Debi Shearwater's Journeys

**Antarctica, South Georgia, & The Falkland Islands, January 5-24, 2010*

Shearwater Journeys' Exclusive Charter

Waiting list available

Friday, August 28, 2009

Aug 21: Monterey Bay Pelagic Highlights

Howdy, Seabirders,

A full trip report will be forthcoming, as well as some spectacular puffins images! The seas were very, very calm. We could see the smoke from the fire near Soledad.

Shearwaters forever,

Debi

Debra Shearwater

Shearwater Journeys, Inc.

PO Box 190

Hollister, CA 95024

831.637.8527

**Antarctica, South Georgia, & The Falkland Islands, January 5-24, 2010*

Shearwater Journeys' Exclusive Charter

Waiting list available

Sunday, August 23, 2009

IMAGES from the AUGUST 21 MONTEREY PELAGIC TRIP

Hello, Seabirders,

Below is a photographic journey of some of the Monterey seabirds from our August 21, 2009 pelagic trip by Don Doolittle.

Oh, how those little murrelets can hide behind the little wavelets! Image by Don Doolittle © 2009

Happy trails to you,

Debi

Upcoming Shearwater Journeys' Pelagic Trips: Availability

Howdy, Seabirders,

Given that we found 35 COOK'S PETRELS on the August 21 Monterey Bay Fall Seabird Classic trip, there remains a possibility that we might find them, again on our "standard" Monterey trips. Currently, we have openings on the following trips, all departing from Monterey: August 28 & 31; September 9, 11, 12 (albacore), 24, 25, 26, & 27; October 3, 4, 10 (albacore), 11, 25; November 28. All trips run from 7 am until 3 pm, except for the albacore trips which run from 5:30 am to 5:30 pm.

Trips from Bodega Bay with spaces available include: September 5, 16, 18, & 20; October 16. The September 5th trip is a Dedicated Cook's/Hawaiian Petrel chase trip, meaning that we will focus on finding those two species, and any other rare seabirds, totally for that day. All trips departing from Bodega Bay meet at 6:30 am and return 4-6 pm.

We have one trip remaining that departs from Fort Bragg on October 18th. The August and September trips have been canceled due to mechanical problems with the boat.

It is helpful to bear in mind that this could very well be a one-time event regarding the Cook's Petrels. These petrels are usually found more than 100 miles offshore. That they are so close to shore this year, is very, very unusual. In 35 years of offering pelagic trips from California, I have never witnessed an event such as this— Cook's Petrels within reach of a "standard" one day pelagic trip! It may not happen again. I would not count on this for next year. From radio tagging efforts, we now know that Hawaiian Petrels are part of our regular offshore species. Even so, we have already had fantastic sightings of this species this season.

Hoping to see you "out there",

Debi

Monterey Bay: NEARSHORE COOK'S PETRELS

Howdy, Seabirders,

This is a report of Shearwater Journeys' Monterey Bay Fall Seabird Classic trip, August 21, 2009. This trip runs from 7 am until 3 pm. Surprisingly, 35 COOK'S PETRELS were found, not far from Point Pinos. Other highlights included: BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES; NORTHERN FULMAR; BULLER'S SHEARWATERS; ASHY STORM-PETRELS; POMARINE, PARASITIC & LONG-TAILED JAEGERS; SOUTH POLAR SKUA; SABINE'S GULLS; XANTUS' MURRELETS; and 1 TOWNSEND'S WARBLER.

During the morning orientation, I asked how many folks on board were making their first trip on Monterey Bay. Nearly everyone on board was a "first timer." At the dock, I mentioned that earlier trips had found quite a few Cook's Petrels, but that we did not anticipate seeing any on this trip due to the fact that the petrels had been further offshore than what we would be able to make on this day. No one seemed to be concerned about this, as Cook's Petrels were not their target species, but rather the more common species were what they were searching for. As the ocean Gods would have it, we ended the day by finding 35 COOK'S PETRELS, some of them quite close to the boat! Totally unexpected and very surprising, we were all just thrilled. Oh, well, every time I announce that we are not going to see "xyz," we end up finding it! The significant aspect of this trip is that we found the Cook's Petrels much nearer to shore than on the previous trips. This means that these little pterodroma gems might be within reach of upcoming "classic" trips with Shearwater Journeys. See below for available dates.

