41 YEARS OF CALIFORNIA SEABIRDING 

SHEARWATER JOURNEYS

Welcome to Shearwater Journeys, the premier seabirding company in North America which has served generations of birders. From Eureka in northern California to San Diego, Shearwater Journeys has, at one time or another offered offshore pelagic trips along the entire coastline. Indeed, we were the pioneers of such amazing trips to the Davidson Seamount in the 1970’s, now protected as part of the marine sanctuary. Many new seabird records for the State of California and North America have been discovered on our trips — more than any others, adding immensely to the avifauna data base. In recent years, we’ve concentrated our trips along the rich California Current, offering trips departing from Monterey, Half Moon Bay, and Sausalito. This is quite possibly the single most productive ocean area in the entire world. 

Forty years, thousands of trips, and tens of thousands of birders have joined our trips where we have observed hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of seabirds. There is no comparison. We have some 24 trips on offer for the coming fall season. Join the fun and exciting world of seabirds and marine mammals with Shearwater Journeys, the folks who have introduced generations of birders to this unique world. There is only one Shearwater Journeys! 

EXPEDITION VOYAGE: ENCHANTED GALAPAGOS, November 1- 14, 2017 is a charter voyage for only 15 guests. Join Debi as she returns to these fabulous islands. We shall target the endemic birds and wildlife, hiking on all of the key islands. UPDATE: Remarkably, this voyage sold out within 24 hours! I added second voyage, November 15 - 28, 2017 which has also sold out. We are now taking a WAITING LIST. To put your name on the wait list, please email Debi for more information: debi@shearwaterjourneys.com.

2016 CALENDAR OF TRIPS

May 27-Jun. 20 RUSSIA’S RING OF FIRE VOYAGE- SOLD OUT

Jun. 9 -20 RUSSIA’S SEA OF OKHOTSK VOYAGE- SOLD OUT                

Jul. 29, Fri. Monterey Bay: Albatrosses & Early Fall Seabirds $168

Aug. 6, Sat. Half Moon Bay: Albatrosses & Early Fall Seabirds $198

Aug. 7, Sun. Farallon Islands: Tufted Puffins & Breeding Seabirds $189

Aug. 13, Sat. Half Moon Bay: Albatrosses & Early Fall Seabirds $198

Aug. 14, Sun. Farallon Islands: Tufted Puffins & Breeding Seabirds $189

Aug. 19, Fri.   Half Moon Bay: Albatrosses & Fall Seabirds $198

Aug. 26, Fri. Monterey Bay: Albatrosses & Fall Seabirds $168

Sep. 3, Sat. Monterey Bay: Fall Seabird Classic $168

Sep. 4, Sun. Half Moon Bay: Albatrosses, Petrels & Storm-Petrels $198

Sep. 7, Wed. Monterey Seavalley: Fall Seabird Classic $168

Sep. 8, Thu. Monterey Bay: Fall Seabird Classic $168

Sep. 9, Fri. Monterey Seavalley: Fall Seabird Classic $168

Sep. 10, Sat. Albacore Grounds: Offshore Monterey $198

Sep. 11, Sun. Monterey Bay: Fall Seabird Classic $168

Sep. 15, Thu. Monterey Seavalley: Fall Seabird Classic $168

Sep. 16, Fri. Half Moon Bay: Fall Seabird Classic $198

 Sep. 23, Fri. Monterey Bay: Fall Seabird Classic $168

Sep. 24, Sat. Monterey Bay: Fall Seabird Classic $168

Sep. 25, Sun. Monterey Seavalley: Fall Seabird Classic $168

Oct. 1, Sat. Monterey Bay: Fall Seabird Classic $168

Oct. 2, Sun. Half Moon Bay: Fall Seabird Classic $198

Oct. 8, Sat. Monterey Bay: Fall Seabird Classic $168

Oct. 9, Sun. Half Moon Bay: Fall Seabird Classic $198

Oct. 16, Sun. Monterey Bay: Fall Seabird Classic $168

2017

Nov. 1-14 ENCHANTED GALAPAGOS ISLANDS VOYAGE $7990- SOLD OUT- TAKING WAITING LIST
Nov. 15-28: ENCHANTED GALAPAGOS ISLANDS VOYAGE $7990- SOLD OUT- TAKING WAITING LIST

