Wednesday, July 20, 2011

TRIP REPORT: SEP 23, 24, 25, 26, 2010: MONTEREY BAY BIRDING FESTIVAL PELAGIC TRIPS

Howdy, Birders,

This is a trip report for Shearwater Journeys' four pelagic trips, September 23, 24, 25, 26, which were operated in conjunction with the Monterey Bay Birding Festival. This premier festival offers outstanding field trips on land and sea with top notch leaders. I hope you will join us in 2011.

The complete species list follows:

SEP 23/24/25/26, 2010:

PACIFIC LOON- 1/6/0/0
COMMON LOON- 0/2/1/2
WESTERN GREBE- 1/0/0/0
BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 12/12/11/6
NORTHERN FULMAR- 8/8/14/3
PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 45/72/65/63
BULLER'S SHEARWATER- 9/4/9/2
SOOTY SHEARWATER- 100/65/140/62
SHORT-TAILED SHEARWATER- 1/0/0/1
WILSON'S STORM-PETREL- 2/2/0/1
ASHY STORM-PETREL- 2000/2200/100/32
BLACK STORM-PETREL- 500/50/20/22
LEAST STORM-PETREL- 1/5/0/0
BROWN PELICAN- +/+/+/+
BRANDT'S CORMORANT- +/+/+/+
PELAGIC CORMORANT- 3/1/1/1
SURF SCOTER- 0/0/0/3
BLACK TURNSTONE- 2/8/4/7
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 45/25/400/30
RED PHALAROPE- 12/5/600/30
POMARINE JAEGER- 20/16/6/5
PARASITIC JAEGER- 7/0/3/2
LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 11/7/4/0
HEERMANN'S GULL- +/+/+/+
CALIFORNIA GULL- 45/+/+/+
WESTERN GULL- 65/+/+/+
SABINE'S GULL- 4/0/5/0
ELEGANT TERN- 75/20/60/20
COMMON TERN- 10/1/9/0
ARCTIC TERN- 2/0/0/0
COMMON MURRE- 65/45/100/135
PIGEON GUILLEMOT- 1/1/0/0
XANTUS'S MURRELET- 2/0/O/O
ANCIENT MURRELET- 0/1/0/0
CASSIN'S AUKLET- 7/14/700/15
RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 56/35/35/190
TUFTED PUFFIN- 5/3/2/0
PEREGRINE FALCON- 0/1/0/1
MERLIN- 0/1/0/1
SEA OTTER- +/+/+/+
CALIFORNIA SEA LION- +/+/+/=
BLUE WHALE- 1/0/6/0
FIN WHALE- 0/0/2/0
HUMPBACK WHALE- 27/17/20/0
NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHIN- 35/0/400/0
RISSO'S DOLPHIN- 30/0/250/24
PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN- 200/0/10/0
DALL'S PORPOISE- 0/0/0/2
OCEAN SUNFISH- 1/1/3/1

Like migration anywhere else, it's plain to see that going out on Monterey Bay pelagic trips for two days rather than just one, it is possible to add one or two new species to one's list. Weather plays a factor in determining not only how many species we observe, but also how many individuals of each species are found, as well. It is no different when we bird on land, but somehow birders think about that the ocean is different. In this respect, it is not. To maximize your chances of adding as many species as possible, it is best to try to do more than one trip. This is easily accomplished during the 2011 festival by adding the Monday trip.

We thank all of the birders who came from near and far for the 2010 Monterey Bay Birding Festival. The leaders on the 2010 Shearwater Journeys' trips were:

Sep 23: Terry Hunefeld, Jennifer Green, Wes Fritz, Abe Borker & Debi Shearwater
Sep 24: Terry Hunefeld, Jennifer Green, Wes Fritz & Debi Shearwater
Sep 25: Terry Hunefeld, Abe Borker, Wez Fritz & Debi Shearwater with Special Guests: Mark Rauzon & Mike Parr
Sep 26: Terry Hunefeld, Jennifer Green, Abe Borker, Wes Friz & Debi Shearwater

Please contact me by email, debi@shearwaterjourneys.com, if you have any questions regarding the 2011 Monterey Bay Birding Festival pelagic trips! Of course, I hope to see you Friday, September 23 at the Watsonville Civic Center where I will present a talk, "The Big Year: How Did We Get Here?" Bring your copy of Mark Obmascik's book, "The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession," if you would like to have it autographed.

Shearwaters forever,
Debi Shearwater

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