FARALLON ISLANDS, AUGUST 3, 2014 TRIP REPORT

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WESTERN GREBE- 100

LAYSAN ALBATROSS- 1

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 12

NORTHERN FULMAR- 6

PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 30

SOOTY SHEARWATER- 400

*BROWN BOOBY- 1

**NORTHERN GANNET- 1

BROWN PELICAN- 10

BRANDT'S CORMORANT- 2020

DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT- 9

PELAGIC CORMORANT- 10

WANDERING TATTLER- 1

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 15

PARASITIC JAEGER- 6

HEERMANN'S GULL- 32

CALIFORNIA GULL- 10

WESTERN GULL- 550

ELEGANT TERN- 75

COMMON MURRE- 2020

PIGEON GUILLEMOT- 325

CASSIN'S AUKLET- 20

RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 12

TUFTED PUFFIN- 25

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

CALIFORNIA SEA LION- 400

STELLER'S SEA LION- 30

NORTHERN FUR SEAL- 400

NORTHERN ELEPHANT SEAL- 7

HARBOR SEAL- 85

HUMPBACK WHALE- 2

RISSO'S DOLPHIN- 2

HARBOR PORPOISE- 8

OCEAN SUNFISH- 18

SHEARWATER JOURNEYS'S 2015 

FARALLON ISLANDS TRIPS: $187/PERSON

AUGUST 2: TUFTED PUFFINS & BREEDING SEABIRDS

OCTOBER 11: THE HUNT FOR GREAT WHITE SHARKS

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

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

PUFFINS FOREVER,

DEBI SHEARWATER

debi@shearwaterjourneys.com

TRIP REPORT: AUGUST 4, 2013 FARALLON ISLANDS

GANNET & PUFFINS, OH MY!

Howdy, Seabirders,

Shearwater Journeys' pelagic trip to the Farallon National Wildlife Refuge on August 4, 2013 was packed full of action throughout the day. Highlights included: the continuing NORTHERN GANNET (see August 5, 2012 report), loads of TUFTED PUFFINS and other breeding seabirds; a great variety of pinnipeds; HUMPBACK WHALES and HARBOR and DALL'S PORPOISES, as well as BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS; and finally, that iconic symbol of California — the GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE. 

The morning fog enshrouded the GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE, above. It is quite a treat to actually sail under the bridge, providing a completely different viewpoint.

We headed straight away in search of the NORTHERN GANNET, pictured flying above.

 No worries, as we found it quite easily on the rock known as "Sugarloaf," above.

 It was really neat to see the gannet both sitting on the rock and flying around. It was not on a nest. And, according to refuge personnel, it never built any kind of nest.

 We saw the first of 35 TUFTED PUFFINS right at Sugarloaf. 

 Eventually, Tufted Puffins were found sitting and diving right around our vessel. 

Most of the Refuge is a designated Wilderness Area where the forces of Nature predominate and its natural character is preserved for future generations. 

 

The Refuge is 141 acres and hosts 13 species of breeding seabirds. Some call it the "Galapagos" of California. This is the largest breeding seabird colony, south of Alaska, over 200,000 birds. We saw all of the diurnal breeding seabirds, see list below. 

 

These rock islands lie along the cold California Current, a rich and productive ecosystem that generates a large amount of food through upwelling. Food production has been very good this year. Cassin's Auklets are double-brooding. Food is plentiful. 

In 1971 Point Reyes Bird Observatory (now Point Blue) and Wildlife Service joined forces to provide protection, monitoring, research and management of the Farallon National Wildlife Refuge. Management activities include removing non-native plants that cover nesting burrows and creating habitat for crevice-nesting seabirds from unused concrete foundations. Visitors are not permitted to land on the islands. 

 Six species of marine mammals breed or haul out on the Refuge: Northern fur seal, Guadalupe fur seal, Steller's sea lion, California sea lion (above), harbor seal and Northern elephant seal. We saw all but the Guadalupe fur seal which is rare.

Finally, we make our way back to the harbor, going under the GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE once more.

Bicyclists riding across the bridge, above. 

 And, the iconic City of San Francisco, above, was lit up by sunlight.

No finer co-leaders could possibly be found for this fabulous day. Between the leaders, below, the breadth and depth of their knowledge of the Farallon National Wildlife Refuge is unmatched. 

Gerry McChesney, above, is currently the manager of this wildlife refuge. We have been friends for many decades. Gerry has a very keen interest in seabirds. 