The year 2015 was one of the single most amazing years along the central coast of California. We observed a record 20 species of tubenoses: albatrossses, petrels, shearwaters, and storm-petrels! One of many highlights was a WHITE-CHINNED PETREL on the September 15th Half Moon Bay trip that flew into the wake and sat on the water for 45 minutes! Our August 9th trip to the Farallon Islands not only saw scads of TUFTED PUFFINS, but also NORTHERN GANNET, BROWN BOOBY, and BLUE-FOOTED BOOBY! Our trips to the Farallon Islands have a 100% success rate in finding Tufted Puffins, and always sell out early. Departing from Sausalito on a very stable catamaran, we sail under the iconic Golden Gate Bridge for a unique perspective. Monterey Bay trips this past fall season were over the top with seabirds and lunge-feeding and breaching HUMPBACK WHALES. El Nino sent thousands of BLACK-VENTED SHEARWATERS to Monterey Bay and a handful of LEAST STORM-PETRELS. Every single day is completely different — just ask the folks who did 5 trips in a row from Monterey with us! Our friendly and knowledgable leaders are ready to enchance your day at sea! Join us!

DISCOUNTS: In recognition of our fourth decade of pelagic trips, we offer you a $40 per person, per trip discount on any Monterey trip on this schedule except for the September 10 Albacore trip; and a $20 per person, per trip discount on any Half Moon Bay and Farallon Island trip, if booked prior to JULY 1. Discounts must be deducted from your payment at the time of booking. All discounted trips are NON-REFUNDABLE for any reason. Note that all of our scheduled trips for 2014 and 2015 operated and none were canceled for lack of sign ups, neither were any of those trips weathered out. Many trips sold out well in advance: Farallon Islands, Albacore and many others. Book early!

RESERVATIONS: Payment, in full by check or money order, is required at the time of booking. Please include the name, home address, phone/email of each person in your party as required by the USCG. For payments outside of the USA, please email Debi. Send reservations to: Debi Shearwater, POB 190, Hollister, CA 95024. Email: debi@shearwaterjourneys.com. Please see our web site and blog for more information and updates. Please note: Debi will be out of the office from May 17 through June 24 while leading expedition voyages in the Russian Far East. You are encouraged to send in your reservation(s) during that period. Your reservation will be acknowledged after June 25. Looking forward to birding with you in our 41st year offshore! — Debi Shearwater

SHEARWATER JOURNEYS, INC.

PO BOX 190

HOLLISTER, CA 95024

debi@shearwaterjourneys.com

831.637.8527

www.shearwaterjourneys.com

http://shearwaterjourneys.blogspot.com

Brown Booby image by Beth Hamel, copyright, Farallon Islands, August 9, 2015.

Please do not use without permission.

HOLY MACKEREL: MONTEREY BAY PELAGIC SEABIRD TRIP, SEPTEMBER 5, 2014

Monterey Bay seabirds put on a spectacular show on Shearwater Journeys's September 5, 2014 pelagic trip. Within thirty minutes of departing the dock, we were surrounded by tens of thousands of shearwaters and feeding whales! 

Highlights included: PACIFIC MACKEREL chasing anchovies to the surface of the sea where shearwaters were snatching them up! Important seabirds we observed included: six species of shearwaters: 27,000 SOOTY SHEARWATERS; 250 PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATERS; 1200 BLACK-VENTED SHEARWATERS; 6 BULLER'S SHEARWATERS and 1 FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER; all three species of jaegers: POMARINE, PARASTIC and LONG-TAILED JAEGER; SOUTH POLAR SKUA; a brilliant and complete selection of rocky shorebirds on the Coast Guard Jetty: 2 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS, 1 WANDERING TATTLER, 7 BLACK TURNSTONES and 6 SURFBIRDS; a springing of COMMON TERNS; nursery schools of vocalizing father/chick pairs of COMMON MURRES,  the last of the PIGEON GUILLEMOTS, a few RHINOCEROS AUKLETS and tiny handful of CASSIN'S AUKLETS. The HUMPBACK WHALES continue to put on quite a show with lunge-feeding at the surface. Two different herds of dolphins included LONG-BEAKED COMMON DOLPHINS and SHORT-BEAKED COMMON DOLPHINS. Top all of this off with some very fine weather and we can all agree it was a completely outstanding day at sea on Monterey Bay!

