ABOUT: The ALBACORE OFFSHORE MONTEREY TRIP

A HOLISTIC APPROACH to SEABIRDING

ALBACORE GROUNDS: OFFSHORE MONTEREY

with 

SHEARWATER JOURNEYS

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2015

After the record shattering El Nino of 1982-83, Shearwater Journeys began offering offshore pelagic trips departing from Monterey to the albacore fishing grounds because fisherman had reported incredible numbers of many of specialty seabirds and marine mammals that were often associated with albacore. 

From the get-go, these trips had a holistic approach. "Holistic" has been defined as: "characterized by the comprehension of the parts of something as intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole."More than any other pelagic trip, this trip focused on the "whole picture" — the whole ecosystem — from the tiny krill to the Pacific saury and the massive blue whales that fed on the krill, to the albacore that fed on the saury, to the surface-feeding Buller's shearwaters, to the plunge-diving Arctic terns that fed from above, to the swarms of jaegers above them — when all these parts come together in one vast ocean scene, it is simply spectacular! This is a trip not to be missed, especially this year with another, massive El Nino in progress. 

Above, Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies 1982 El Nino

Albacore (Thunnus alalunga), is al large, migratory tuna that visits the central coast of California some years, mostly during fall. This fish is built for speed with long pectoral fins. Albacore populations have shifted northward with changing oceanographic conditions. The bulk of the catch now comes from Oregon and Washington.

Above, our Captain, Tinker, and I with an ALBACORE that I caught on one of our many trips. 

Fishermen have been harvesting this fish for over 100 years. It is most often caught by trolling or pole-and-line. Sometimes, we use live bait if available, usually live anchovies. Watching the albacore chase and catch the bait is amazing! Whether trolling or using a fishing pole, once a fish is hooked, the fisherman yells, "FISH ON!" The boat will stop and the captain will assist the fisherman in bringing the fish on board where it will be stored under the seat. This is called, "having one in the box."

PACIFIC SAURY, above, is a pelagic schooling fish found in the North Pacific. Often, whole schools burst out of the ocean, indicating that an albacore is chasing them from below! Sometimes, the albacore itself will launch itself out of the water! In fishermen's terms, this is called sighting a "JUMPER."

A columnar whale blow shooting some 30 feet high is a sure sign of a BLUE WHALE! 

The largest animal that has ever lived on Earth, BLUE WHALES are observed on about 90% of our albacore trips. The tiny dorsal fin, steely-blue and freckled skin are the field marks of the very sought after blue whale. 

Flocks of SABINE'S GULLS sitting on the water are common on albacore trips. 

Pomarine, and sometimes, parasitic jaeger chase Sabine's gulls until they drop their food.

Sometimes, flocks of ARCTIC TERNS sit on the sea, too. 

Tuna fishermen call the Arctic tern, "tuna birds," indicating that albacore may be nearby.

More often, Arctic terns in are the sky, being pursued by LONG-TAILED JAEGERS.

The jaeger show can be incredible, with long-taileds topping 100 individuals. As many as 30 can be around the vessel at one time. 

We have a near 100% record of finding SOUTH POLAR SKUA on this trip!

The murrelets, tiny alcids of the sea, are the most prized birds on this trip. 

Generally, flat-calm seas are necessary to be able to spot this alcid, the size of one's hand at a distance. 

SCRIPPS'S MURRELETS, above and below. 

GUADALUPE MURRELET, below, is the rarest of the three species none of which have been found along the central coast of California recently — until the warm water showed up in 2014. So, 2015 looks very promising.

There's always a chance for a rarity on a 12 hour trip. 

Twice on albacore trips, we have found RED-TAILED TROPICBIRDS. 

Almost all records for this species have been more than 100, and closer to 200 miles offshore. 

The rarely observed BAIRD'S BEAKED WHALE is often seen on our albacore trips. 

Note the bulbous head and protruding "beaks" on these large toothed whales, below. 

Listen to their sound, here. 

Typically, we do go much further offshore on an albacore trip than the standard Monterey trip. But, there are times when offshore reports from the fishermen might indicate that going offshore is like heading into a giant dead zone. Once such year this happened, and I elected to go north to the many canyons located off Davenport. 

That was a historic day: OCTOBER 14, 2006. 

At the crack of dawn, leader David Vander Plyum spotted a STREAKED SHEARWATER! 

This mega-rare shearwater is usually found in nearshore waters off Japan! 

A GREAT SHEARWATER, above, was soon spotted as well! This shearwater occurs in the Atlantic Ocean!

By day's end, we had once again SET A WORLD RECORD for the HIGH COUNT OF SHEARWATERS SEEN IN ONE DAY!

*EIGHT SPECIES OF SHEARWATERS*

Shearwater Journeys also set a world record of eight species of shearwaters on October 1, 1994. 

