ODD SHEARWATER: 12 SEPTEMBER 2010 MONTEREY BAY

Howdy, Seabirders,

Seabirding on Monterey Bay is rarely dull! Images below, copyright Quinn Passey are of an apparent leucistic PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER. This bird flew into the wake on Shearwater Journeys' September 12, 2010 Monterey Bay pelagic trip. Although I have seen and photographed dark Pink-footed Shearwaters, I have never seen one that looked like this individual.

The image, below, was shot by Vaughan Ashby of Birdfinders.
Kind of an amazing individual.

Shearwaters forever,

Debi Shearwater

Coolin' Cooper's in my backyard

Howdy, Birders,

It was 106 F the past two days, in Hollister! I was surprised to see this COOPER'S HAWK sitting on the birdbath in my backyard. Maybe, I shouldn't have been.

It took a long time for it to begin to think about cooling off in the water!
Finally, in the bath. It never did splish and splash, though!
It kept eyeballing the sky. I could not see what it might be looking at— perhaps another hawk?
Finally, the Cooper's Hawk saw something that made it take off. It was never bothered by me, although it was calling with whining whistles and chirp notes.

While working in my office, today, I saw her snatch two House Sparrows!

Coop's forever,

Debi Shearwater

San Benito County Birding

All images copyright Debi Shearwater.

SBT COUNTY BIRDING: RAINING SPECKLED BELLIES!

Hello, Birders,

A surprise find at PAICINES RESERVOIR, this morning was a flock of 51 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, circling over the water while I was parking my car. As I stepped out of the car, the sounds of these beautiful geese were ringing loudly in the air. Scoping the reservoir, counting one by one, I finally tallied 245 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE! This is a record high count for San Benito County. The previous high count was 77, recorded by Sam Fitton on 8 October 2001, also at Paicines Reservoir. Part of the flock is in my image, below:

New for me at this location, was a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. A male CALIFORNIA QUAIL was standing on the fence. He joined his mate and half a dozen small chicks. I was surprised to see chicks this small so late in the season, although I have heard that they nested late this year.

On Santa Ana Valley road, a PRAIRIE FALCON was on a telephone pole. At Vista Park Hill in downtown Hollister, a single WESTERN WOOD PEEWEE was present. I could not find any Red-breasted Nuthatches. First of the fall, LINCOLN'S SPARROW was at the Hollister sewer ponds. Otherwise, the ponds were extremely dull. At the Hollister industrial ponds, 928 NORTHERN SHOVELERS were present.

A short morning of birding in San Benito County!

Speckle bellies forever,

Debi Shearwater

TRIP REPORT: SEPTEMBER 17, 2010 HALF MOON BAY

Howdy, Seabirders,

Well, it looks as if our pelagic trips departing from Half Moon Bay are going to be breaking new ground— going where no seabirders have ever gone before! This trip covered both San Mateo and San Francisco Counties. Several County Birders were on board, closely watching for new ticks on their county lists. It was another awesome day, with excellent seas and visibility, after the morning fog cleared. Seabird highlights were many— LAYSAN ALBATROSS, FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER, SIX SPECIES OF STORM-PETRELS: BLACK, ASHY, WILSON'S, LEACH'S, LEAST AND FORK-TAILED; ALL THREE JAEGERS; SOUTH POLAR SKUA, XANTUS' MURRELET (hypoleuca race) and TUFTED PUFFIN.

The Laysan Albatross was #600 for one lucky fellow. The Flesh-footed Shearwater was #701 for Bob Ake who is doing a Big Year for 2010.

The HUMPBACK WHALE show at the end of the day was beyond spectacular! About a dozen humpbacks were lunge-feeding on krill at the surface, under our boat, and all around us! Meanwhile, squid (loligo), were also feeding on the krill and squirting at the surface as they propelled themselves! Many phalaropes were also feeding on the krill. Our captain, Dennis Baxter, reached in to pull a few of the krill on board. A few folks even tasted it. The humpback whales devoured it!! We also were treated to whale feces— a life event for some.

Many thanks to all of the birders who traveled from near and far to join our trip. The leaders on this day were: Jennifer Green, Wes Fritz, Marcel Holyoak and Debi Shearwater.