Within thirty minutes of leaving the harbor, we found ourselves inspecting thousands and thousands of shearwaters sitting in rafts at sea, so stuffed with food that they did not want to fly. Amongst these rafts, I found 2 leucistic Black-vented Shearwaters and one leucistic Sooty Shearwater. ELEGANT TERNS were soaring ultra high in the sky, probably searching for food. Then, we saw shearwaters diving and fish "breezing" across the top of the sea! These anchovies were being pursued from below by the predatory mackerel! Amongst these rafts of shearwaters, leader Rick Fournier spotted a MANX SHEARWATER! Everyone on the boat, including many photographers, was able to get great views of this rarely spotted Pacific shearwater. In fact, it was one of the best views I've had in many years. We continued searching the shearwater flocks and then headed north to Santa Cruz County and the old haunts of storm-petrel flocks. A couple single BLACK STORM-PETRELS made passes at the boat. Jaegers and the SOUTH POLAR SKUA flew by, as well as BULLER'S SHEARWATERS. We stopped and I dumped out some menhaden oil, and leader Jennifer Green spotted a FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER soaring over the slick. A few minutes later, it was spotted sitting in a flock of a dozen or so PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATERS. 

Our very capable captain, "Tinker," above, catching a MACKEREL for us to see.

Here is a video of PACIFIC MACKEREL at the MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM. 

Seabirds are not evenly distributed at sea. They are found in patches — wherever the food is located!

As everyone has heard me say, "It's all about food!"

We love to honor celebrations at sea on our pelagic trips. 

This beautiful couple, Christine Miller and Chantel Fletcher celebrated their 13th Anniversary together!

Many thanks to all of the folks who joined our trip from near and far, including Finland and England. Many thanks to Wally & Lois Goldfrank and their friends in the Santa Cruz Bird Club! 

The leaders on this trip were: Jennifer Green, Nick Levendosky, Rick Fournier and Debi Shearwater.

THE COMPLETE SPECIES LIST FOR SHEARWATER JOURNEYS'S MONTEREY BAY SEPTEMBER 5, 2014 PELAGIC SEABIRDING TRIP FOLLOWS:

MONTEREY/SANTA CRUZ COUNTIES

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 6/13

NORTHERN FULMAR- 0/1

PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 157/159

*FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 0/1

BULLER'S SHEARWATER- 2/4

SOOTY SHEARWATER- 26,000/100

*MANX SHEARWATER- 3/0

BLACK-VENTED SHEARWATER- 1200/0

BLACK STORM-PETREL- 0/3

BROWN PELICAN- +

BRANDT'S CORMORANT- +

PELAGIC CORMORANT- 2/0

BLACK OYSTERCATCHER- 2/0

WANDERING TATTLER- 1/0

BLACK TURNSTONE- 7/0

SURFBIRD- 6/0

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 29/17

SOUTH POLAR SKUA- 0/1

POMARINE JAEGER- 1/2

POMARINE/PARASITIC- 1

PARASITIC JAEAGER- 6/3

LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 0/2

HEERMANN'S GULL- +

CALIFORNIA GULL- +

WESTERN GULL- +

ELEGANT TERN- 120/12

COMMON TERN- 8/6

COMMON MURRE- 225/25

PIGEON GUILLEMOT- 2/0

CASSIN'S AUKLET- 4/8

RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 4/8

SEA OTTER- 8

CALIFORNIA SEA LION- 130

NORTHERN FUR SEAL- 1

HARBOR SEAL- 4

HUMPBACK WHALE- 25

SHORT-BEAKED COMMON DOLPHIN- 25

LONG-BEAKED COMMON DOLPHIN- 40, separate herds

OCEAN SUNFISH- 1

WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF 11 DAYS OF TRIPS IN A ROW!

JUMP ON BOARD with SHEARWATER JOURNEYS!

DEBI SHEARWATER

THREE PELAGIC BIRDING TRIPS: 33 SPECIES OF OCEAN BIRDS

FINDING SEABIRDS with SHEARWATER JOURNEYS

Pelagic birding is often described as "the last frontier" of birding. I can clearly remember looking at the plates of jaegers, shearwaters, storm-petrels, and alcids in my Petersen Texas Field Guide in 1971! Well, we've come a long way since that time. Nearly four decades of seabirding trips with thousands of birders on board, we have perfected pelagic birding as best as anyone in the world. 

In fact, many other operations have taken inspiration from us!

I always advise birders who are traveling a long distance to reach our seabird-rich area to try to do more than one trip, and from more than one port. So, let's take a look at how that would have played out, had you booked the Shearwater Journeys's August 1 Monterey Bay trip, August 2 Half Moon Bay trip and August 3 Farallon Islands trip departing from Sausalito. 

Below the images, you will find the complete species list for each day. I did not include the rocky shorebirds. 