And, it was a different set of eight shearwaters on each trip!

In 2009, record numbers of COOK'S PETRELS showed up near a canyon south of Monterey. Incredibly, we found them on many trips that stayed out beyond the regular hours. 

HAWAIIAN PETREL, below, is still a good contender for any offshore trip, although nearly all of the Hawaiian petrels I've seen have been within 10 miles of shore, sometimes much closer. 

During an El Nino, it is possible for just about anything to show up.

WEDGE-TAILED SHEARWATER, above, has been seen from shore in Southern California this year. WEDGE-RUMPED STORM-PETREL (2 mist netted at the Farallon Islands this year), BULWER'S PETREL (found on a late July Shearwater Journeys' trip after El Nino), and maybe even WAVED ALBATROSS (2 sight records by good observers, neither confirmed)  could show up this year — who knows?

A surprise BROWN BOOBY fly by our September 13, 2014 albacore trip. 

The massive body of a BLUE WHALE, above, showing the splash guards and blowholes. 

Rarely seen, blue whale tail flukes.

Our typical Monterey seabird trips depart at 7 a.m. and return at 3 p.m. 

The albacore trip departs at 5:30 a.m. and returns at 5:30 p.m. 

If you could only do one Monterey seabird trip, do this one!

THERE IS ONLY ONE ALBACORE TRIP:

SEPTEMBER 12, 2015

LEADERS: SCOTT TERRILL, LINDA TERRILL, MARY GUSTAFSON, NICK LEVENDOSKY, RICK FOURNIER, DEBI SHEARWATER

DON'T MISS OUT!

DEBI SHEARWATER

debi@shearwaterjourneys.com

Special thanks to the photographers: Dave Pereksta, Todd McGrath, Beth Hamel, Bryan Hix, Scott Terrill, and Dave Pavlik. Please do not use images without permission. 

HALF MOON BAY PELAGIC TRIPS

Howdy, Seabirders,

Once again, Shearwater Journeys is pleased of offer a wonderful selection of pelagic trips departing from Half Moon Bay for 2013. Half Moon Bay is within easy reach for birders traveling from San Francisco, San Jose and the East Bay areas. Shearwater Journeys first offered pelagic trips from this port in 1999. However, it has only been in recent years that regular trips with dependable boat operators  have been organized. I'm happy to say that for 2013 all of our charters will be with Dennis Baxter on the New Captain Pete, except for the November 16th departure which will be with Tom Mattusch on the Huli Cat (both vessels depart from the same location). As with all of our trips, friendly expert leaders will be on board to point out birds. We will be chumming.

In the few years that pelagic trips have operated from this port, quite a number of mega-rare seabirds have been sighted. These include: YELLOW-BILLED LOON; SHORT-TAILED and LAYSAN ALBATROSSES; GREAT-WINGED, COOK'S, HAWAIIAN and PARKINSON'S PETRELS: GREAT and MANX SHEARWATERS. On some trips, huge rafts of mixed species of storm-petrels have been observed. These have included: ASHY, BLACK, WILSON'S, FORK-TAILED and LEACH'S STORM-PETRELS. On all of our trips. we search the nearshore waters for the federally endangered MARBLED MURRELET which is not usually found on departures from any other ports, including Monterey.

Trips from Half Moon Bay can easily be combined with trips from Monterey. Trips from Half Moon Bay should be backed up with a second trip, in case your trip is weathered out. Unlike the half-moon shaped Monterey Bay, Half Moon Bay is not protected from the prevailing northwest winds. Although fall (August through October) experiences the best marine weather, trips departing from Half Moon Bay and Bodega Bay can be weathered out at any time of the year. Over the past 38 years, only one fall trip from Monterey has been weathered out, however. Back up your trip by reserving a second trip!

2013 HALF MOON BAY PELAGIC TRIPS WITH SHEARWATER JOURNEYS

JUL. 27, SAT. COOK'S PETREL EXPRESS
JUL. 28, SUN. COOK'S PETREL EXPRESS
AUG. 11, SUN. COOK'S & HAWAIIAN PETREL EXPRESS
AUG. 17, SAT. COOK'S & HAWAIIAN PETREL EXPRESS
AUG. 18, SUN. COOK'S & HAWAIIAN PETREL EXPRESS
AUG. 25, SUN. COOK'S & HAWAIIAN PETREL EXPRESS
SEP. 8, SUN. ALBATROSSES, PETRELS & STORM-PETRELS
SEP. 9, MON. ALBATROSSES, PETRELS & STORM-PETRELS
SEP. 16, SUN. ALBATROSSES & STORM-PETRELS
SEP. 28, SAT. ALBATROSSES & STORM-PETRELS
SEP. 29, SUN. ALBATROSSES & STORM-PETRELS
OCT. 6, SUN. ALBATROSSES & STORM-PETRELS
OCT. 27, SUN. LATE FALL & EARLY WINTER SEABIRDS
NOV. 16, SAT. LATE FALL & EARLY WINTER SEABIRDS