It was a marvelous day, with seabirds, non-stop. SABINE'S GULL numbers increased over recent trips, as did the ASHY STORM-PETREL numbers. It seemed to take forever to pick up the jaegers, but eventually, all three species were hovering over the vessel. A dozen HUMPBACK WHALES were found, along with a herd of 250 super-fantastic NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHINS who rode the bow of our vessel for over an hour. The skies were uniformly high overcast, making for the most favorable of conditions. Seas were very calm with eight knots of wind from the northwest. A TOWNSEND'S WARBLER was lost in the overcast skies. Finally, at the end of the day, two XANTUS' MURRELETS were spotted just off Point Pinos. One individual sat on the water, obliging with "life bird" views for all of the very, very happy participants on board!

We would like to thank all of the participants who traveled from CA, VA, FL, NY, Il, TX, NY, AZ, MN, WA, and England, as well as The Netherlands. The leaders on this trip were: Don Doolittle, Wes Fritz, John Hiles, Jennifer Green and Debra Shearwater. We covered two counties: Monterey and Santa Cruz.

Below is the complete species list for the AUGUST 21, 2009 SHEARWATER JOURNEYS' MONTEREY BAY TRIP:

MONTEREY COUNTY/SANTA CRUZ COUNTY:

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 11/23

NORTHERN FULMAR- 8/4

COOK'S PETREL- 35/0

PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 21/15

BULLER'S SHEARWATER- 21/36

SOOTY SHEARWATER- 3500/50

ASHY STORM-PETREL- 3/100

BROWN PELICAN- +/0

BRANDT'S CORMORANT- +/0

PELAGIC CORMORANT- 2/0

BLACK TURNSTONE- 2/0

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 45/17

RED PHALAROPE- 2/0

SOUTH POLAR SKUA- 2/2

POMARINE JAEGER- 15/6

POMARINE/PARASITIC JAEGER- 3/0

PARASITIC JAEGER- 2/1

PARASITIC/LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 1/0

LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 34/10

HEERMANN'S GULL- +/+

CALIFORNIA GULL- +/+

WESTERN GULL- +/+

SABINE'S GULL- 92/52

ELEGANT TERN- 27/0

COMMON MURRE- 285/30

PIGEON GUILLEMOT- 18/0

XANTUS' MURRELET- 2/0 (scrippsi)

CASSIN'S AUKLET- 23/7

RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 32/50

TOWNSEND'S WARBLER- 1/0

SEA OTTER- +

CALIFORNIA SEA LION- +

HARBOR SEAL- +

HUMPBACK WHALE-12

NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPIN- 250

RISSO'S DOLPHIN- 4

PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLHIN- 20

DALL'S PORPOISE- 8

Pterodromas forever,

Debi

Debra Shearwater

Shearwater Journeys, Inc.

PO Box 190

Hollister, CA 95024

831.637.8527

http://www.blogger.com/debi@shearwaterjourneys.com

**Antarctica, South Georgia, & The Falkland Islands, January 5-24, 2010*

Shearwater Journeys' Exclusive Charter

Waiting list available

San Benito County: August 20th Birding

Howdy, Birders,

Some fall birding highlights in San Benito County on Thursday, August 20th included:

PAICINES RESERVOIR:

Bald Eagle- 1 male, adult, sitting in the oak grove on the west side of the reservoir

Semipalmated Plover- 3

California gull- 1

WILLOW FLYCATCHER- 1, in the single willow tree in the reservoir (no water surrounding the tree)- first of the fall in the county

Cassin's Kingbird - 1

Western Kingbird- 2, both species were hawking insects at the edge of the reservoir

TRES PINOS town:

At some hummingbird feeders:

COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD- 1

Black-chinned Hummingbird- 10

Allen's/Rufous Hummingbird-1

Anna's Hummingbird- 50

QUIEN SABE ROAD:

Golden Eagle- 1 adult

PRAIRIE FALCON- 1, eating prey as it sat on the telephone pole

SAN FELIPE LAKE:

Burrowing Owl- 14

Canada Goose- 600-800, high counts

MARBLED GODWIT- 2

PECTORAL SANDPIPER- 3

Least Sandpiper- 200

Western Sandpiper- 20

"peep" sp.- 130

American Avocet- 38

MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER- 1

HOLLISTER INDUSTRIAL PONDS:

Spotted Sandpiper- 1

Northern Shoveler- 50

HOLLISTER SEWER PONDS:

Wilson's Phalarope- 9

Sharp-shinned Hawk- 1

The Hollister Sewer ponds are now open to birders, usually from 7:30 am until 4:30 pm. It is necessary to check in at the office prior to driving around the ponds. The is precious little shorebird habitat at both the sewer ponds and the industrial ponds. However, shorebird habitat is the best that I have ever seen at San Felipe Lake, locally known as Soap Lake. Shorebird habitat is also very good at Paicines Reservoir. These are the two best places in the county to look for shorebirds at this time.

Good birding,

Debi

Saturday, August 22, 2009

BANDED: Black-footed Albatross

Hello, Seabirders,

Black-footed Albatross, the most common albatross in the northeast Pacific, breeds on the northeast Hawaiian island group— especially on Midway and French Frigate Shoals. This is the most commonly encountered albatross on pelagic trips off the central and northern coast of California. Black-footed Albatrosses make a two week round-trip commute from their Hawaiian breeding islands to the coast of California to feed their young in the nest.

On Shearwater Journeys' August 12, 2009 pelagic trip from Bodega Bay, seabirder Phil Swanson of Nebraska, photographed a BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS with leg bands. The yellow leg band number on this individual was labeled as: C787.

Leader Peter Pyle contacted U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service researchers in Hawaii. It was determined that this individual male was banded at Tern Island and recorded on a nest on 9 December 2008 and 17 January 2009.

If you would like to learn more about the movements of Black-footed Albatrosses and their conservation, please see the Oikonos web site.

Albatrosses forever,

Debi

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Cook's/Hawaiian Petrel Trips & Canceled Fort Bragg Trip

Howdy, Seabirders,

This post contains news of upcoming pelagic trips departing from Bodega Bay, north of Point Reyes, as well as an announcement that the Shearwater Journeys' pelagic trip scheduled to depart from Fort Bragg on September 18th cancellation.

FORT BRAGG: The breakdown of the boat, Trek II, forced the cancellation of our sold out August 14 & 16th trips. The boat is not even hauled out for repairs at this stage. The owner/operator has let me know that he doubts that the boat will be fixed by the time of our next trip, scheduled for September 18th. Therefore, the SEPTEMBER 18TH FORT BRAGG TRIP IS CANCELED. We deeply regret this action, but decided that it would be better to cancel now, rather than later, when it would be more difficult for participants to change motel reservations, etc. You will receive a full refund, in due course, or you may apply credit from this trip to another trip in 2009. Please contact Debra Shearwater by email to do this. The October 18 Fort Bragg trip will operate. Please see below, as we will continue to offer a trip on September 18th, departing from Bodega Bay.

BODEGA BAY: We are offering a replacement trip on September 18th, departing from Bodega Bay. In addition, we are offering a dedicated COOK'S/HAWAIIAN PETREL CHASE TRIP on SEPTEMBER 5TH, departing from Bodega Bay. The line up for trips departing from Bodega Bay now includes:

Saturday, September 5: dedicated chase trip for Cook's/Hawaiian Petrels, as well as any other rarities

Wednesday, September 16: Bodega Canyon & Cordell Bank

Friday, September 18: Bodega Canyon & Cordell Bank

Sunday, September 20: Bodega Canyon & Cordell Bank

For September 5th, the dedicated chase trip, please note that a "chase" trip is not suitable for small children or pets. A chase trip means that we are heading straight for the area where we think we are most likely to find the petrels, and/or other rare seabirds. It means that we probably won't be stopping for humpback whales, or necessarily any whales, or any ordinary seabirds. We are on a mission, as it were, to find our target species. In my experience, remaining focused on the mission brings greater success in accomplishing that mission! Scheduled leaders thus far, on this trip include: Todd McGrath, Linda Terrill, Scott Terrill, Steve Howell, Jon Dunn and Debra Shearwater. No discounts can be applied to this this trip.