 As can be seen from the lists, the MONTEREY BAY trip on AUGUST 1 was the best trip for seeing BLACK-VENTED SHEARWATERS, above! Monterey is always a good place for getting one's feet wet with pelagic birds. It is a good option for the beginning sea birder who wants to learn the differences in flight patterns which are often the first critical clue about a bird. For instance, the Black-vented Shearwater has a faster wingbeat than the Sooty Shearwater. This is hard to "learn" when one sees only one or two Black-vents. But, the Monterey trip had over 100 Black-vents, giving the observer more opportunity to study the flight differences. 

Of the three trips, only the Monterey trip found SABINE'S GULLS. 

Every sea birder dreams of the mega-rare seabirds. Well, they are rare because we rarely see them! 

Hands down, the star seabird of our AUGUST 2 HALF MOON BAY trip was the HAWAIIAN PETREL, above. 

 While Monterey is a great starting point for beginning sea birders, it also remains an excellent place for intermediate and advanced sea birders, as well. Witness the fact that I spotted a HAWAIIAN PETREL on the AUGUST 2, 2013 MONTEREY BAY trip! 

Even before the petrel showed up, we had tallied some "good species."

CRAVERI'S MURRELETS, above, showing dark wing linings and SCRIPPS'S MURRELETS, below, showing white wing linings, are highly sought after small alcids in our area. 

These little treasures were ONLY found on the AUGUST 2 HALF MOON BAY trip. 

Note that Craveri's Murrelets have not shown up in central California for nearly a decade, and may not do so, again. So, if you are looking for this species, in particular, be advised: Get on a Half Moon Bay trip as soon as possible, or one of the Bodega Bay trips: September 1 & 19, this year! Don't wait until next year, as Craveri's Murrelet may not show up!

The Half Moon Bay trips are the ONLY trips were the endangered MARBLED MURRELET, below, is regularly encountered. 

So, by adding the Half Moon Bay departure to the Monterey Bay departure, one can increase the total species list dramatically. 

For our last trip in this sequence, we head to the Farallon Islands, departing from Sausalito. 

Note that we started on the southern central coast in Monterey and are now working our way north.

In addition to the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, we seek the cheeky TUFTED PUFFIN, in particular on our AUGUST 3 FARALLON ISLAND trip. We have a 100% success rate for Tufted Puffin on our August Farallon trip, and this one was no different. 

However, we add a bonus bird: the NORTHERN GANNET (the white speck in the image below), which has been at the islands, off and on, for three years! 

 

Not too far from the gannet, a BROWN BOOBY is perched on Sugerloaf, too!

This is another "bonus seabird."

 Most of the trip to the Farallon Islands takes place on the Continental Shelf. After touring the islands, we head to the edge of the shelf, hoping to see shearwaters and Black-footed Albatross, which we do. 

Suddenly, in flies a LAYSAN ALBATROSS, yet another "bonus seabird"!

No one trip tallies as many species of seabirds. 

By doing all three trips, you would have tallied a MEGA-RARE SEABIRD, HAWAIIAN PETREL; other rarities: NORTHERN GANNET & BROWN BOOBY; harder-to-find-seabirds such as SCRIPPS'S, CRAVERI'S & MARBLED MURRELETS; and EIGHT SPECIES OF ALCIDS!

Think about it this way:

When you visit one of your favorite land birding migration spots, be it Cape May, NJ or High Island, TX, you plan to spend more than one day birding there. 

It is, after all, migration — even though you walk the same trails, and look in the same tress, each day is different. 

Well, finding ocean birds works the same way. Plan for more than one day and you will almost certainly add more species! 

Smart Birding!