DETAILS FOR HALF MOON BAY TRIPS:
DEPARTURE:  7 A.M. SHARP, meet Debi and check in at H Dock, Johnson Pier at Pillar Point Harbor on Half Moon Bay, El Granada. Location here.
RETURN: We should return about 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Allow for delays of up to several hours.
PARKING is free in the lot near the dock. Do NOT park in the spaces labeled "two hour" parking. Allow yourself about 10 minutes to park and walk to the dock.
PRICE ADJUSTMENT: All rates quoted are 2012 rates. A price adjustment may be collected at the dock of $5 - 10 per person. This is payable only in cash.
MICROWAVE is available on board for your convenience. Bring all food and drinks.
Take seasick prevention medications. Dress warmly with waterproof outer layers. This is a non-smoking trip.
MOTELS: It is possible to arrive and find all motels fully booked. Best to book in advance. As anywhere along the California coast, motel rooms can be quite expensive. Local motels in the area include: COMFORT INN (Where I have stayed often and found to be quite good. Early booking on their web site results in a lower rate, although it is non-refundable); HARBOR VIEW INN is low priced and possibly within walking distance of the dock. Check it out. Under no circumstances should you book: American's Best Value Inn because they have bed bugs! If you really want something cheap,  check out the MOTEL 6 in Belmont. Tricky on and off ramps from Highway 101. Allow yourself at least 45 minutes to drive from the motel to the dock, more time, if you plan to stop for food or you do not know exactly where the dock is located! Get directions to get there from Google Maps. Highway 92 is a winding two lane road that is often enshrouded in fog. Take care.

Hope to see you out there!
Shearwaters forever,
Debi

TERRAFIN: SATELLITE IMAGES OF SST

Howdy, Seabirders,

Pictured below is the chart produced by Terrafin Satellite Imaging service that I used to guide me in making decisions as to where to go to find seabirds on the August 3, 2012 Shearwater Journeys' Monterey Bay pelagic trip. Terrafin uses NOAA Polar Orbiting satellites to collect data and produce many charts for the West and East Coasts, Sea of Cortez, Hawaii, Mexico and more. Satellites cannot produce images through clouds or fog. So, the white areas, below represent fogged in areas. It is easy to see where the warm and cold water bodies meet. Look at the Davidson Seamount in the lower portion of the chart! It is hot! And, check out that curlycue swirl of cold, blue water. Terrafin even allows users to plot points on the chart and print the charts out. These are mostly used by anglers and divers. However, I began using Terrafin during the Cook's Petrel invasion, 2009. Now, I won't say exactly how I use these charts— have to keep a little bit of mystery! — Debi Shearwater for the seabirds.

USED WITH PERMISSION OF TERRAFIN. PLEASE DO NOT REPRODUCE OR USE ELSEWHERE.

HALF MOON BAY SEABIRD TRIPS

Howdy, Seabirders.

Shearwater Journeys has an incredible array of pelagic trips departing from Half Moon Bay this fall season. These departures are within easy reach for birders traveling from San Francisco, San Jose and the East Bay areas. While we have only offered trips from this harbor for a few years, the seabird sightings have been top quality. This could turn out to be one of the easiest ports for reaching the waters where COOK'S PETRELS might be observed. This is a highly sought-after species for most birders. Other rare seabirds have been found on Half Moon Bay departures have included: GREAT-WINGED PETREL, PARKINSON'S PETREL, SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSS, and of course, COOK'S PETRELS. We normally head to the edge of the Continental Shelf and offshore to the head of Pioneer Canyon. Sometimes, we head northwest toward the Farallon Islands, and see them in the distance. For this reason, TUFTED PUFFIN is often sighted on these trips. In addition, we often find very large flocks and rafts of STORM-PETRELS, which have included: BLACK, ASHY, WILSON'S, LEACH'S and FORK-TAILED. LAYSAN ALBATROSS is "regular" on our early season trips in late July and August. Most of our trips begin by searching for the endangered MARBLED MURRELET, just outside of the harbor. This murrelet is not usually encountered on Monterey, Bodega Bay, Fort Bragg or Farallon Islands trips. Please note: Half Moon Bay trips can easily be combined with trips from other ports such as Monterey, Bodega Bay and Emeryville (to the Farallon Islands). The August 27th Half Moon Bay trip is designed to be combined with the August 24 & 25 trips departing from FORT BRAGG. Our Half Moon Bay trips typically cover both SAN MATEO and SAN FRANCISCO COUNTIES. 