For the September 16, 18, & 20 Bodega trips: spaces are still open on all of these trips. Is it worth it to do more than one trip? You betcha! For one thing, the species mix changes every single day. It is migration! For another thing, woe be to those who sign on for only one trip, having traveled a long distance, only to have the trip weathered out. Yes, it can happen, although September is usually our best month for the best ocean/seas. I hope that you won't kick yourself when the next rare seabird shows up on the trip that you didn't do!

The Bodega Canyon and Cordell Bank area, along with the "football" northwest of the canyon remain one of the most incredibly productive areas, anywhere off North America for mega-rare seabirds. Let's look at the list: Laysan Albatross, Short-tailed Albatross, Wandering Albatross, White-capped Albatross, Chatham Albatross, Salvin's Albatross, Light-mantled Sooty Albatross, Parkinson's Petrel, Great-winged Petrel, Streaked Shearwater, Cory's Shearwater, Greater Shearwater, Manx Shearwater and Wedge-tailed Shearwater.

At this time leaders for the September 16th trip include: Lisa Hug, Peter Pyle, Steve Howell, John Sterling, Don Doolittle and Debra Shearwater. Leaders will be announced for the September 18th trip. Leaders for the September 20th trip include: Steve Rottenborn, Lisa Hug, Todd McGrath, Scott Terrill, Linda Terrill and Debra Shearwater.

TRIP DETAILS: All trips are a GO. All trips meet at 6:30 am at Port O' Bodega in Bodega Bay. We will return about 4-6 pm. Bring lunch, dress warmly, including waterproof outer layers. Wear close-toed shoes. No Tevas. Parking is free in the big lot near the vessel, New Sea Angler. The boat is very comfortable, with plenty of deck space and seating.

RESERVATIONS: are essential, as trips may sell out. Please contact me, by email (best). When emailing me, please include your cell phone number, and let me know that you have put a check in the mail, asap. (No credit cards) Reservations will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis. There are no discounts for the September 5th trip. Motels in Bodega Bay are quite expensive for the weekend of September 5th, Labor Day Weekend. And, most are requiring a 2 or 3 night stay. I recommend staying at Motel 6, either in Santa Rosa or Petaluma. Motel 6 gives a discount for AARP members.

http://www.motel6.com//

The drive from Santa Rosa is straightforward, although you should allow at least 45 minutes to 1 hour to get to Bodega Bay from Highway 101. Currently, no eating facilities are open in Bodega Bay for breakfast.

Please see our trip report for details of the August 12th Bodega Bay trip.

In addition, a trip from Bodega Bay on August 16th found both Cook's and Hawaiian Petrels. There has never, ever been a time like this along the California coastline to see these two species. It may not happen again, in our lifetime.

See you out there,

Debi

Debra Shearwater

Shearwater Journeys, Inc.

PO Box 190

Hollister, CA 95024

831.637.8527

http://www.blogger.com/www.shearwaterjourneys.com

http://www.blogger.com/

**Antarctica, South Georgia, & The Falkland Islands, January 5-24, 2010*

Shearwater Journeys' Exclusive Charter

Waiting list available

Sunday, August 16, 2009

San Benito County: Black Tern

Hello, Birders,

I spent my Sunday morning with a latte at PAICINES RESERVOIR. Highlights included an adult BLACK TERN and a pair of BALD EAGLES perched in the oaks on the western side of the reservoir. According to my notes, this is only the second fall record of a Black Tern in San Benito County, and only the ninth county record, in total: 4 records are from Paicines Reservoir, 2 from San Felipe Lake, and 3 from Hollister Sewage Ponds. The water level in the reservoir is very good for shorebirds, with mudflats present.

Returning home along Quien Sabe Road, I found a BALD EAGLE drinking from a water trough and a GOLDEN EAGLE doing the same thing at another water trough.

Below is my eBird list from Paicines Reservoir:

Location: Paicines Reservoir

Observation date: 8/16/09

Notes: It was a sunny morning, very light winds; haze from the Bonny Doon fires. 65-80F. Water level in the reservoir is excellent for shorebirds, with good mudflats. I observed a single coyote.

Number of species: 34

Canada Goose 128

Mallard 100

Cinnamon Teal 28

Pied-billed Grebe 6

American White Pelican 4

Great Blue Heron 6

Great Egret 4

Turkey Vulture 4

Bald Eagle 2 This pair was sitting in the oak trees on the west side of the reservoir, on the same limb. The female flew off to the northeast (toward the only known nest in the county) after an hour, circling high. Later, I stopped by the nest area. A 1st plumage, adult bald eagle was sitting on the cattle trough, drinking from it.