SEABIRDS SIGHTED ON SHEARWATER JOURNEYS'S

AUGUST 1, 2, 3, 2014 TRIPS

MONTEREY/HALF MOON BAY/FARALLON ISLANDS

1. RED-THROATED LOON- 0/2/0

2. PACIFIC LOON- 0/1/0

3. WESTERN GREBE- 0/0/100

4. LAYSAN ALBATROSS- 0/0/1

5. BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 27/53/12

6. NORTHERN (PACIFIC) FULMAR- 9/9/6

7. **HAWAIIAN PETREL- 0/1/0

8. PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 84/310/30

9. SOOTY SHEARWATER- 21783/1935/400

10. BLACK-VENTED SHEARWATER- 161/3/0

11. BROWN PELICAN- 71/335/10

12. ** NORTHERN GANNET- 0/0/1

13. **BROWN BOOBY- 0/0/1

14. BRANDT'S CORMORANT- 1321/50/2020

15. DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT- 2/60/9

16. PELAGIC CORMORANT- 5/2/10

17. RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 158/17/15

18. RED PHALAROPE- 3/0/0

19. PARASITIC JAEGER- 1/2/5

20. HEERMANN'S GULL- 29/2/32

21. CALIFORNIA GULL- 30/2/32

22. WESTERN GULL- 273/100/550

23. SABINE'S GULL- 2/0/0

24. ELEGANT TERN- 114/290/75

25. CASPIAN TERN- 3/0/0

26. COMMON MURRE- 461/280/1520

27. PIGEON GUILLEMOT- 12/12/325

28. MARBLED MURRELET- 0/2/0

29. SCRIPPS'S MURRELET- 0/2/0

30. CRAVERI'S MURRELET- 0/6/0

31. CASSIN'S AUKLET- 3/5/20

32. RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 6/4/12

33. TUFTED PUFFIN- 0/0/23

MARINE MAMMALS:

1. SEA OTTER- 15/0/0

2. CALIFORNIA SEA LION- 250/30/ 400

3. STELLER'S SEA LION- 0/0/30

4. NORTHERN FUR SEAL- 0/0/400

5. HARBOR SEAL- 5/0/85

6. HUMPBACK WHALE- 1/6/2

7. RISSO'S DOLPHINS- 21/0/2

8. HARBOR PORPOISE- 0/12/8

9. DALL'S PORPOISE- 21/0/0

OTHER:

1. OCEAN SUNFISH- 12/10/18

2. BY-THE-WIND-SAILORS- +

Our trips are set up so that they can be combined, doing trips from different ports and working in the same direction from north to south (not back tracking). If you travel any distance to do find seabirds on the West Coast, your biggest expenses are getting here and staying here. Take in as many trips as you can while you are here.

Once, two Cornell Lab of Ornithology staff signed up for every single trip on Shearwater Journeys's schedule for the month of September. They LOVED seabirds and were rewarded with a STREAKED SHEARWATER on the last trip!

You might wonder if I take my own advise. YES, of course I do. 

When I last visited Kaikoura, New Zealand, another seabird mecca, I signed up for SIX trips! 

GET OUT THERE! 

SEPTEMBER IS USUALLY THE VERY BEST MONTH FOR SEABIRDS!

SHEARWATERS FOREVER, 

DEBI SHEARWATER

debi@shearwaterjourneys.com

All images, copyright, various.

Please do not use without permission.

IMAGES OF THE DAY BY BRYAN HIX: AUGUST 2, 2014 HALF MOON BAY

Another beautiful set of images from Shearwater Journeys's August 2, 2014 Half Moon Bay pelagic trip by BRYAN HIX. One might get the idea that photographers love to come on our trips! As previously reported, this one of those days when pelagic birding was at its finest. I think the images reflect that. 

BRYAN HIX, above.

PIGEON GUILLEMOTS nested at Pillar Point Harbor. 

PARASITIC JAEGER, the commonest jaeger inshore. 

 

SOOTY SHEARWATER, above. Flocks have been seen from shore lately.

RHINOCEROS AUKLET, above, breeds on the nearby Farallon Islands.

SCRIPPS'S MURRELET, above, a highly sought after species.

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS, above, a common visitor during summer and early fall. 

HAWAIIAN PETREL, above and below, a mega-rare seabird!

HAWAIIAN PETREL, below, as it flies around our vessel for all to see!

NORTHERN (PACIFIC) FULMAR which came to our chum slick. 

PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER, a common fall visitor.

MARBLED MURRELET, found just outside of the harbor!

All images by Bryan Hix.

Please do not use without permission.

LIFE IS GOOD — AT SEA ON SUCH A DAY AS THIS!

PETRELS FOREVER,

DEBI SHEARWATER

debi@shearwaterjourneys.com

FARALLON ISLANDS, AUGUST 3, 2014 TRIP REPORT

Shearwater Journeys's pelagic trip to the Farallon Islands, August 3, 2014 to view TUFTED PUFFINS and many seabirds was a huge success that included: NORTHERN GANNET, BROWN BOOBY and LAYSAN ALBATROSS! 

Our target bird, the charismatic TUFTED PUFFIN, put on a good show, with the first individuals spotted before we even reached the islands. We have a 100% success rate for seeing puffins on this trip!

Our trip departs from Sausalito where we head out to the islands, ducking under a California icon, the GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE. 

Nearing the islands, the captain spotted a lot of juvenile rockfish, on the fish finder.

We saw rafts of PIGEON GUILLEMOTS, many carrying these rockfish to the island to feed their young. 

