- 1
BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 12
NORTHERN FULMAR- 18
PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 150
BULLER'S SHEARWATER- 7
SOOTY SHEARWATER- 200
WILSON'S STORM-PETREL- 1
ASHY STORM-PETREL- 600 (in Santa Cruz County)
BROWN PELICAN- 20
BRANDT'S CORMORANT- 280
PELAGIC CORMORANT- 3
BLACK TURNSTONE- 5 + 1 offshore
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 500
RED PHALAROPE- 28
SOUTH POLAR SKUA- 1
POMARINE JAEGER- 15
POMARINE/PARASITIC- 2
PARASITIC JAEGER- 2
PARASITIC/LONG-TAILED- 1
LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 1
HEERMANN'S GULL- +
CALIFORNIA GULL- +
WESTERN GULL- +
SABINE'S GULL- 195
ELEGANT TERN- 100, mostly over the kelp beds off Point Pinos
COMMON TERN- 4
COMMON/ARCTIC TER- 2
ARCTIC TERN- 5
COMMON MURRE- 30
PIGEON GUILLEMOT- 8
CASSIN'S AUKLET- 800
RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 111
TUFTED PUFFIN- 2
PEREGRINE FALCON- 1, on the radio tower along Cannery Row
SEA OTTER- 12
CALIFORNIA SEA LION- +
STELLER'S SEA LION- 1
NORTHERN ELEPHANT SEAL- 2
HARBOR SEAL- +
HUMPBACK WHALE- 4
NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHIN- 300+
PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN- 400+
HARBOR PORPOISE- 3
DALL'S PORPOISE- 3
OCEAN SUNFISH- 1
BLUE SHARK- 2

Shearwaters forever,
Debi


Debra Shearwater
Shearwater Journeys, Inc.
PO Box 190
Hollister, CA 95024
831.637.8527

**Antarctica, South Georgia, & The Falkland Islands, January 5-24, 2010* 
Shearwater Journeys' Exclusive Charter
Waiting list available





Saturday, August 29, 2009

CORRECTION: Aug 28: Monterey Bay Pelagic Highlights

Seabirders,

My apologies. It has been pointed out to me that I used the incorrect date on the previous post. The highlights reported below were for the AUGUST 28, 2009 trip from Monterey. I claim lack of sleep for this slip up.

Seabird highlights found on today's Shearwater Journey's pelagic trip from Monterey Bay included: a gorgeous, near breeding plumage, TUFTED PUFFIN, that flew around the boat, and sat on the water for a great photo op; a raft of 1000 ASHY STORM-PETRELS (first of the fall for Monterey Bay), which included 1 BLACK STORM-PETREL, and 1 or 3 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS; good numbers of POMARINE, PARASITIC and LONG-TAILED JAEGERS; SOUTH POLAR SKUAS; and good numbers of SABINE'S GULLS. Most of the usual suspects were also found. We spent part of our day in Santa Cruz County, although most of it was in Monterey County.
A full trip report will be forthcoming, as well as some spectacular puffins images! The seas were very, very calm. We could see the smoke from the fire near Soledad. 

Spaces are still available on the following Monterey trips: Aug 31; Sep 9, 11, 12, 24, 25, 26, 27; Oct 3, 4, 10, 11, 25; Nov 28.

Still looking for Cook's Petrels? We have 2 spaces available for the dedicated chase trip on Saturday, September 5th from Bodega Bay. To reserve, please email me. Spaces are still available on the Sep 16, 18, 20 and Oct 16 trips from Bodega Bay, as well as the Oct 18 trip from Fort Bragg.

Yesterday, August 28th the following seabirds were found on a transect count: 

LOTS of birds all over the place, from the N end of the Bank to the S end, with 10-12 Cook's Petrels scattered about (nice views), 10+ Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels, 100s of Ashy Storm-Petrels and Red Phalaropes, 100+ Long-tailed Jaegers, 1 South Polar Skua, 50+ Sabine's Gulls, 2000+ Cassin's Auklets, 3 Xantus' Murrelets, plus Blue and Humpback whales, Steller's Sea Lions, and usual Black-footed Albatrosses, Buller's Shearwaters, etc.

This was all simply on transect with no stopping and going to where the birds were!

Hope to see you out there!
Debi

Debra Shearwater
Shearwater Journeys, Inc.
PO Box 190
Hollister, CA 95024
831.637.8527

**Antarctica, South Georgia, & The Falkland Islands, January 5-24, 2010* 
Shearwater Journeys' Exclusive Charter
Waiting list available





Friday, August 28, 2009

Aug 21: Monterey Bay Pelagic Highlights

Howdy, Seabirders,

Seabird highlights found on today's Shearwater Journey's pelagic trip from Monterey Bay included: a gorgeous, near breeding plumage, TUFTED PUFFIN, that flew around the boat, and sat on the water for a great photo op; a raft of 1000 ASHY STORM-PETRELS (first of the fall for Monterey Bay), which included 1 BLACK STORM-PETREL, and 1 or 3 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS; good numbers of POMARINE, PARASITIC and LONG-TAILED JAEGERS; SOUTH POLAR SKUAS; and good numbers of SABINE'S GULLS. Most of the usual suspects were also found. We spent part of our day in Santa Cruz County, although most of it was in Monterey County.
A full trip report will be forthcoming, as well as some spectacular puffins images! The seas were very, very calm. We could see the smoke from the fire near Soledad. 