Red-tailed Hawk 2

American Kestrel 1

American Coot 2

Killdeer 8

Black-necked Stilt 1

Greater Yellowlegs 2

Lesser Yellowlegs 1

Least Sandpiper 11

Long-billed Dowitcher 1

Black Tern 1 This adult Black Tern was hawking over excellent habitat, as the water level appears to be just right. According to my notes, this is only the 2nd fall record of this species, the other being on Sep 28, 1998 at Paicines Res. (D. Suddjian). Most county records are for the spring period. All are from Paicines, HSP, & San Felipe Lake.

Mourning Dove 40

Anna's Hummingbird 1

Black Phoebe 3

Western Kingbird 4

Loggerhead Shrike 1

Western Scrub-Jay 1

American Crow 2

Violet-green Swallow 6

Cliff Swallow 4

Barn Swallow 14

Western Bluebird 2

European Starling 50

Red-winged Blackbird (Bicolored) 20

Brewer's Blackbird 250

House Finch 40

Debra Shearwater

Shearwater Journeys, Inc.

PO Box 190

Hollister, CA 95024

831.637.8527

**Antarctica, South Georgia, & The Falkland Islands, January 5-24, 2010*

Shearwater Journeys' Exclusive Charter

Waiting list available

Thursday, August 13, 2009

HAWAIIAN COOKIN' AUGUST 12: BODEGA BAY

Howdy, Seabirders,

Those pterodromas just keep on cookin'! On this day, a magnificent HAWAIIAN PETREL joined the many COOK'S PETRELS that we were watching as they darted back and forth across our menhaden oil and beef fat slick. For at least two hours, everyone on board was able to watch these rare gems, as Wes Fritz and Oscar Johnson constantly replenished our slick which broke up in the howling winds and swells. Each time, our skipper repositioned the vessel and the parade of tubenoses continued, as we had close up views of ASHY STORM-PETRELS, FORK-TAILED STORM-PETRELS, and a solitary WILSON'S STORM-PETREL. Hoards of LONG-TAILED JAEGERS, as many as 125 throughout the day, hovered overhead, and sat on the water. Wes talked to the albatrosses, asking them to come in for a "group shot" as the cameras clicked away. Even point and shoot cameras were clicking. Maybe there is such as thing as an "Albatross Whisperer"! If so, that would be Wes. The first COOK'S PETREL was spotted in only 500 fathoms, but most of the birds were over the 1000 fathom line, where the water changed color from the murky brown of the morning to clear blue in the afternoon. We also had a temperature break. There is no reliable time, nor place to find Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels in California. To see them at such close range was marvelous— not to mention the close range shots of all of the Long-tailed Jaegers. We could not be sure if one or two Hawaiian Petrels were involved, as one flew away, the boat drifted, and quite some time later, another/or same Hawaiian Petrel returned.

The morning began with fly-away XANTUS' MURRELETS and BLUE WHALES, and the usual suspects. At the end of our time on the slick, we turned on our heading toward Bodega Harbor. A LAYSAN ALBATROSS was spotted in the distance. In all, we counted 11 species of tubenoses. No question about it— it was a wet, wild, and very satisfactory day!

Many folks traveled a long distance for this trip, hooking up with the two trips from Fort Bragg on August 14 & 16. Unfortunately, both of the Fort Bragg trips had to be canceled due to the boat breaking down. We hope to reschedule these trips, as we are certain that some interesting seabirds will be found on the Fort Bragg trips. Meanwhile, many folks headed up to Humboldt County to search for the Long-billed Murrelets in the harbor. We thank all of the folks who ventured out for this trip, from many states across the USA, as well as from Switzerland.

The success of such a difficult trip depends on many things. I attribute this trip's remarkable success to the following: 25% of the boat consisted of leaders; a skipper who was willing and able to get us out there; and the Magic Brew chum that Wes Fritz brought on board. Leaders on this day were: Peter Pyle, Tristan McKee, Lisa Hug, Sophie Webb, Jon Dunn, Steve Howell, John Sterling, Matt Brady, Oscar Johnson, Wes Fritz, and Debra Shearwater.