 

Heading straight to Sugerloaf, we immediately spotted the NORTHERN GANNET that has now been at the islands for 3 years! Our trips have been 100% successful in finding the gannet, although over recent months it has also roosted on Alcatraz Island. This is possibly the first gannet record for the West coast, and certainly the first for California. The gannet is the white blob in the photo, above. The head is not in view.

Not far from the gannet, we spotted a BROWN BOOBY! One or more, brown boobies have been hanging around the islands since last spring. Two days after our trip, a blue-footed booby showed up! We have seen brown booby on many of our past trips to the islands. 

The islands are part of the National Wildlife Refuge system. Landing on the islands is not permitted by the general public. These houses play host to a variety of biologists. 

BRANDT'S CORMORANTS above, and COMMON MURRES, below. 

After having lunch with the puffins, we headed to the edge of the Continental Shelf to look for other seabirds. This put us out in the shipping lanes with the big ones!

 

A half dozen BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES began following in our wake. 

A surprise was a gorgeous LAYSAN ALBATROSS which flew in and put on a good show!

Returning to the harbor, we passed under the bridge, again, and watched the shipping traffic, coming and going. 

And, had a chance to enjoy the beautiful SAN FRANCISCO SKYLINE.

Many thanks to all who joined us on this successful day at sea!

Special thanks to Golden Gate Audubon Society and my friend, Gerry McChesney. 

Leaders on this day were: PETER PYLE, NICK LEVENDOSKY & DEBI SHEARWATER.

Along with two friends, Peter, set a new Mammal Big Day for North America!

The COMPLETE SPECIES LIST for SHEARWATER JOURNEYS, AUGUST 3, 2014 FARALLON ISLANDS TRIP FOLLOWS: (ALL BIRDS OFFSHORE, SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY).

WESTERN GREBE- 100

LAYSAN ALBATROSS- 1

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 12

NORTHERN FULMAR- 6

PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 30

SOOTY SHEARWATER- 400

*BROWN BOOBY- 1

**NORTHERN GANNET- 1

BROWN PELICAN- 10

BRANDT'S CORMORANT- 2020

DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT- 9

PELAGIC CORMORANT- 10

WANDERING TATTLER- 1

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 15

PARASITIC JAEGER- 6

HEERMANN'S GULL- 32

CALIFORNIA GULL- 10

WESTERN GULL- 550

ELEGANT TERN- 75

COMMON MURRE- 2020

PIGEON GUILLEMOT- 325

CASSIN'S AUKLET- 20

RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 12

TUFTED PUFFIN- 25

PEREGRINE FALCON- 2, at the islands, not nesting this year.

CALIFORNIA SEA LION- 400

STELLER'S SEA LION- 30

NORTHERN FUR SEAL- 400

NORTHERN ELEPHANT SEAL- 7

HARBOR SEAL- 85

HUMPBACK WHALE- 2

RISSO'S DOLPHIN- 2

HARBOR PORPOISE- 8

OCEAN SUNFISH- 18

SHEARWATER JOURNEYS'S 2015 

FARALLON ISLANDS TRIPS: $187/PERSON

AUGUST 2: TUFTED PUFFINS & BREEDING SEABIRDS

OCTOBER 11: THE HUNT FOR GREAT WHITE SHARKS

View Shearwater Journeys's complete schedule for 2014, here. 

The season has just begun. We have trips departing from Monterey, Half Moon Bay and Bodega Bay. 

PUFFINS FOREVER,

DEBI SHEARWATER

debi@shearwaterjourneys.com

BREAKING NEWS: HAWAIIAN PETREL on SHEARWATER JOURNEYS'S HALF MOON BAY TRIP

The highlight of Shearwater Journeys's August 2, 2014 pelagic trip departing from Half Moon Bay was a HAWAIIAN PETREL (Pterodroma sandwichensis) which was spotted by leader Scott Terrill as it flew up the wake to an awesome-sauce slick more than a mile long made by Debi Shearwater. This gorgeous petrel flew up the side of the boat and off the bow, giving every person on board excellent views! It was a life bird for many on board, including some who were doing their first-ever pelagic trip!

Amazingly, I spotted a HAWAIIAN PETREL on this same day on a Monterey Bay pelagic trip! See that trip report, here, and more images by David Pavlik, here. David, pictured below, was on both trips, 2013 and 2014! What a lucky guy!

Does David look happy, or what? Actually, on this year's trip he ticked another Life Bird, CRAVERI'S MURRELET! 

