Please enjoy these images by Shearwater Journeys's leader, Todd McGrath, from our incredible pelagic trip from Half Moon Bay on July 26, 2014. What a day of fantastic albatrosses and seabirds!
SOOTY SHEARWATERS, above, a declining species.
DAD & CHICK, COMMON MURRE, above.
We will continue to see these vocalizing pairs over the next several weeks.
CASSIN'S AUKLET, above, a breeding auk at the Farallon Islands, not far from Half Moon Bay.
BULLER'S SHEARWATER, above, a southern hemisphere breeder at Poor Knights Islands, New Zealand. This was our first fall sighting of this species.
CRAVERI'S MURRELETS, above, are highly prized seabirds. We saw them on our July 20, 2014 Half Moon Bay trip as well. This is the first time they've been spotted in central and northern California in nearly a decade. This small auk breeds on offshore islands in both the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California off the Baja Peninsula, Mexico.
SCRIPPS'S MURRELETS, above, first of the fall season in central California. This is a newly recognized species, a split from the population of Xantus's Murrelet.
LAYSAN ALBATROSS, above and below, always a good find. Most of the Laysan Albatrosses that we see at this time of year are birds from the Mexico population.
BY-THE-WIND-SAILOR, above, are turning up all along the West Coast, from Washington to central California, and wrecking on beaches, as well.
Typically, we see BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS, above, as soon as we reach the edge of the Continental Shelf.
Most of the NORTHERN/PACIFIC FULMARS that we find at this time of year have likely summered in our area. Fulmars are high arctic breeders who spend the winter in our area.
The highlight of this day at sea was the SALVIN'S ALBATROSS, above!
This albatross breeds at the Bounty Islands and Snares, New Zealand.
This SALVIN'S ALBATROSS is the first record for California!
And, only the second record for all of North America!
Wish you were there!
SHEARWATERS & ALBATROSSES FOREVER,
DEBI SHEARWATER
debi@shearwaterjourneys.com
JUMP ON BOARD!
All images, copyright, TODD MCGRATH.
Please enquire to use images.
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