Shearwaters forever,
Debi

Debra Shearwater
Shearwater Journeys, Inc.
PO Box 190
Hollister, CA 95024
831.637.8527

**Antarctica, South Georgia, & The Falkland Islands, January 5-24, 2010* 
Shearwater Journeys' Exclusive Charter
Waiting list available





Sunday, August 23, 2009

IMAGES from the AUGUST 21 MONTEREY PELAGIC TRIP

Hello, Seabirders,

Below is a photographic journey of some of the Monterey seabirds from our August 21, 2009 pelagic trip by Don Doolittle.




The morning began with many BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES, following in our wake. Image by Don Doolittle © 2009









BULLER'S SHEARWATERS were closer to shore than on previous trips, providing the many new seabirders on board with excellent views, and photographic opportunities. Image by Don Doolittle © 2009












PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATERS followed in our wake, as they often do. Image by Don Doolittle © 2009












Above us, POMARINE JAEGERS hovered. Image by Don Doolittle © 2009
















Looking up in the densely overcast skies at the hoards of jaegers, we spotted a TOWNSEND'S WARBLER. Image by Don Doolittle © 2009










Rafts of SABINE'S GULLS, along with the first of fall immature, were found. Image by Don Doolittle © 2009












Prize and surprise of the day, one of 35 COOK'S PETRELS found not far offshore. Image by Don Doolittle © 2009














And, finally, just off Point Pinos, at the end of the day, a very sweet XANTUS' MURRELET gave "lifer" views for all on board! Image by Don Doolittle © 2009











Oh, how those little murrelets can hide behind the little wavelets! Image by Don Doolittle © 2009











Happy trails to you,

Debi

Upcoming Shearwater Journeys' Pelagic Trips: Availability

Howdy, Seabirders,

Given that we found 35 COOK'S PETRELS on the August 21 Monterey Bay Fall Seabird Classic trip, there remains a possibility that we might find them, again on our "standard" Monterey trips. Currently, we have openings on the following trips, all departing from Monterey: August 28 & 31; September 9, 11, 12 (albacore), 24, 25, 26, & 27; October 3, 4, 10 (albacore), 11, 25; November 28. All trips run from 7 am until 3 pm, except for the albacore trips which run from 5:30 am to 5:30 pm. 

Trips from Bodega Bay with spaces available include: September 5, 16, 18, & 20; October 16. The September 5th trip is a Dedicated Cook's/Hawaiian Petrel chase trip, meaning that we will focus on finding those two species, and any other rare seabirds, totally for that day. All trips departing from Bodega Bay meet at 6:30 am and return 4-6 pm. 

We have one trip remaining that departs from Fort Bragg on October 18th. The August and September trips have been canceled due to mechanical problems with the boat. 

It is helpful to bear in mind that this could very well be a one-time event regarding the Cook's Petrels. These petrels are usually found more than 100 miles offshore. That they are so close to shore this year, is very, very unusual. In 35 years of offering pelagic trips from California, I have never witnessed an event such as this— Cook's Petrels within reach of a "standard" one day pelagic trip! It may not happen again. I would not count on this for next year. From radio tagging efforts, we now know that Hawaiian Petrels are part of our regular offshore species. Even so, we have already had fantastic sightings of this species this season. 

Hoping to see you "out there", 
Debi


Monterey Bay: NEARSHORE COOK'S PETRELS

Howdy, Seabirders,

This is a report of Shearwater Journeys' Monterey Bay Fall Seabird Classic trip, August 21, 2009. This trip runs from 7 am until 3 pm. Surprisingly, 35 COOK'S PETRELS were found, not far from Point Pinos. Other highlights included: BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES; NORTHERN FULMAR; BULLER'S SHEARWATERS; ASHY STORM-PETRELS; POMARINE, PARASITIC & LONG-TAILED JAEGERS; SOUTH POLAR SKUA; SABINE'S GULLS; XANTUS' MURRELETS; and 1 TOWNSEND'S WARBLER. 

During the morning orientation, I asked how many folks on board were making their first trip on Monterey Bay. Nearly everyone on board was a "first timer." At the dock, I mentioned that earlier trips had found quite a few Cook's Petrels, but that we did not anticipate seeing any on this trip due to the fact that the petrels had been further offshore than what we would be able to make on this day. No one seemed to be concerned about this, as Cook's Petrels were not their target species, but rather the more common species were what they were searching for. As the ocean Gods would have it, we ended the day by finding 35 COOK'S PETRELS, some of them quite close to the boat! Totally unexpected and very surprising, we were all just thrilled. Oh, well, every time I announce that we are not going to see "xyz," we end up finding it! The significant aspect of this trip is that we found the Cook's Petrels much nearer to shore than on the previous trips. This means that these little pterodroma gems might be within reach of upcoming "classic" trips with Shearwater Journeys. See below for available dates. 

