Howdy, Birders,
This is a trip report for Shearwater Journeys' ten hour, October 18, 2013 pelagic trip departing from Bodega Bay and heading offshore to the Bodega Canyon and Cordell Bank. The morning began with fog nearshore which pushed out once we were offshore, permitting excellent visibility. We were about 30 miles offshore when I put out a huge slick and chumming effort which attracted at least some 45 BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES and hoards of NORTHERN FULMARS. At least three different LAYSAN ALBATROSSES made passes at the boat as well as two different FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATERS and several SHORT-TAILED SHEARWATERS . Leaving the slick, we continued to the Cordell Bank area where a BROWN BOOBY (Sonoma County) was spotted with a smaller, mixed flock of gulls and shearwaters. We refound it a second time in Marin County. One quite lost CACKLING GOOSE was more than 25 miles offshore. It sat down on the sea, right next to our boat. A couple of HUMPBACK WHALES were making quite a commotion, flailing their tail flukes and pectoral flippers, while groups of PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED and NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHINS were bowriding for over an hour. No storm-petrels were detected even though we traveled through the areas where we have seen them recently. Perhaps, they have retreated south to the Pioneer Canyon. We'll find out when we head offshore there on October 27th from Half Moon Bay. The sea surface temperature had plunged to 52 degrees F. Seas were quite favorable with a long period northwest swell. All in all, we had a wonderful, although somewhat chilly, day offshore. All images, below, by leader Jennifer Green. Please do not use without permission.
BROWN BOOBY, above. As described by one non-birder boat captain to me — pointed on all four corners — which this image clearly shows!
FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER, above.
LAYSAN ALBATROSS, above.
PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN, above. Numerically, the most abundant cetacean in the Northern California Bight.
Many thanks to all of the birders who joined us from near and far. The leaders on this day included: Steve Tucker, Jennifer Green, Lisa Hug, Debi Shearwater and Farley Connelly, chumming.
The complete species list for SONOMA/MARIN COUNTIES follows.
OCTOBER 18, 2013 SHEARWATER JOURNEYS BODEGA CANYON & CORDELL BANK
RED-THROATED LOON- 2/3
PACIFIC LOON- 20/0
COMMON LOON- +, harbor
RED-NECKED GREBE- 2/0
EARED GREBE- 1/0
WESTERN GREBE- 20, harbor
LAYSAN ALBATROSS- 3/0
BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 48/20
NORTHERN FULMAR- 210/40
PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 18/40
FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 1/1
BULLER'S SHEARWATER- 18/9
SOOTY SHEARWATER- 37/12, very low count, declining species
SHORT-TAILED SHEARWATER- 2/0, very low count, declining species
**BROWN BOOBY- 1/1, same individual in both counties
BROWN PELICAN- +
BRAND'TS CORMORANT- +
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT- +
PELAGIC CORMORANT- +
SURF SCOTER- 300/0, outside of harbor
WHITE-WINGED SCOTER- 3/0, outside of harbor
*CACKLING GOOSE- 0/1
BLACK TURNSTONE- +
RED PHALAROPE- 2/1
SOUTH POLAR SKUA- 4/3
POMARINE JAEGER- 4/0
PARASITIC JAEGER- 1/0
BONAPARTE'S GULL- 1/1
HEERMANN'S GULL- +
MEW GULL- +
CALIFORNIA GULL- +
HERRING GULL- 10
THAYER'S GULL-1/0
WESTERN GULL- +
GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL- 5
WESTERN/GLAUCOUS-WINGED- +
COMMON MURRE- 41/0
CASSIN'S AUKLET- 1/22
RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 19/20
PEREGRINE FALCON- 1/0, offshore at least 10 miles
CALIFORNIA SEA LION- +
NORTHERN FUR SEAL- 1
HUMPBACK WHALE- 3
NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHIN- 45
PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN- 125
DALL'S PORPOISE- 12
SPACES ARE STLL AVAILABLE THIS SEASON:
OCTOBER 25 MONTEREY BAY
OCTOBER 27 & NOVEMBER 16 HALF MOON BAY
JUMP ON BOARD!
SHEARWATERS FOREVER,
DEBI SHEARWATER
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