2012 HALF MOON BAY PELAGIC TRIPS

JUL. 28, SAT. Cook's Petrel Express

JUL. 29, SUN. Cook's Petrel Express

AUG. 12, SUN. Cook's Petrel Express

AUG. 27, MON. Hawaiian Petrel Search & Offshore

SEP. 9, SUN. Storm-Petrels & Fall Seabirds

SEP. 10, MON. Storm-Petrels & Fall Seabirds

SEP. 22, SAT. Storm-Petrels & Fall Seabirds

SEP. 23, SUN. Storm-Petrels & Fall Seabirds

SEP. 24, MON. Storm-Petrels & Fall Seabirds

OCT. 1, MON. Storm-Petrels & Fall Seabirds

OCT. 7, SUN. Storm-Petrels & Fall Seabirds

OCT. 28, SUN. Storm-Petrels & Fall Seabirds

NOV. 20, TUE. Late Fall & Early Winter Seabirds

We are pleased to announce that all of our trips will be with Captain Bob Ingles, on board the "Queen of Heart," a sparkling clean, stable, 50 foot vessel with two clean bathrooms. A working microwave is available for your use. Please meet at Johnson Pier, Pillar Point on Half Moon Bay, El Granada at 7 a.m. SHARP.  For more on directions, please click here. Please check in with Debi, prior to boarding the boat. Please allow at least 10 minutes to park, use the public restroom and walk down the dock. Parking is free. (Do not park in the marked spaces, though). Dress warmly, including heavy jacket, and waterproof outer layers; bring hats and gloves. Bring lunch and drinks. Take seasick prevention measures. This is a non-smoking trip. Return time to the dock is variable. We could return anywhere from 3 p.m. to as late as 6 p.m., depending on the weather conditions. If you need to book a motel room, it is best to do this early on, as they can be filled up at the last minute. 

Read our JULY 30, 2011 and JULY 31, 2010  JULY 31, 2009 trip reports. For more about Half Moon Bay Motels, click here.

Cook's Petrels Forever,

Debi Shearwater

HALF MOON BAY MOTELS

Howdy, Birders,

Shearwater Journeys has 11 seabirding trips departing from Pillar Point, Half Moon Bay this fall season. I've been asked to provide motel information. That is the purpose of this post.

I have arranged for a special discount, 10% on Fridays and Saturdays, and 15% Sundays through Thursdays, at the Harbor View Inn. To receive the discount, it is best to call them: 650-726-2329 and say that you are with the Debi Shearwater, Shearwater Journeys group. Ask for Tonia, if you have any problems. This motel has renovated rooms which cost more, or non-renovated rooms. Be sure to specify your choice. Full disclosure, I do not benefit from this financially. This motel is very close to Huck Finn Sportfishing, where we meet the boat. Click for directions. Please meet us at 7 am, SHARP for checkin.

Additional motels in the Half Moon Bay area can be found on the internet. Some of these include: Comfort Inn, Best Western Half Moon Bay Lodge, Days Inn and Coastside Inn, to name a few.

For camping ideas click here.

Spaces are still available on our upcoming pelagic trips: JULY 30, JULY 31 and AUGUST 1. Join us on our first trips of the late summer, early fall season! More information is here. To read a trip report of our July 31, 2010 trip, click here.

Cook's petrels here we come!

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 6, 2010 MONTEREY BAY

Howdy, Seabirders,

Shearwater Journeys' first of the fall season pelagic trip from Monterey Bay on August 6, 2010 was a smashing success! Near perfect sea conditions allowed us to get some 20+ miles offshore. Skies were overcast the entire day which makes for optimal viewing conditions. Seabirds,

dolphins and whales were in view for the entire day. Something to look at every minute!

Highlights included a banded LAYSAN ALBATROSS, a GRAND SLAM on all of the JAEGERS + SOUTH POLAR SKUA, great views of a XANTUS' MURRELET sitting on the water, good numbers of SABINE'S GULLS, and both BLUE and HUMPBACK WHALES. At the point where we turned to head back to the harbor, Steve Howell spotted a single, very distant COOK'S PETREL arcing above and below the horizon.

Steve Howell spotted this Xantus' Murrelet, below. (C) Steve Howell.

The Long-tailed Jaeger show was incredible, with as many as a dozen hovering over the boat at any one time. (C) Steve Howell.

Below, a Long-tailed Jaeger pursues a South Polar Skua! (C) Steve Howell.

Humpback Whales put on quite a show, with tail-slapping behavior captured by Abe Borker, (C).

We would like to thank all of the participants who came from near and far for making our day a success. The leaders for this trip were: Jennifer Green, Clay Kempf, Brian Sullivan, Steve Howell, Abe Borker, Robin Welch and Debi Shearwater.