It was a marvelous day, with seabirds, non-stop. SABINE'S GULL numbers increased over recent trips, as did the ASHY STORM-PETREL numbers. It seemed to take forever to pick up the jaegers, but eventually, all three species were hovering over the vessel. A dozen HUMPBACK WHALES were found, along with a herd of 250 super-fantastic NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHINS who rode the bow of our vessel for over an hour. The skies were uniformly high overcast, making for the most favorable of conditions. Seas were very calm with eight knots of wind from the northwest. A TOWNSEND'S WARBLER was lost in the overcast skies. Finally, at the end of the day, two XANTUS' MURRELETS were spotted just off Point Pinos. One individual sat on the water, obliging with "life bird" views for all of the very, very happy participants on board! 

We would like to thank all of the participants who traveled from CA, VA, FL, NY, Il, TX, NY, AZ, MN, WA, and England, as well as The Netherlands. The leaders on this trip were: Don Doolittle, Wes Fritz, John Hiles, Jennifer Green and Debra Shearwater. We covered two counties: Monterey and Santa Cruz.

Below is the complete species list for the AUGUST 21, 2009 SHEARWATER JOURNEYS' MONTEREY BAY TRIP:
MONTEREY COUNTY/SANTA CRUZ COUNTY:

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 11/23
NORTHERN FULMAR- 8/4
COOK'S PETREL- 35/0
PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 21/15
BULLER'S SHEARWATER- 21/36
SOOTY SHEARWATER- 3500/50
ASHY STORM-PETREL- 3/100
BROWN PELICAN- +/0
BRANDT'S CORMORANT- +/0
PELAGIC CORMORANT- 2/0
BLACK TURNSTONE- 2/0
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 45/17
RED PHALAROPE- 2/0
SOUTH POLAR SKUA- 2/2
POMARINE JAEGER- 15/6
POMARINE/PARASITIC JAEGER- 3/0
PARASITIC JAEGER- 2/1
PARASITIC/LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 1/0
LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 34/10
HEERMANN'S GULL- +/+
CALIFORNIA GULL- +/+
WESTERN GULL- +/+
SABINE'S GULL- 92/52
ELEGANT TERN- 27/0
COMMON MURRE- 285/30
PIGEON GUILLEMOT- 18/0
XANTUS' MURRELET- 2/0 (scrippsi)
CASSIN'S AUKLET- 23/7
RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 32/50
TOWNSEND'S WARBLER- 1/0
SEA OTTER- +
CALIFORNIA SEA LION- +
HARBOR SEAL- +
HUMPBACK WHALE-12
NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPIN- 250
RISSO'S DOLPHIN- 4
PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLHIN- 20
DALL'S PORPOISE- 8

Pterodromas forever,
Debi





Debra Shearwater
Shearwater Journeys, Inc.
PO Box 190
Hollister, CA 95024
831.637.8527

**Antarctica, South Georgia, & The Falkland Islands, January 5-24, 2010* 
Shearwater Journeys' Exclusive Charter
Waiting list available





San Benito County: August 20th Birding

Howdy, Birders,

Some fall birding highlights in San Benito County on Thursday, August 20th included:

PAICINES RESERVOIR: 

Bald Eagle- 1 male, adult, sitting in the oak grove on the west side of the reservoir
Semipalmated Plover- 3
California gull- 1
WILLOW FLYCATCHER- 1, in the single willow tree in the reservoir (no water surrounding the tree)- first of the fall in the county
Cassin's Kingbird - 1
Western Kingbird- 2, both species were hawking insects at the edge of the reservoir

TRES PINOS town:
At some hummingbird feeders:
COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD- 1
Black-chinned Hummingbird- 10
Allen's/Rufous Hummingbird-1
Anna's Hummingbird- 50

QUIEN SABE ROAD:
Golden Eagle- 1 adult
PRAIRIE FALCON- 1, eating prey as it sat on the telephone pole

SAN FELIPE LAKE:
Burrowing Owl- 14
Canada Goose- 600-800, high counts
MARBLED GODWIT- 2
PECTORAL SANDPIPER- 3
Least Sandpiper- 200
Western Sandpiper- 20
"peep" sp.- 130
American Avocet- 38
MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER- 1

HOLLISTER INDUSTRIAL PONDS:
Spotted Sandpiper- 1
Northern Shoveler- 50

HOLLISTER SEWER PONDS:
Wilson's Phalarope- 9
Sharp-shinned Hawk- 1

The Hollister Sewer ponds are now open to birders, usually from 7:30 am until 4:30 pm. It is necessary to check in at the office prior to driving around the ponds. The is precious little shorebird habitat at both the sewer ponds and the industrial ponds. However, shorebird habitat is the best that I have ever seen at San Felipe Lake, locally known as Soap Lake. Shorebird habitat is also very good at Paicines Reservoir. These are the two best places in the county to look for shorebirds at this time.

Good birding,
Debi