The complete species list for AUGUST 12, 2009 BODEGA BAY FOLLOWS:

All birds were in Sonoma County

RED-THROATED LOON- 1

PACIFIC LOON- 5

COMMON LOON- 2

LAYSAN ALBATROSS- 1

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 40

NORTHERN FULMAR- 28

*HAWAIIAN PETREL - 1 or 2

COOK'S PETREL- 11

Pterodroma sp.- 3

PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 50

BULLER'S SHEARWATER- 16

SOOTY SHEARWATER- 60

WILSON'S STORM-PETREL- 1, first of the fall

FORK-TAILED STORM-PETREL- 40, first of the fall

ASHY STORM-PETREL- 150

BROWN PELICAN- 2

BRANDT'S CORMORANT- +

PELAGIC CORMORANT- 4

RED-NECKED/RED PHALAROPE- 5

RED PHALAROPE- 2

POMARINE JAEGER- 3

POMARINE/PARASITIC JAEGER- 1

LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 125

HEERMANN'S GULL- 25

CALIFORNIA GULL- 10

WESTERN GULL- 110

SABINE'S GULL- 9

ARCTIC TERN- 4

COMMON MURRE- 500

PIGEON GUILLEMOT- 100 (no, that is not a typo)

XANTUS' MURRELET- 2

CASSIN'S AUKLET- 80

RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 20

CALIFORNIA SEA LION- +

STELLER'S SEA LION- 1

BLUE WHALE- 7

NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHIN- 12

PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLHIN- 20

DALL'S PORPOISE- 6

Debra Shearwater

Shearwater Journeys, Inc.

PO Box 190

Hollister, CA 95024

831.637.8527

**Antarctica, South Georgia, & The Falkland Islands, January 5-24, 2010*

Shearwater Journeys' Exclusive Charter

Waiting list available

August 7: Monterey Bay: Fall Seabirds & Albatrosses Trip Report

Howdy, Seabirders,

This is a report of Shearwater Journeys' pelagic trip departing from Fishermans' Wharf, Monterey on August 7, 2009. Once again beautiful sea conditions and warm weather prevailed throughout the day. We headed offshore, about 18 n miles from Point Pinos to the old storm-petrel flock stomping grounds. We crossed into Santa Cruz County for a short portion of the day, with the remainder of the day spent in Monterey County. Highlights of the day included a grand slam on all three species of jaegers: a high-flying TUFTED PUFFIN which circled the boat repeatedly; LONG-TAILED, PARASITIC, and POMARINE, as well as SOUTH POLAR SKUAS, BULLER'S SHEARWATERS, BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES, SABINE'S GULLS, and the other usual characters.

The day began and ended with HUMPBACK WHALES. Early in the morning, we radioed the whale watching vessels to let them know about some Humpback Whales just south of Point Pinos. Somehow they missed the whales. A few hours later, we were held hostage by one of the incredible "friendly" Humpback Whales. These whales swim right up to the vessel (motor on, and waiting on idle), repeatedly blowing only a few feet from us, while we try to guess which side of the boat it will appear. As this whale circled us, we could hear the whale watch boats asking where the whales were— well, one was under our boat!

Many thanks to all of our passengers some who traveled long distances from across the USA, as well as France, Belguim, Ecuador, and England. The leaders on this trip were: Jennifer Green, Todd McGrath, Scott Terrill, Linda Terrill, Sophie Webb, Matt Brady, John Hiles and Debra Shearwater.

The complete species list for August 7, 2009 Shearwater Journeys' Monterey Bay trip follows:

Monterey County/Santa Cruz County

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 60/12

NORTHERN FULMAR- 11/6

PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 47/9

BULLER'S SHEARWATER- 2/0

SOOTY SHEARWATER- 51/9

ASHY STORM-PETREL- 0/1

BROWN PELICAN- 12/0

BRANDT'S CORMORANT- 150/0

DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT- 1/0

PELAGIC CORMORANT- 3/0

SURF SCOTER- 1/0

RED-BREASTED MERGANSER- 2/0

BLACK TURNSTONE- 5/0

SANDERLING- 2/0

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 118/74

RED PHALAROPE- 19/1

SOUTH POLAR SKUA- 2/1

POMARINE JAEGER- 2/1

PARASITIC JAEGER- 6/1

LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 1/0

JAEGER SP.- 4/1

HEERMANN'S GULL- 75/24

WESTERN GULL- 70/15

WESTERN/GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL- 2/0

SABINE'S GULL- 30/12

ELEGANT TERN- 80/0

COMMON/ARCTIC TERN- 1/0

COMMON MURRE- 70/2

PIGEON GUILLEMOT- 13/0

XANTUS' MURRELET- 0/1(hypoleucus)