Many additional seabirds sparked a lot of excitement, including SCRIPPS'S and CRAVERI'S MURRELETS; BLACK and ASHY STORM-PETRELS and SABINE'S GULLS. Having missed the MARBLED MURRELETS in the morning, leader Linda Terrill (eagle-eye!) spotted two on the return to the harbor. It was a fabulous day! And, my new chumming technique really paid off in spades, er, I mean petrels! Although I am loathe to make seabird predictions, I did mention to a few of the leaders recently that the stationary offshore high pressure system was ideal for Hawaiian Petrel, a seabird dependent on mega-scale wind patterns. 

HAWAIIAN PETREL images in this post by Scott Terrill. The Hawaiian Petrel is listed as ENDANGERED by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Although this species is rare in California, we now know from radio tracking that it is part of our "normal" offshore avifauna. 

THE NEW FACES OF SEABIRDING, above.

Fifteen of the sixteen birders under the age of 35 celebrating the Hawaiian Petrel! 

We thank all of the folks from near and far who joined us on this day, including at least one person who hitchhiked to meet up with this trip!

The leaders on this trip were:

SCOTT TERRILL, LINDA TERRILL, ABE BORKER & DEBI SHEARWATER

THE COMPLETE SPECIES LIST FOR 2 AUGUST 2014 FOLLOWS:

All birds were in SAN MATEO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA:

RED-THROATED LOON- 2

PACIFIC LOON- 1

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 53

NORTHERN FULMAR- 9

**HAWAIIAN PETREL- 1

PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 310

SOOTY SHEARWATER- 1935

BLACK-VENTED SHEARWATER- 3

ASHY STORM-PETREL- 1

BLACK STORM-PETREL- 1

BROWN PELICA- 335

BRANDT'S CORMORANT- 50

DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT- 60

PELAGIC CORMORANT- 2

WANDERING TATTLER- 2

BLACK TURNSTONE- 12

SURFBIRD- 4

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 17

PARASITIC JAEGER- 2

CALIFORNIA GULL- 12

WESTERN GULL- 100

GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL- 1

SABINE'S GULL- 2

ELEGANT TERN- 290

COMMON MURRE- 280

PIGEON GUILLEMOT- 12

SCRIPPS'S MURRELT- 2

CRAVERI'S MURRELET- 6

MARBLED MURRELET- 2

CASSIN'S AUKLET- 5

RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 4

CALIFORNIA SEA LION- 30

HARBOR SEAL- 2

HUMPBACK WHALE- 6

HARBOR PORPOISE- 12

OCEAN SUNFISH- 10

BY-THE-WIND-SAILOR- ++

EGG YOLK JELLY- 2

MOON JELLY- 4

UPCOMING HALF MOON BAY TRIPS & LEADERS:

AUG. 16: SCOTT TERRILL, LINDA TERRILL, TODD MCGRATH, JIM HOLMES, DEBI SHEARWATER (one space available, email Debi now)

AUG. 17: STEVE ROTTENBORN, STEVE TUCKER, JIM DANZENBAKER, DEBI SHEARWATER- SOLD OUT, WAIT LIST AVAILABLE

AUG. 23: SCOTT TERRILL, LINDA TERRILL, STEVE TUCKER, WILL BROOKS, DEBI SHEARWATER

SEP. 7: STEVE TUCKER, STEVE HAMPTON, WILL BROOKS, DEBI SHEARWATER

SEP. 8: DEBI SHEARWATER & TBA

SEP. 15: STEVE HAMPTON, NICK LEVENDOSKY, DEBI SHEARWATER

SEP. 21: STEVE ROTTENBORN, STEVE HAMPTON, MARISSA ORTEGA-WELSH,  WILL BROOKS, DEBI SHEARWATER

SEP. 24: JON DUNN, JIM HOLMES, PETER PYLE, STEVE HAMPTON, JIM DANZENBAKER, JENNIFER GREEN, DEBI SHEARWATER

OCT. 5: STEVE TUCKER, STEVE HAMPTON, COURTENAY RAY, DENA SPATZ, DEBI SHEARWATER

OCT. 12: SCOTT TERRILL, LINDA TERRILL, STEVE HAMPTON, STEVE TUCKER, DEBI SHEARWATER

UPCOMING BODEGA BAY TRIPS:

SEP. 1: STEVE HOWELL, LISA HUG, DEBI SHEARWATER

SEP. 19: STEVE HOWELL, PETER PYLE, STEVE TUCKER, LISA HUG, JENNIFER GREEN, DEBI SHEARWATER

HOPE TO SEE YOU OUT THERE!