The complete species list for the August 6, 2010 Shearwater Journeys' pelagic trip follows:

LAYSAN ALBATROSS- 1, banded

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 34 to 54, 1 banded bird

*COOK'S PETREL- 1, very distant

PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 28

BULLER'S SHEARWATER- 3 to 4

SOOTY SHEARWATER- 675

BROWN PELICAN- 48

BRANDT'S CORMORANT- 495

PELAGIC CORMORANT- 13

BLACK TURNSTONE- 3, on the CG Breakwater

SURFBIRD- 5, on the CG Breakwater

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 125

RED-NECKED/RED PHALAROPE- 50

RED PHALAROPE- 56

SOUTH POLAR SKUA- 2

POMARINE JAEGER- 5

LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 38

JAEGER SP.- 16

HEERMANN'S GULL- 60

CALIFORNIA GULL- 40

WESTERN GULL- 135

SABINE'S GULL- 69

ELEGANT TERN- 4

COMMON/ARCTIC TERN- 4

CASPIAN TERN- 4

COMMON MURRE- 180

PIGEON GUILLEMOT- 21

XANTUS' MURRELET- 2

CASSIN'S AUKLET- 73

RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 9

CALIFORNIA SEA LION- 250

BLUE WHALE- 4

HUMPBACK WHALE- 28

NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHIN- 160

BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN- 2, off Cannery Row

RISSO'S DOLPHIN- 150

PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN- 80

DALL'S PORPOISE- 3

OCEAN SUNFISH- 1

BLUE SHARK- 1

Shearwaters forever,

Debi Shearwater

Long-tailed Jaeger image, (C) Abe Borker.

TRIP REPORT: JULY 31, 2010 HALF MOON BAY

Howdy, Seabirders,

This is a trip report for Shearwater Journey's July 31, 2010 pelagic trip departing from Half Moon Bay, California. Our first trip of the fall pelagic season was a tremendous success! Highlights of the day included: 4 COOK'S PETRELS; 2 LAYSAN and 75 BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES; 135 PINK-FOOTED and 7 to 10,000 SOOTY SHEARWATERS; 50 ASHY STORM-PETRELS; 2 SOUTH POLAR SKUAS; 2 POMARINE and 45 LONG-TAILED JAEGERS; 15 SABINE'S GULLS; 14 ARCTIC TERNS; 503 COMMON MURRES; 15 PIGEON GUILLEMOTS; 1 MARBLED MURRELET; 301 CASSIN'S and 12 RHINOCEROS AUKLETS and 1 TUFTED PUFFIN. The cetacean show was quite spectacular with lunge feeding BLUE and HUMPBACK WHALES and bow-riding PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED and NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHINS.

After a week of flat, calm seas, the wind picked up 48 hours prior to our departure. The shelf waters were quite doable. On the shelf, at about 50 fathoms, we found thousands and thousands of shearwaters, dolphins and whales, feeding on krill. Cassin's Auklets were so stuffed with krill that they could barely get airborne. However, once we dropped off the edge of the Continental Shelf, we were confronted with some large swells. We made it out to the PIONEER CANYON, as deep as 400 fathoms. We found fewer species offshore. The prize was the Cook's Petrels. The first Cook's was spotted by veteran San Mateo County birder, Ron Thorn. It was a life bird, and of course, a county bird for Ron, as well as many others on board! Alas, the Cook's Petrels did not pass close enough to the boat for photographs. The tufted puffin was a fly-by, while the alternate plumaged marbled murrelet was just outside of the harbor.

The steely-blue coloration and tiny dorsal fin of one of six Blue Whales which we saw, feeding on masses of krill on the Continental Shelf. Image by Don Doolittle.

Cook's Petrels have made a big show this year. See Shearwater's Journeys. Given the numbers that were found at the Davidson Seamount by Peter Pyle and Abe Borker, I expect that we will continue finding these petrels on our upcoming trips. Trips that seem especially likely to turn up Cook's Petrels include: August 11 Bodega Bay; August 13 & 15 Fort Bragg; September 11 Monterey; September 13, 17 & 18 Half Moon Bay. Please sign up as soon as possible.

One Laysan Albatross followed our boat for over four hours!

COUNTY BIRDERS had a field day! County birding in California is a growing passion. We spent a fair amount of time in SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY! The following species were seen in both SAN MATEO and SAN FRANCISCO COUNTIES: Cook's Petrel, Laysan and Black-footed Albatrosses; Northern Fulmar; Pink-footed and Sooty Shearwaters; Ashy Storm-Petrel; Red Phalarope; South Polar Skua; Long-tailed Jaeger; Sabine's Gull; Arctic Tern; Common Murre; Cassin's and Rhinoceros Auklets. Found in San Mateo County only: Red-necked Phalarope; Elegant Tern, Marbled Murrelet and Tufted Puffin. Found in San Francisco County only: Pomarine Jaeger. The county birders had a terrific day, adding new species to their lists.