The complete species list for September 17, 2010 Half Moon Bay follows:

San Mateo County/San Francisco County/Total

EARED GREBE- 10/0/10

WESTERN GREBE- 40/0/40

CLARK'S GREBE- 2/0/2

WESTERN/CLARK'S GREBE- 50/0/10

LAYSAN ALBATROSS- 0/1/1

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 6/6/12

NORTHERN FULMAR- 55/300/355

PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 18/52/60

FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 0/1/1

BULLER'S SHEARWATER- 0/12/12

SOOTY SHEARWATER- 75/75/150

WILSON'S STORM-PETREL- 0/7/7

FORK-TAILED STORM-PETREL- 0/5/5

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

BLACK STORM-PETREL- 0/49/49

ASHY STORM-PETREL- 0/4000/4000

LEAST STORM-PETREL- 0/6/6

BROWN PELICAN- 400, on the breakwater

BRANDT'S CORMORANT- 20/0/20

DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT- 300/0/300

SURF SCOTER- 1/0/1

BLACK OYSTERCATCHER- 6/0/6

WANDERING TATTLER- 1/0/1

BLACK TURNSTONE- 3/0/3

WILLET- 2/0/2

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 315/145/460

RED-NECKED/RED PHALAROPE-2500

RED PHALAROPE- 195/50/245

SOUTH POLAR SKUA- 0/1/1

POMARINE JAEGER- 2/7/9

PARASITIC JAEGER- 0/1/1

PARASITIC/LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 0/4/4

LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 0/22/22

HEERMANN'S GULL- +

CALIFORNIA GULL- +

WESTERN GULL- +

SABINE'S GULL- 1/7/8

ELEGANT TERN- 300/0/300

COMMON TERN- 2/0/2

COMMON MURRE- 360/7/367

PIGEON GUILLEMOT- 1/0/1

XANTUS' MURRELET- 0/2/2

CASSIN'S AUKLET- 8/4/12

RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 20/11/31

TUFTED PUFFIN- 0/1/1

CALIFORNIA SEA LION- 360

NORTHERN ELEPHANT SEAL- 1

NORTHERN FUR SEAL- 2

HUMPBACK WHALE- 33

BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN- 2

HARBOR PORPOISE- 3

DALL'S PORPOISE- 5

KRILL +++++++++

MARKET SQUID +++

BLACK SEA NETTLES +++++++

Spaces are available on September 27 and October 2 and 11 departing from Half Moon Bay. Spaces are available on September 24, 26; October 3, 9 and 17 departing from Monterey Bay.

Please look for me at the Monterey Bay Birding Festival, either at my booth, or more likely, on the pelagic trips!

Happy trails to all,

Debi Shearwater

TRIP REPORT: SEPTEMBER 13, 2010 HALF MOON BAY

Howdy, Seabirders,

Shearwater Journey's pelagic trip from Half Moon Bay on Monday, September 13, 2010 was astounding! We covered both San Mateo and San Francisco Counties, spending a significant part of the day in San Francisco County. We reached the warm water edge where the albacore boats were fishing. One of these guys gave me two albacore for my birthday! This is where Wes Fritz found a single, distant "Cook's type" petrel. The murrelets were also at this edge. The warm water out of Half Moon Bay is the only place along the coast where it can be reached in a one day trip, right now. The numbers, below, may be tweaked a bit, once I get some input from the other leaders who were on board with us. It sure was a fantastic day! and, birthday!

We were out on glassy, smooth seas for a solid 12 hours (much longer than the trip was scheduled to be out). It was an incredible day for photographers, with the afternoon lighting especially awesome. It is pretty obvious that there is an awful lot of food available in this region, not only for birds, but also whales, dolphins, and sea lions.

SEPTEMBER 13, 2010 HALF MOON BAY:

1 COOKELARIA PETREL

2 or 3 LAYSAN ALBATROSSES

45 BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES

130 NORTHERN FULMARS

82 PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATERS

28 BULLER'S SHEARWATERS

265 SOOTY SHEARWATERS

4 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS

14 FORK-TAILED STORM-PETRELS

580 ASHY STORM-PETRELS

12 BLACK STORM-PETRELS

20,000 RED/RED-NECKED PHALAROPES- huge migrating flocks which darkened the sky

4 SOUTH POLAR SKUAS

2 POMARINE JAEGERS

8 PARASITIC JAEGERS

20 LONG-TAILED JAEGERS

24 SABINE'S GULLS

250 ELEGANT TERNS

8 COMMON TERNS

6 ARCTIC TERNS

385 COMMON MURRES

1 PIGEON GUILLEMOT

28 CASSIN'S AUKLETS

2 XANTUS' MURRELETS (hypoleuca)

76 RHINOCEROS AUKLETS

450 CALIFORNIA SEA LIONS, feeding offshore, probably on sardines

1 NORTHERN FUR SEAL

4 HARBOR SEALS

6 FIN WHALES

73 HUMPBACK WHALES !

32 RISSO'S DOLPHINS

120 PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHINS

16 DALL'S PORPOISE

3 OCEAN SUNFISH

3 BLUE SHARKS

Shearwaters forever,

Debi Shearwater

TRIP REPORT: SEPTEMBER 15, 2010 BODEGA BAY

Howdy, Seabirders,

Yup, another fantastic Shearwater Journeys' pelagic trip— this time, departing from Bodega Bay, offshore to Bodega Canyon and Cordell Bank. This trip covered both Marin and Sonoma Counties. The seas were a bit bouncy in the early morning. Fog had engulfed the coast, as we departed at 6:50 am from Port O' Bodega. First up, a single male ORCA surfaced near our vessel. Everyone on board got great views. As we approached Bodega Canyon, the fog parted. Beyond the canyon, we reached 58F sea surface temperature, and the fog pushed out even more. The single highlight of the day was a COOK'S PETREL spotted by Steve Howell, as it zoomed past Wes Fritz's oil slick behind the boat. Since it was not foggy at that moment, everyone who was at the stern of the vessel was able to see the bird well. (About one third of the folks on board this sold out trip) This Cook's Petrel was in Marin County. Small rafts of storm-petrels were spotted, and others flew up to Wes' oil slick. Notably, both WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS and FORK-TAILED STORM-PETRELS made an excellent showing for all on board, especially great for the photographers. The jaeger show, over the slick was not too shabby, either! 150 LONG-TAILED JAEGERS! The fog disappeared by early afternoon, and we could see whale spouts in every direction— half a dozen BLUE WHALES, about 30 humpback whales. Two XANTUS' MURRELETS were spotted once we hit the temperature break. A TUFTED PUFFIN circled the vessel, and another one was spotted, sitting on the water. Great photo ops. Finally, on the way home, the captain took us over to see the half dozen summering GRAY WHALES off Bodega Head. We could see the crowds of people on the cliff, watching the whales, as well. Peter Pyle spotted an early, fly away, ANCIENT MURRELET, first of the fall season. It was a long, successful and smashing day for both seabirds and marine mammals!

We thank the many participants who came from near and far for this pelagic trip. The leaders were: Steve Howell, Peter Pyle, Lisa Hug, Wes Fritz, and Debi Shearwater. Once I receive some photographs, I will post them.

The complete species list follows:

SEPTEMBER 15, 2010 BODEGA CANYON & CORDELL BANK

PACIFIC LOON- 1

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 30

NORTHERN FULMAR- 21

COOK'S PETREL- 1 (adult male)

PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 50

BULLER'S SHEARWATER- 8

SOOTY SHEARWATER- 60

WILSON'S STORM-PETREL- 2

FORK-TAILED STORM-PETREL- 4

ASHY STORM-PETREL- 350

BLACK STORM-PETREL- 5

BROWN PELICAN- 2, offshore

BRANDT'S CORMORANT- 100

PELAGIC CORMORANT- 10 (1 offshore)

SURF SCOTER- 2, in harbor

WHITE-WINGED SCOTER- 1, in harbor

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 25

RED PHALAROPE- 30

SOUTH POLAR SKUA- 4

POMARINE JAEGER- 12

PARASITIC JAEGER- 8

PARASITIC/LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 2

LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 150

JAEGER SP.- 4

HEERMANN'S GULL- 100

CALIFORNIA GULL- 120

WESTERN GULL- 200

WESTERN/GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL- 1

SABINE'S GULL- 6

ELEGANT TERN- 35

COMMON TERN- 2

ARCTIC TERN- 2

COMMON MURRE- 1000

PIGEON GUILLEMOT- 20

XANTUS' MURRELET- 2 (scrippsi)