SHEARWATERS FOREVER,

DEBI SHEARWATER

debi@shearwaterjourneys.com

SALVIN'S ALBATROSS: Second Record for North America!

SALVIN'S ALABATROSS (Thalassarche salvini):

 First Record for California

Shearwater Journeys's July 26, 2014 pelagic trip from Half Moon Bay, California had many outstanding seabirds, and the SALVIN'S ALBATROSS topped the species list!

It was already a fantastic day at sea when we received a call from another birding group that they had spotted the Salvin's Albatross. We were ten miles away and motored over as quickly as possible to find this albatross sitting near a raft for BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES. Earlier in the day, we had called the other group about a LAYSAN ALBATROSS which they motored over to see. 
Additional highlights of this trip included: BULLER'S SHEARWATER (first of the season); ASHY STORM-PETREL; all three species of jaegers: POMARINE, PARASITIC, and LONG-TAILED; SABINE'S GULL; SCRIPP'S and CRAVERI'S MURRELETS. The murrelets are particularly "good finds." A single male ORCA made a brief appearance. 

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS, left and SALVIN'S ALBATROSS, right.

The taxonomy surrounding the so-called, "shy albatross" group has been in flux, with some countries splitting the group (Tasmanian/Auckland, Salvin's, Chatham). Recently the AOU has made some splits with Salvin's, Chatham and Tasmanian each being full species, so I've been told. 

There is only one record of Salvin's Albatross for North America, near Kasatochi Island, western Aleutians, 4 August 2003, making this the second record for North America and first for California. More details can be found in Steve Howell's publications, below. 

Shearwater Journeys's trips found an adult Tasmanian Albatross and Chatham Albatross on pelagic trips departing from Bodega Bay, 

All images, copyright, STEVE TUCKER, leader for Shearwater Journeys. 

Please do not use without permission. 

Spaces are still available on our HALF MOON BAY trips:

AUGUST 1, 16, 17, 23

SEPTEMBER 7, 8, 15, 24

OCTOBER 5, 12

Below, is our complete species list for July 26th. I'll post a trip report on my blog soon. Many thanks to all who joined us from near and far. Our leaders on this day included: Todd McGrath, Scott Terrill, Linda Terrill, Steve Tucker, Abe Borker, and Debi Shearwater. I have experience with Salvin's Albatrosses not only on many pelagic trips off the coast of Chile, but also at their breeding islands: Bounty, Snares and the Forty Fours. And, I'll be heading to those islands, again, at the end of this year! Berths are still available.

JULY 26, HALF MOON BAY with SHEARWATER JOURNEYS: SAN MATEO/SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY

*SALVIN'S ALBATROSS- 1/0

LAYSAN ALBATROSS- 1/0

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 40/20

NORTHERN FULMAR- 1/5

PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 110/150

BULLER'S SHEARWATER- 0/1

SOOTY SHEARWATER- 160/30

ASHY STORM-PETREL -1/3

BROWN PELICAN- 40/0

BRANDT'S CORMORANT- 90/0

DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT- 15/0

PELAGIC CORMORANT- 2/0

BLACK TURNSTONE- 20/0

SURFBIRD- 13/0

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 55/54

POMARINE JAEGER- 1/0

PARASITIC JAEGER- 1/0

LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 0/3

HEERMANN'S GULL- 40/0

CALIFORNIA GULL- 30/10

WESTERN GULL- 180/10

SABINE'S GULL- 19/1

ELEGANT TERN- 35/0

COMMON MURRE- 305/14

PIGEON GULLIMOT- 9/0

SCRIPP'S MURRELET- 2/0

CRAVERI'S MURRELET- 5/0

CASSIN'S AUKLET- 6/4

RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 1/1

CALIFORNIA SEA LION- 70

STELLER'S SEA LION- 2

NORTHERN FUR SEAL- 1

HUMPBACK WHALE- 4

KILLER WHALE- 1, ADULT MALE

NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHIN- 40

RISSO'S DOLPHIN- 12

PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOPHIN- 120

HARBOR PORPOISE- 4

OCEAN SUNFISH- 60

BY-THE-WIND-SAILORS- ++

MOON JELLY- 6
EGG YOLK JELLY- 2

Want to see SALVIN'S ALBATROSS on the breeding islands? Join me on the Birding Down Under Voyage to New Zealand's sub-Antarctic islands, November 9 - 25, 2014! Berths are still available!

ALBATROSSES ALWAYS,

DEBI SHEARWATER

debi@shearwaterjourneys.com