CASSIN'S AUKLET- 4/4

RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 20/16

TUFTED PUFFIN- 0/1

SEA OTTER- +

CALIFORNIA SEA LION- +

NORTHERN FUR SEAL- 1

NORTHERN ELEPHANT SEAL- 1

HARBOR SEAL -1

HUMPBACK WHALE- 38, including a "friendly"

RISSO'S DOLPHIN- 32

PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN- 4

DALL'S PORPOISE- 6

OCEAN SUNFISH- 1

Shearwaters forever,

Debi

Debra Shearwater

Shearwater Journeys, Inc.

PO Box 190

Hollister, CA 95024

831.637.8527

**Antarctica, South Georgia, & The Falkland Islands, January 5-24, 2010*

Shearwater Journeys' Exclusive Charter

Waiting list available

Monday, August 10, 2009

AUGUST 6, 2009: COOK'S PETREL CHASE TRIP FULL REPORT

Howdy, Seabirders,

This is a full report of the Thursday, August 6 Cook's Petrel chase trip. We departed Fishermans' Wharf, Monterey at 6 am, heading straight offshore to the same area where we had found 91 Cook's Petrels and 3 Dark-rumped Petrels on August 2. Originally, the skipper and I had planned to head southwest. However, the sea surface temperature chart which I was able to obtain, indicated an uphill current to the north. When skipper David Lemon said, "This is where I would go, if I was fishing," that made up my mind. We arrived in "the area" approximately 0915. However, for well over and hour and a half, we saw no signs of any petrels. In fact, we had left most of the seabirds behind us. Finally, Oscar Johnson spotted a COOK'S PETREL at the far distant horizon. This would not do. Finally, in desperation, I decided to stop the boat, and lay out a slick that I was pretty darn sure would not work. There simply was not enough wind for the petrels to be flying, or else, they had up and flew the coop. Just as I was at the stern starting the slick with Wes Fritz's "magic brew, " some of the folks on the bow spotted a flock of birds on the water. Terry Hunefeld called my attention to the flock. Whaoooo! TWENTYTWO COOK'S PETRELS WERE SITTING ON THE WATER RIGHT WHERE I HAD STOPPED THE BOAT!! Okay, we were just a few yards away. Some birders called for the skipper to move the boat toward the flock. In his infinite wisdom, David, made his own decision to let the current carry the boat on its own toward the flock. This turned out to be a brilliant decision! Photographers crammed the bow, and cameras ticked away. Finally, the flock flew off, some of them making a casual pass over the slick at our stern. Every single person on board had excellent views of the petrels. This was, by far, the closest views of any of the trips, and best chance for the photographers to get their shots. Everyone was very happy. I made the decision to spend the remaining time of our trip in the deep offshore waters. Finally, it was time to return to the dock.

Cook's Petrels were hardly the only highlight of the day. Some county birders on board were positively thrilled, since we had crossed into both Santa Cruz and San Mateo Counties. Two LEACH'S STORM-PETRELS were the first of the fall season for Monterey Bay. BULLER'S SHEARWATERS; all three jaegers, SOUTH POLAR SKUA, SABINE'S GULLS, ARCTIC TERNS, and XANTUS' MURRELETS were additional highlights. Once again, the marine mammals were not too shabby, either. SEI WHALE (rarely sighted anywhere off Monterey Bay), BLUE WHALES, FIN WHALES, HUMPBACK WHALES, NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHINS, RISSO'S DOLPHINS, PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHINS, HARBOR and DALL'S PORPOISES kept us glued to the ocean throughout the day. The day ended with multiple breaching Humpback Whales for most of the last hour's drive home.