Peter Pyle, above right, spent some 20+ years working at the islands as biologist. He has been involved with seabirds, marine mammals and great white sharks and other wildlife since he began bird banding with his father at age 4. Peter, along with Floyd, left above, and Sarah Allen, below, were doing a MAMMAL BIG DAY on this day! They recorded 30 species of native mammals in one day, setting a record. 

 Sarah Allen, above, is a author of the University of California Press book, A Field Guide to the Marine Mammals of the Pacific Coast, highly recommended.

 Our smiling Captain, Jim Robertson, above, absolutely essential in turning a good trip into a great trip!

Plus, the Outer Limits is one spotlessly clean, stable catamaran. 

And, those America's Cup folks — if they only knew what lay beyond —

Many thanks to all who joined us from near and as far away as Italy, and to the Golden Gate Audubon Society, and to Eli for chumming.

The complete species list for August 4, 2013 Shearwater Journeys follows: ALL for San Francisco County:

PACIFIC LOON- 1

WESTERN GREBE- 2

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 5

PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER - 12

SOOTY SHEARWATER- 1000

NORTHERN GANNET- 1

BROWN PELICAN- 30

BRANDT'S CORMORANT- 300

DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT- 125

PELAGIC CORMORANT- 50

BLACK OYSTERCATCHER- 4

MARBLED GODWIT- 2

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 50

RED PHALAROPE- 6

HEERMANN'S GULL- 125

CALIFORNIA GULL- 10

WESTERN GULL- 700

ELEGANT TERN- 1000

COMMON MURRE- 300

PIGEON GUILLEMOT- 200

CASSIN'S AUKLET- 25

RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 3

TUFTED PUFFIN- 35

CALIFORNIA SEA LION- 2000

STELLER'S SEA LION- 40

NORTHERN FUR SEAL- 300

NORTHERN ELEPHANT SEAL- 2

HARBOR SEAL- 50

HUMPBACK WHALE- 6

BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN- 6

HARBOR PORPOISE- 10

DALL'S PORPOISE- 15

THRESHER SHARK- 1

NEW THIS YEAR: SEABIRDS & GREAT WHITE SHARKS OCTOBER 20 

A few spaces still remain on this trip to the Farallon Islands. We are going in search of Great White Sharks and late fall seabirds. (You should not expect to see tufted puffin). See here, for reservations, or to get on the waiting list when full. Spaces are available on many of our departures from Monterey, Half Moon Bay and Bodega Bay. The season has just begun! 

PUFFINS FOREVER,

DEBI SHEARWATER

AUGUST 5, 2012: IMAGES OF THE DAY BY JEAN MYERS

Howdy, Birders,

I hope you will enjoy the images below by fellow traveler, birder and photographer, Jean Myers. All images shot while on board the fabulous Shearwater Journeys' pelagic trip to the Farallon Islands, August 5, 2012. All images, Copyright, Jean Myers, all rights reserved. Please do not use without permission. View more of Jean's images and her restoration work at Casa Dos Rios. 

Adult TUFTED PUFFIN, above is always the highlight of our Farallon Islands trip. This year, it was eclipsed at the end of the day by a very special seabird, the Northern Gannet. 

 CASSIN'S AUKLET, above, the smallest alcid that occurs in our area and is all dark to the water line.

 Two BLUE WHALES, above, the largest animal to ever live on Earth. Their steely, blue color and small dorsal fin are good field marks. Amazingly, the mighty blue whale feeds on the same small, shrimp-like krill, as the Cassin's Auklet, above. It was no surprise to see them in the same area. 

 BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS taking off, above. If we had spent more time off the edge of the Continental Shelf, we might have seen more of the "real seabirds", but---

HUMPBACK WHALE double tail flukes— the underside of the flukes are used to identify individual humpbacks. A whale watching boat in the background. 

 A "SKUNK HEAD" SOOTY SHEARWATER, above and normal colored SOOTY SHEARWATER, below. 

A call from the island sent us scurrying back to see the NORTHERN GANNET at Saddle Rock. We had failed to find it during a two hour search earlier in the day. 

Remarkably, this NORTHERN GANNET was seen carrying nesting material in June by a seabird biologist! One wonders what might happen should another gannet show up!

Enjoy! 

It was one of those days that we ocean folk live for!