Our route was as plotted, below:

The marine mammal show was simply awesome. Clouds of krill balls reddened the surface. Lunge-feeding blue and humpback whales with their mouths wide open, throat pleats distended were an astounding sight. The dolphins put on a great show! Apparently, the presence of red whale poop was new for some folks, including our skipper. It is red because of the krill that they consume. Three very large OCEAN SUNFISH were a treat, as were a couple of HARBOR PORPOISES and two STELLER'S SEA LIONS.

We thank all of the birders who joined us on our initial fall trip who traveled from near and far, including from Italy, The Netherlands and Switzerland. We also thank Denise Wight and her students. The leaders for this trip were: Peter Pyle, Gerry McChesney, Wes Fritz, Matt Brady and Debi Shearwater.

The complete species list, including the county lists, follows:

SAN MATEO/SAN FRANCISCO

PACIFIC LOON- 1/0

COMMON LOON- 1/0

WESTERN/CLARK'S GREBE- 1/0

LAYSAN ALBATROSS- 1/1

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 40/35

NORTHERN FULMAR- 25/25

COOK'S PETREL- 2/2

PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 50/85

SOOTY SHEARWATER- 7-10,000/70

ASHY STORM-PETREL- 10/50

BROWN PELICAN- 5/1

BRANDT'S CORMORANT- 5/0

DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT- 1/0

PELAGIC CORMORANT- 1/0

SURF SCOTER- 1/0

WILLET- 10/0

BLACK OYSTERCATCHER- 3/0

BLACK TURNSTONE- 8/0

SURFBIRD- 12/0

BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON- 1/0

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 50

RED PHALAROPE- 28/2

SOUTH POLAR SKUA- 1/1

POMARINE JAEGER- 0/2

LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 15/30

HEERMANN'S GULL- 180/1

CALIFORNIA GULL- 200/40

WESTERN GULL- 300/100

SABINE'S GULL- 6/8

ELEGANT TERN- 1/0

ARCTIC TERN- 4/10

COMMON MURRE- 500/3

PIGEON GUILLEMOT- 15/0

MARBLED MURRELET- 1/0

CASSIN'S AUKLET- 300/1

RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 10/2

TUFTED PUFFIN- 1/0

CALIFORNIA SEA LION- 15

STELLER'S SEA LION- 2

HARBOR SEAL- 1

BLUE WHALE- 6, including one very small one

HUMPBACK WHALE- 24

NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHIN- 50

PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN- 150

HARBOR PORPOISE- 2

OCEAN SUNFISH- 3 very large, + 2 small

Nothing like starting off the fall pelagic season with a big bang! Jump on board, before the trip that you want is sold out.

Shearwaters forever,

Debi Shearwater

BREAKING OFFSHORE NEWS!

Howdy, Seabirders,

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better— Peter Pyle sent me a report from yesterday's survey. He spotted a DARK-RUMPED PETREL over the Davidson Seamount. Peter and Abe were beginning to pack up the flying bridge after studying 1000s of COOK'S PETRELS. Suddenly, Peter noticed a large, dark-backed Pterodroma petrel. He studied it, got Abe on the bird. Both shot their cameras, but alas, the "winged racer" got away. So, they are unable to say if it was a Hawaiian Petrel or a Galapagos Petrel. So, now we know that Dark-rumped Petrels are out there, too!

Other highlights of this day, July 25, 2010, as reported by Peter Pyle, included: 725 COOK'S PETRELS, 425 Leach's Storm-Petrels, 10 Long-tailed Jaegers, 15 Arctic Terns, 10 Xantus' Murrelets, 2 Cuvier's Beaked Whales, probable Baird's Beaked Whales, 80 Fin Whales and a variety of dolphins. A Baird's Sandpiper landed on the ship at the end of the day, above the center of the Davidson Seamount!

Peter and Abe are now headed into shore. They were about 15 n miles off Half Moon Bay when I last heard from them. You can catch up with them on Shearwater Journeys' trips this fall. Peter will be co-leading the July 31st trip departing from Half Moon Bay.

PLEASE NOTE: The July 31 Half Moon Bay trip is SOLD OUT. For all participants reading this email, please be at least on time, and preferably early to the boat. 7 am at the latest. We would like to get off on time, or earlier, in order to get offshore.