I would like to thank all of the birders who traveled from all over California to make this trip. Special thanks to Wes Fritz, Oscar Johnson, Paul Lehman, Guy McCaskie, Jon Dunn, Larry Sansone, Monte Taylor, Chris Conard, Bruce Barrett, Peter Ginsberg, Terry Hunefeld, David Wimpfheimer, Matthew Dodder, Frances Oliver, Maryanne Steuer, and James Huntington who flew in from Iowa for the trip.

The complete species list for AUGUST 6, 2009 MONTEREY BAY: COOK'S PETREL CHASE TRIP follows:

Santa Cruz County/Monterey County/San Mateo County

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 1/37/1

COOK'S PETREL- 0/17/1

PTERODROMA SP.- 0/0/3

PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 0/14/0

BULLER'S SHEARWATER- 0/2/1

LEACH'S STORM-PETREL- 0/2/0

ASHY STORM-PETREL- 4/14/9

BROWN PELICAN- 0/6/0

BRANDT'S CORMORANT- 0/10/0

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 0/500/0

RED PHALAROPE- 11/18/38

SOUTH POLAR SKUA- 0/2/0

PARASITIC JAEGER- 0/2/0

POMARINE JAEGER- 0/3/0

LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 1/52/18

JAEGER SP.- 0/5/0

CALIFORNIA GULL- 0/40/0

WESTERN GULL- 0/10/0

SABINE'S GULL- 0/127/1

ELEGANT TERN- 0/2/0

COMMON TERN- 0/2/0

COMMON/ARCTIC- 1/4/11

ARCTIC TERN- 1/9/15

COMMON MURRE- 0/170/0

XANTUS' MURRELET- 0/2s+2h/1

CASSIN'S AUKLET-0/3/0

RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 0/53/0

SEA OTTER- +

CALIFORNIA SEA LION- +

NORTHERN FUR SEAL-5

*SEI WHALE-1

BLUE WHALE- 2

FIN WHALE- 3

HUMPBACK WHALE- 35

NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHIN- 5

RISSO'S DOLPHIN- 40

PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLHIN- 80

HARBOR PORPOISE- 2

DALL'S PORPOISE- 12

OCEAN SUNFISH- 1

BLUE SHARK- 3

Pterodromas forever,

Debi

Debra Shearwater

Shearwater Journeys, Inc.

PO Box 190

Hollister, CA 95024

831.637.8527

http://www.shearwaterjourneys.com/images/mb090802pix.html

**Antarctica, South Georgia, & The Falkland Islands, January 5-24, 2010*

Shearwater Journeys' Exclusive Charter

Waiting list available

Sunday, August 9, 2009

SEIZE THE DAY!

Hello, Seabirders,

Images of the COOK'S PETRELS from both the August 2 and August 6 Monterey Bay trips, and other seabirds are now up on the Shearwater Journeys' web site (with thanks to our hardworking web master). Click on photos on the home page, or the links below:

http://www.shearwaterjourneys.com/images/mb090806pix.html

Many thanks to the photographers: David Vander Pluym, John Sterling and Larry Sansone. Also, a Google map route of our August 2 trip prepared by Don Doolittle and Jennifer Green is available under the images for that date.

Seize the day!! With so many Cook's Petrels offshore, and sightings of three Dark-rumped Petrels, we are anticipating this coming week's trips with great excitement! Here is an update on those trips—

Wed, August 12 Bodega Bay, departing from Port O' Bodega at 6:30 am. Only 9 spaces are available. Leaders include: Peter Pyle, Tristan McKee, Lisa Hug, Steve Howell, John Sterling and Debra Shearwwater. Wes Fritz will be ladling his "magic brew" overboard.

Fri, August 14 Fort Bragg- SOLD OUT. Leaders include: Lisa Hug, Todd McGrath, Tristan McKee and Debra Shearwater.

Sun, August 16, Fort Bragg- departing Noyo Harbor at 6:30 am. Only 3 spaces are available. Leaders include: Lisa Hug, Todd McGrath, Scott Terrill, Linda Terrill, Tristan McKee, John Sterling and Debra Shearwater.

If you would like to join us on August 12, or 16, please contact me before 9 am on Tuesday, August 11th, below.

We hope to keep on cookin'

Debi

Debra Shearwater

Shearwater Journeys, Inc.

PO Box 190

Hollister, CA 95024

831.637.8527