TRIP REPORT: MARCH 21, 2014 MONTEREY BAY RARE SEABIRDS, HUMPBACKS & ORCAS, OH MY!

Howdy, Seabirders, 

A day of Monterey seabirding with Shearwater Journeys on March 21 was nothing short of spectacular! Highlights included: BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS; NORTHERN FULMAR; PINK-FOOTED, SOOTY, SHORT-TAILED and MANX (rare) SHEARWATERS; ASHY STORM-PETREL (rare at this time of year); ANCIENT MURRELET; RHINOCEROS and CASSIN'S AUKLET; SABINE'S GULL (very rare at this time of year; possibly a first for Northern California in March); GRAY & HUMPBACK WHALES; KILER WHALES (ORCA); RISSO'S, PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED and NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHINS! Whew! This was a shorter day than our normal 7.5 hour trip, but it packed a walloping array of marine life, both "expected" species and unexpected! 

All images, below, by Beth Hamel, copyright. Please do not use without permission. 

See more of Beth's lovely images, here. 

PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER

One of about five KILLER WHALES, or ORCAS, above and below. 

MANX SHEARWATER, a rare seabird on the West Coast. 

Many thanks to all of the birders and marine life enthusiasts who joined us from near and far. The leaders on this day were: Brian Sullivan, Tim Miller, Abe Borker, Rick Fournier, Clay Kempf and Debi Shearwater. The complete species list follows. 

MARCH 21, 2014 SHEARWATER JOURNEYS'S MONTEREY BAY TRIP:

SURF SCOTER - 142

RED-THROATED LOON - 1

PACIFIC LOON - 295

COMMON LOON - 7

HORNED GREBE - 4

EARED GREBE - 20

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS - 13

NORTHERN FULMAR - 46

PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER - 38

SOOTY SHEARWATER - 59, a declining species

SHORT-TAILED SHEARWATER - 1, a declining species

*MANX SHEARWATER - 1, rare on the West Coast

ASHY STORM-PETREL - 2, unusual at this time of year

BRANDT'S CORMORANT - 279

DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT - 1

PELAGIC CORMORANT - 6

BLACK OYSTERCATCHER - 2

BLACK TURNSTONE - 1

SURFBIRD - 1

RED PHALAROPE - 1719, good count for spring migration

COMMON MURRE - 75

PIGEON GUILLEMOT - 13

ANCIENT MURRELET - 3, a winter-spring specialty

CASSIN'S AUKLET - 7

RHINOCEROS AUKLET - 9

SABINE'S GULL - 1, extremely unusual this time of year

BONAPARTE'S GULL - 58

HEERMANN'S GULL - 6

MEW GULL (AMERICAN) - 1

WESTERN GULL - 165

CALIFORNIA GULL - 5

HERRING GULL (AMERICAN) - 3

GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL - 5

WESTERN X GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL (HYBRID) - 2

ROCK PIGEON - 26, habor

HUMMINGBIRD SP. - 1, offshore; not uncommon as they migrate across the bay

BELTED KINGFISHER - 1, harbor

BARN SWALLOW - 1, harbor

EUROPEAN STARLING - 1, harbor

HOUSE FINCH - 2, harbor

CALIFORNIA SEA LION - x

SOUTHERN SEA OTTER - x

GRAY WHALE - x

HUMPBACK WHALE - x

KILLER WHALE (ORCA) - x

RISSO'S DOLPHIN - x

PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN - x

NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHIN - x

SPACES AVAILABLE ON UPCOMING TRIPS:

HALF MOON BAY: JULY 20, 26; AUG. 2, 16, 17, 23; SEP. 7, 8, 15, 21, 24; OCT. 5, 12

MONTEREY BAY: AUG. 1, 8, 15, 22; SEP. 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 25, 26, 27, 28; OCT. 4, 11

BODEGA BAY: SEP. 1, 19

FARALLON ISLANDS; AUG. 3 (only 2 spaces available, email Debi, ASAP)

JUMP ON BOARD! 

SHEARWATERS FOREVER, 

DEBI SHEARWATER