If you are looking for either Cook's Petrels, or Dark-rumped Petrels, I would highly recommend the following trips: Aug 11 from Bodega Bay (only a few spaces left) and August 13 & 15 from Fort Bragg. Spaces are available. Details on Shearwater Journeys' web site. The Blue Whale show in Monterey sounds absolutely sensational! August 6th from Monterey, we still have spaces available, and of course, we'll be seabirding, too! Monterey Bay is loaded with krill!!

If you are not a seabirder, and have made it this far in this email— please rejoice in hearing some good news about the ocean for a change!! Isn't it nice?

Pterodroma fever,

Debi Shearwater

3000+ COOK'S PETRELS!

Howdy, Seabirders,

Stop the presses! Astounding offshore reports from Peter Pyle and Abe Borker who have been surveying seabirds at the Davidson Seamount have included counts of over 3000 COOK'S PETRELS! On 23 July, they reported hourly totals: "50, 65, 85, 500, 450, 1000, 450, 250, 50, 15, 15, 25, 60. The weather was very calm. Flocks of 100-300 sitting birds observed. Photos of up to 90 individuals." Other species recorded on this date included: Arctic Tern (29), Xantus' Murrelet (12 scrippsii and 1 hypoleuca), Leach's Storm-Petrel (1,745), a variety of shorebirds and 2 Cuvier's Beaked Whales. On 24 July, Peter reported 1,395 COOK'S PETRELS with "hourly counts of 40, 250, 350, 175, 100, 200, 20, 5, 100, 100. Fewer flocks of sitting birds, but more flying birds in broad fronts, heading generally NNE. Some flying high, 10-20 m above the water and flapping like gulls." They tallied 666 Leach's Storm-Petrels, 6 South Polar Skuas and 2 Xantus' Murrelets (scrippsii), to name a few of the species.

Cook's Petrels heading NNE— this means, if weather conditions are kind, we have a great shot at finding some of the thousands on the JULY 31 HALF MOON BAY trip! A few spaces are still open on this trip. If you would like to join us, please contact Debi Shearwater as soon as possible by email.

Below, I list Shearwater Journeys' upcoming pelagic trips and the leaders. Trips denoted * have a good chance of finding COOK'S PETRELS. Trips denoted ** have an excellent chance of finding HAWAIIAN PETREL.

*Jul 31: Half Moon Bay Offshore with Peter Pyle, Wes Fritz, Gerry McChesney, Matt Brady, Debi Shearwater

Aug 6: Monterey Bay with Brian Sullivan, Steve Howell, Robin Welch, Clay Kempf, Debi Shearwater

Aug 8: Farallon Island with Steve Howell, Alan Hopkins, Debi Shearwater- SOLD OUT

*Aug 11: Bodega Canyon & Cordell Bank with Peter Pyle, Wes Fritz, Steve Howell, Oscar Johnson, Matt Brady, Debi Shearwater

**Aug 13: Fort Bragg: Hawaiian Petrel Search with Abe Borker, Wes Fritz, Jennifer Green, Todd McGrath, Oscar Johnson, Matt Brady, Debi Shearwater

**Aug 15: Fort Bragg: Hawaiian Petrel Search with Todd McGrath, Peter Pyle, Wes Fritz, Scott Terrill, Linda Terrill, Tristan McKee, Matt Brady, Abe Borker, Debi Shearwater

Aug 27: Monterey Bay with Jennifer Green, Robin Welch, Wes Fritz, Ted Chandik, John Hiles

Sep 9: Monterey Seavalley with Wes Fritz, Ted Chandik, Marcel Holyoak, Debi Shearwater

Sep 10: Monterey Bay with Wes Fritz, Jennifer Green, Robin Welch, Adam Searcy, John Hiles, Debi Shearwater

*Sep 11: Albacore Grounds: Offshore Monterey with Wes Fritz, Scott Terrill, Linda Terrill, Tristan McKee, Rod Norden, Debi Shearwater

Sep 12: Monterey Bay with Wes Fritz, Jennifer Green, Clay Kempf, Adam Searcy, Vaughan Ashby (Guest Leader), Debi Shearwater

*Sep 13: Half Moon Bay Offshore with Wes Fritz, Tristan McKee, Alan Hopkins, Debi Shearwater

*Sep 15: Bodega Canyon & Cordell Bank with Peter Pyle, Steve Howell, Wes Fritz, Lisa Hug, Debi Shearwater

*Sep 17: Half Moon Bay Offshore with Wes Fritz, Marcel Holyoak, Jennifer Green, Debi Shearwater

*Sep 18: Half Moon Bay Offshore with Wes Fritz, Steve Rottenborn, Scott Terrill, Linda Terrill, Debi Shearwater

Sep 23: Monterey Bay with Wes Fritz, Terry Hunefeld, Jim Danzenbaker, Debi Shearwater

Sep 24: Monterey Storm-Petrel Study Tour with Wes Fritz, Jennifer Green, Terry Hunefeld, Jim Danzenbaker, Debi Shearwater

