Monterey seabirding could not have been better on Shearwater Journeys's first pelagic trip of the season on Monterey Bay, August 1, 2014. We had a great variety of marine life, from SURFBIRD on the Coast Guard jetty to more than a hundred BLACK-VENTED SHEARWATERS nearshore, to BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES and RISSOS'S DOLPHINS feeding on SQUID. Monterey Bay is renown the world over for immense productivity (i.e., food!) supplying the entire food chain! It was non-stop seabirds, all day long!
SURFBIRD, on the jetty, where we pause to check out rocky shorebirds.
GREAT EGRET standing on the kelp beds off Cannery Row.
SOUTHERN SEA OTTER enjoying breakfast.
Raft after raft of SOOTY SHEARWATERS were present throughout the day.
BLACK-VENTED SHEARWATERS arrived very early this year. They are dwellers of the Continental Shelf, although we do see them in the middle of Monterey Bay because they cut across the bay from one side to the other.
Still plenty of "dads and chicks" around, COMMON MURRE, chick on the left.
RHINOCEROS AUKLET, above. The nearest breeding area is Ano Nuevo Island.
BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES put on a fine show.
PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATERS, often fly right up the wake of the boat.
NORTHERN (PACIFIC) FULMAR, likely summered in the area.
CASSIN'S AUKLETS have had a good breeding season at the Farallon Islands.
SQUID, on the fish finder!
Our captain caught a few SQUID (Loligo opalescens) so we could have a close up view.
It was no surprise that we ran into a beautiful group of RISSO'S DOLPHINS because they are squid eaters!
RISSO'S DOLPHINS have pointed dorsal fins and bulbous heads.
Returning to the harbor at the end of a day filled with marine life!
All images, copyright, Beth Hamel.
Please do not use without permission.
We thank all the folks who came from near and far on this trip.
The leaders were: BRIAN SULLIVAN, NICK LEVENDOSKY, RICK FOURNIER, JENNIFER GREEN, DEBI SHEARWATER
THE COMPLETE SPECIES LIST FOR SHEARWATER JOURNEYS'S AUGUST 1, 2014
MONTEREY BAY PELAGIC TRIP, COVERING MONTEREY & SANTA CRUZ COUNTIES FOLLOWS: (Many thanks to Brian Sullivan for the hourly eBird counts!)
| SPECIES | Monterey | Santa Cruz | Grand Total |
| Barn Swallow | 1 | 1 | |
| Black Turnstone | 3 | 3 | |
| Black-footed Albatross | 14 | 13 | 27 |
| Black-vented Shearwater | 134 | 27 | 161 |
| Brandt's Cormorant | 1315 | 6 | 1321 |
| Brewer's Blackbird | 2 | 2 | |
| Brown Pelican | 53 | 18 | 71 |
| California Gull | 25 | 5 | 30 |
| Caspian Tern | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Cassin's Auklet | 3 | 3 | |
| Common Murre | 215 | 246 | 461 |
| Double-crested Cormorant | 2 | 2 | |
| Elegant Tern | 109 | 5 | 114 |
| Great Blue Heron | 1 | 1 | |
| Great Egret | 4 | 4 | |
| Heermann's Gull | 29 | 29 | |
| House Finch | 5 | 5 | |
| Lazuli/Indigo Bunting | 1 | 1 | |
| Northern Fulmar | 2 | 7 | 9 |
| Parasitic Jaeger | 1 | 1 | |
| Pelagic Cormorant | 5 | 5 | |
| Pigeon Guillemot | 12 | 12 | |
| Pink-footed Shearwater | 50 | 34 | 84 |
| Red Phalarope | 3 | 3 | |
| Red-necked Phalarope | 32 | 126 | 158 |
| Rhinoceros Auklet | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) | 15 | 15 | |
| Sabine's Gull | 2 | 2 | |
| Sooty Shearwater | 11118 | 10665 | 21783 |
| Surfbird | 1 | 1 | |
| Western Gull | 244 | 29 | 273 |
| Western Sandpiper | 1 | 1 | |
| Grand Total | 13399 | 11193 | 24592 |
DALL'S PORPOISE- 11
BY-THE-WIND-SAILORS- ++
JELLIES
UPCOMING MONTEREY TRIPS:
AUG. 8: RICK FOURNIER, JENNIFER GREEN, DEBI SHEARWATER
AUG. 15: TODD MCGRATH, JIM DANZENBAKER, RICK FOURNIER, SOPHIE WEBB, JENNIFER GREEN, DEBI SHEARWATER
AUG. 15: TODD MCGRATH, JIM DANZENBAKER, RICK FOURNIER, SOPHIE WEBB, JENNIFER GREEN, DEBI SHEARWATER
AUG. 22: SCOTT TERRILL, RICK FOURNIER, JENNIFER GREEN, DEBI SHEARWATER
SEP. 5: NICK LEVENDOSKY, RICK FOURNIER, JENNIFER GREEN, DEBI SHEARWATER
SEP. 6: SCOTT TERRILL, LINDA TERRILL, DEBI SHEARWATER
SEP. 9: TOM JOHNSON, RICK FOURNIER, DEBI SHEARWATER
SEP. 10: TOM JOHNSON, DEBI SHEARWATER
SEP. 11: JENNIFER GREEN, DEBI SHEARWATER
SEP. 12: DEBI SHEARWATER + TBA
SEP. 13: ALBACORE TRIP: SCOTT TERRILL, LINDA TERRILL, JENNIFER GREEN, DEBI SHEARWATER
SEP. 14: DEBI SHEARWATER + TBA
SEP. 25: JON DUNN, NICK LEVENDOSKY, JIM DANZENBAKER, DEBI SHEARWATER
SEP. 26: KENN KAUFMAN, KIMBERLY KAUFMAN, SCOTT TERRILL, DEBI SHEARWATER
SEP. 27: JIM DANZENBAKER, JENNIFER GREEN, DEBI SHEARWATER
SEP. 28: RICK FOURNIER, MARISSA ORTEGA-WELCH, COURTENAY RAY, DEBI SHEARWATER
OCT. 4: NICK LEVENDOSKY, JENNIFER GREEN, DEBI SHEARWATER
OCT. 11: NICK LEVENDOSKY, RICK FOURNIER, DEBI SHEARWATER
SEE YOU OUT THERE!
SHEARWATERS FOREVER,
DEBI SHEARWATER
debi@shearwaterjourneys.com
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