ANCIENT MURRELET- 1

CASSIN'S AUKLET- 30

RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 200

TUFTED PUFFIN- 2

CALIFORNIA SEA LION- 2, offshore

GRAY WHALE- 6

BLUE WHALE- 5

HUMPBACK WHALE- 30

KILLER WHALE- 1, adult male

NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHIN- 30

PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPIN- 16

DALL'S PORPOISE- 5

OCEAN SUNFISH- 1

SALMON SHARK- 1

UPCOMING TRIPS: A few spaces are still available on our September 17 trip departing at 7 am from Huck Finn Sportfishing Center, El Granada, Half Moon Bay. This new port is turning out to be extremely productive for seabirding. There is a lot of food, right now. Also, this port presents the nearest very warm water break, over 60F! Spaces are also available on our September 27; October 2 and 11 Half Moon Bay departures. From Monterey, we have spaces available on September 24 and 26; October 3, 9, 17. Please email me: debi@shearwaterjourneys.com, if you would like to make a reservation. I can only be reached by email at this time.

Shearwaters forever,

Debi Shearwater

TRIP REPORT: AUGUST 27, 2010 MONTEREY BAY

Howdy, Seabirders,

Seabirding on Monterey Bay, August 27, 2010 on Shearwater Journeys' trip, produced a substantial list. Both Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties were covered. Head leader, Jennifer Green, headed the boat to about 7.5 to 10.5 miles off the coast between Davenport and Long Marine Lab. Highlights were two different LAYSAN ALBATROSSES and up to four TUFTED PUFFINS. Marine mammals included both BLUE and HUMPBACK WHALES, and three species of dolphins.

We would like to thank all of the participants who came from near and far for making our day such a success. The leaders on this trip were: Jennifer Green (head leader), Ted Chandik, Wes Fritz, Robin Welch, and John Hiles.

The complete species list for the August 27, 2010 Shearwater Journeys' pelagic trip from Monterey follows:

LAYSAN ALBATROSS- 2

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 20 (1 probable hybrid)

NORTHERN FULMAR- 18

PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 5

BULLER'S SHEARWATER- 3

SOOTY SHEARWATER- 115

ASHY STORM-PETREL- 4

BROWN PELICAN- +

BRANDT'S CORMORANT- +

RED PHALAROPE- 13

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 7

WESTERN GULL- +

CALIFORNIA GULL- +

SABINE'S GULL- 3

PARASITIC JAEGER- 2

LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 14

SOUTH POLAR SKUA- 1, seen by a few

COMMON TERN- 1

COMMON MURRE- 20

RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 4

CASSIN'S AUKLET- 50

TUFTED PUFFIN- 3 or 4

BLUE WHALE- 2, distant

HUMPBACK WHALE- 4 to 6

RISSO'S DOLHIN- scattered feeding groups

NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHIN- +

PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN- +

Shearwaters forever,

Debi Shearwater— just returned from sailing in the Mediterranean: Greece, Egypt & Turkey

FLAGLESS OFF ALEXANDRIA

August 27, 28 & 29, 2010

A beautiful sail away on the evening of August 26th, to the Vangelis music of "1492" on a warm, balmy evening set the Star Clipper on her way to Cyprus. Surprisingly, the morning of August 27th dawned within sight of Alexandria! We were anchored, only 4 miles off the coast. Our cruise director called a meeting to explain what had happened. It turned out that the ship was in the process of changing its flag from the country of Luxumberg to Malta, and the official from Malta had missed his flight. He had not arrived. Therefore, we were now a ship without a flag, which is very similar to a person without a passport! So, could not go anywhere! The bar was immediately opened. Drinks poured forth. Free internet cards were issued. Well, the seas were fine, the sun was shining and deck chairs awaited those who wanted sun in the Mediterranean.

Finally, on August 28th, the official from Malta boarded our ship to begin his inspection. Meanwhile, too much time had been lost for us to make a visit to Cyprus. This was a disappointment. But, our cruise director worked hard to redo our schedule. We headed to Marmaris, Turkey. Everyone enjoyed the sailing on our beautiful ship.

Debi Shearwater

On board the Star Clipper

Famous Ports of the Ancient World Voyage

EGYPT: ALEXANDRIA & CAIRO

August 24, 25 & 26, 2010

We enjoyed a lovely day of sailing on board our home ship the Star Clipper, August 24th. With her sails unfurled, she is a real beauty!