Sep 25: Monterey Seavalley with Wes Fritz, Abe Borker, Terry Hunefeld, Mark Rauzon (Guest Leader), Michael Parr (Guest Leader), Debi Shearwater

Sep 26: Monterey Bay with Wes Fritz, Terry Hunefeld, Jennifer Green, Debi Shearwater

Sep 27: Half Moon Bay Offshore with Wes Fritz, Terry Hunefeld, Debi Shearwater

Oct 2: Half Moon Bay Offshore with Todd McGrath, Wes Fritz, Lisa Hug, Peter Pyle, Debi Shearwater

Oct 3: Monterey Storm-Petrel Study Tour with Wes Fritz, Todd McGrath, Jennifer Green, Denise Wight, Clay Kempf, Debi Shearwater

Oct 9: Monterey Seavalley with Todd McGrath, Scott Terrill, Linda Terrill, Clay Kempf, Debi Shearwater

Oct 11: Half Moon Bay Offshore with Todd McGrath, Wes Fritz, Peter Pyle, Debi Shearwater

Oct 17: Monterey Bay with Jennifer Green, Wes Fritz, Todd McGrath, Denise Wight, Clay Kempf, Rod Norden

We have a full slate of exciting pelagic trips ahead! Who knows which trips will turn up the rare seabirds? I hope that you can join us!

Shearwaters forever,

Debi Shearwater

TRIP REPORT: SEP 12, 2009: MONTEREY: OFFSHORE ALBACORE GROUNDS

Howdy, Seabirders,

Monterey seabirds delighted and thrilled us on Shearwater Journeys' offshore pelagic trip on September 12th. Highlights included one HAWAIIAN PETREL and 24 COOK'S PETRELS, a single LEACH'S STORM-PETREL, and a STEJNEGER'S BEAKED WHALE which circled our vessel, repeatedly popping up within inches of the boat! We were treated to great views of three FIN WHALES, while the LONG-TAILED JAEGER show continued along with good numbers of POMARINE JAEGERS. As of this date, every one of our trips has had a grand slam on all of the jaeger species, including SOUTH POLAR SKUA. SABINE'S GULLS were found in good numbers. The Hawaiian Petrel was the first pterodroma of the day! We tried to chase it, but could not. So, I stopped the boat to have Wes lay out a slick. At 9:30 am, I spotted the first Cook's Petrels of the day over the slick. In contrast to other trips, nearly every single Cook's Petrel made a close pass at the boat, allowing photographers to get some excellent images! The weather was perfect, as were the seas. We could not have asked for more. A PEREGRINE FALCON was on the radio tower along Cannery Row at the day's end.

Scott Terrill's image of one of the Cook's Petrels on the Albacore trip. Copyright, Scott Terrill, 2009.

Many thanks to the participants who hailed from 14 states, Canada, Germany, England and The Netherlands. Leading this offshore trip were: Scott Terrill, Linda Terrill, Abe Borker, Wes Fritz, and Debi Shearwater.

The complete species list follows. All records are for Monterey County.

12 SEPTEMBER 2009 MONTEREY BAY OFFSHORE TO THE ALBACORE GROUNDS

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 19
NORTHERN FULMAR- 48
HAWAIIAN PETREL- 1
COOK'S PETREL- 24
PTERODROMA SP. (large)- 1
PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 72
BULLER'S SHEARWATER- 5
SOOTY SHEARWATER- 385
LEACH'S STORM-PETREL- 1
ASHY STORM-PETREL- 110
BROWN PELICAN- 6
BRANDT'S CORMORANT- 250
SURF SCOTER- 2
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 300
RED PHALAROPE- 17
SOUTH POLAR SKUA- 5
POMARINE JAEGER- 27
POMARINE/PARASITIC- 2
PARASITIC JAEGER- 12
PARASITIC/LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 2
LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 93
HEERMANN'S GULL- 90
CALIFORNIA GULL- 125
WESTERN GULL- 200
SABINE'S GULL- 69
ELEGANT TERN- 18
ARCTIC TERN- 4
FORSTER'S TERN- 2
COMMON MURRE- 18
CASSIN'S AUKLET- 42
RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 59
PEREGRINE FALCON- 1, along Cannery Row
SEA OTTER- 8
CALIFORNIA SEA LION- 15
NORTHERN FUR SEAL- 4
HARBOR SEAL- 1
FIN WHALE- 3
HUMPBACK WHALE- 5
STEJNEGER'S BEAKED WHALE- 1
NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHIN- 8
DALL'S PORPOISE- 25
BLUE SHARK- 1

Our last offshore trip from Monterey to the albacore grounds is October 10th. Spaces are still available.

Pterodromas forever,
Debi