Early morning, August 25th, found us along side the ancient port of Alexandria, Egypt. The city of Alexandria is the stuff that legends are made of. It was founded by none other than Alexander the Great. The sassy Queen Cleopatra made this the seat of her throne. And, the entrance to Alexandria's harbor was marked by the towering Pharos Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Great Library of Alexandria was renowned as the ultimate archive of knowledge. Alas, fate dealt the city a series of blows. Today, no signs of the great Alexandria remain. The city of Cleopatra's day has been swallowed up by the ocean. The Pharos lighthouse collapsed long ago. The literary treasures of the Great Library have been set to numerous torchings. To add insult to injury, Egypt's consequent Muslin rulers moved the capital to nearby Cairo. Nevertheless, we disembarked at a very modern port building where we were met by our Egyptologist guide and driver for the three hour ride to Cairo.

After arriving in Cairo, we headed straight to the Great Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza, fulfilling a life-long dream of mine. Amid all the hype about the New Wonders of the World, the Pyramids of Giza just sat there— as they have for over 4000 years, both outliving the other six ancient wonders and living up to all the hype that has been lavished on them over the millennia. Their extraordinary shape, impeccable geometry and sheer bulk are a moot question: "How were they built, and why?" Our guide was very informative in this regard. It was a pleasure that we had a guide for just the two of us, as compared to the many tour groups around us! Standing at the pyramids is just an awesome experience.

We also visited the fascinating Solar Barque Museum. Five pits near the Great Pyramid of Khufu contained the pharaoh's solar barques (boats), which may have been used to convey the mummy of the dead pharaoh across the Nile River to the valley temple. The barques were then buried around the pyramid to provide transport for the pharaoh in the next world. One of these ancient cedar wood vessels, possibly the oldest boat in existence, was unearthed in 1954. It was carefully restored from 1200 pieces of wood and encased in a glass museum to protect it from damage from the elements. The cedar wood used to build the vessel comes from Lebanon. Being a boat people, Don and I just had to see this! We was not disappointed.

Finally, we topped the day off with a visit to the Sphinx. Legends and superstitions abound about the Sphinx. The mystery surrounding its long forgotten purpose is almost as intriguing as its appearance. The feline man was dubbed the Sphinx by the ancient Greeks because it resembled the mythical winged monster with a woman's head and lion's body who set riddles and killed anyone unable to answer them. The Sphinx was carved from the bedrock at the bottom of the causeway to the Pyramid of Kafre. The Sphinx is suffering the stone equivalent of cancer and is being eaten away from inside— pollution and rising ground water are the likeliest causes. Indeed, we saw Rock Pigeons nesting on the face!

We checked into our very clean room at the Novatel Hotel. With a view facing the Nile River, we were able to watch the comings and goings of various ships plying this ancient river. The evening found us at a major event for locals at the Citadel. Since we were visiting during the time of Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. After sunset, they eat and drink. As best as I can tell, we may have visited a moulid— a sort of combination funfair and religious festival at the Citadel. Here, groups of dancers, various artists and musicians were performing throughout the grounds of this spread out event. For certain, we were the only tourists in sight! (Thankfully, I was properly dressed in my skirt, long-sleeved shirt and scarf).

The next morning, Don and I were up early, searching for any birds along the Nile. Few were around! Along with our guide and driver, we headed to Saqqara in the Western Desert. Here, Old Kingdom pharaohs were buried within Saqqara's 11 major pyramids, while their subjects were buried in the hundreds of smaller tombs found in the great necropolis. This is the sight of the Step Pyramids. In the year 2650 BC, Imhotep, the pharaoh's chief architect built the Step Pyramid for Zoser. It is Egypt's (and the world's) earliest stone monument. Of course there is much, much more to visiting all of these sights than what I can write here.

During the mid-day heat, we visited the famous Egyptian Museum, one of the world's most important museums of ancient history. To walk around the museum is to embark on an adventure through time. Our guide said that it would take two months to see everything in this museum! We spent two hours here, beginning with the oldest pieces. The whole process was quite overwhelming. Some of the highlights included the Royal Mummy Room which houses the remains of some of Egypt's most illustrious pharaohs and queens from the 17th to 21st dynasties in glass showcases; the Tutankhamun Galleries where the treasures of the young New Kingdom pharaoh are among the world's most famous antiquities; and the Animal Mummy Room which houses dust-covered mummified cats, dogs, crocodiles, birds, rams and jackals. Finally, it was time for the three hour ride back to Alexandria where we boarded our ship to continue our journey among the ancient ports.

Debi Shearwater

On board the Star Clipper

Famous Ports of the Ancient World Voyage