Real birds eat squid,

Debi Shearwater

TRIP REPORT: AUGUST 5, 2012 FARALLON ISLANDS

FAITH & FOCUS

Howdy, Seabirders,

This is a trip report for Shearwater Journeys' pelagic trip departing from Sausalito for the Farallon Islands, August 5, 2012. It was a trip about having faith and remaining focused. On this annual trip our main focus is usually the charismatic TUFTED PUFFIN. The Farallon Islands represent the largest breeding seabird colony on the West Coast, south of Alaska. They are protected and are part of the National Marine Sanctuary system. Remarkably, a Northern Gannet was discovered at the islands several weeks ago. Although it was seen carrying nesting material in late June, it was not seen after July 8th. We had so hoped to find this bird on our August 5th trip to the islands. This might represent the first record of a Northern Gannet in the Pacific Ocean, and certainly the first record for the State of California. There was no question about the identification, as others had seen it and photographed it. Oddly enough, earlier this year, I visited the largest gannetry in the world, St. Kilda Island, Scotland. To learn more about the gannet and its range, click here. This is a completely remarkable seabird record. And, being a seabird person, I just had to see it— along with puffins, of course.

The stars were shining on us, as Gerry McChesney spotted the gannet on August 3rd at Arch Rock and flying around the island. Again, the stars dimmed, as Gerry reported to me that he did not see the gannet at all on August 4th due to heavy fog. Yikes! So it was with great anticipation we headed out to the islands with Captain Jimmy on the "Outer Limits.' The ride out to the islands is on the Continental Shelf. So, it is a straight shot out. We saw many HARBOR PORPOISES and COMMON MURRES. With the islands in sight, the first of many TUFTED PUFFINS appeared, below. This puffin was carrying food in its beak! So, it must be feeding young at the island. The seas were glassy, smooth. 

Things lightened up a bit, but for most of the day, we experienced uniformly high overcast skies. These are perfect conditions for viewing wildlife because if the sun is out, one cannot look in that direction.

Approaching South Farallon Island, we saw more TUFTED PUFFINS swimming on the water. 

Hundreds and hundreds of RED PHALAROPES were feeding in swirling movements on the water. They are in a plumage that is neither "red" nor "gray," as in winter. This individual still shows some red.

Large flocks of PIGEON GUILLEMOTS with white wing patches showing, formed rafts. 

And, newly hatched PIGEON GUILLEMOTS were nearby. This plumage can be confused with a murre.

Finally, we made it to Arch Rock, where we looked and looked and looked— for that Northern Gannet  without success!

Because it was so calm and so clear, we were able to go around South Farallon Island. I saw places I had never seen on previous trips. We looked and looked. 

A very few RHINOCEROS AUKLETS popped up. We continued looking. A whale watching boat was also searching. NO gannet. A BLUE WHALE surfaced, pictured below.

After nearly two hours of searching, I was NOT giving up. Large concentrations of seabirds and whales were reported off the edge of the Continental Shelf, about 5 miles southwest of the islands. I decided the gannet surely had to be feeding and that we had as good a chance of finding it amongst the feeding seabirds as on the island.

So, Jim headed to the shelf edge. Sure enough, we were absolutely surrounded by whales— more than 45 HUMPBACK WHALES and at least 5 BLUE WHALES. Of course, as fun as that was, I remained focused on looking at seabirds and finding that gannet. Flocks of SOOTY SHEARWATERS were sitting on the water. Amongst them, I spotted a "skunk head," pictured above.

This leucistic Sooty Shearwater is not all that uncommon.

However, these individual shearwaters can cause a lot of head scratching when one only has a quick, flying away view!

The HUMPBACK WHALES put on quite a show, surfacing right next to our vessel.

This is the head, or rostrum of a Humpback Whale, side view.

Humpback tail flukes right next to us! Then, a call on the radio came from Gerry who was on the island— he had spotted the gannet, flying around Saddle Rock, below. "Quick, everyone sit down on the bow, we are taking off!" Twenty minutes later we arrived at the rock and Gerry was giving instructions on precisely where we should look for the gannet, as it had sat down.

There! was the NORTHERN GANNET, on the rock, just below the three Common Murres! 

For at least half an hour, we did nothing but watch the gannet. It was an incredible day— perfect weather, extremely calm seas, loads of TUFTED PUFFINS and other seabirds, and loads of feeding whales, too— and, with the help of my friend, Gerry McChesney— the first sighting of the NORTHERN GANNET by a boat load of birders in weeks. What more could we ask for?

We enjoyed a lovely ride home, under the GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE.

The bridge is 75 years old this year.

So, of course, we could not resist taking photographs of it while floating along on a delightful "high."

Our helpful and very friendly first mate, Bob.

Our capable and experienced captain, Jimmy, below, who has seen the gannet more than just about anyone. 

Many thanks to Gerry McChesney who kept a keenly watchful eye for the gannet, ultimately spotting it and giving us the radio call. Many thanks to my steady co-leader, Jennifer Green. And, thanks to all of the birders who joined us on this awesome day. Never, ever let your focus dim and always hold out hope for the bird you want to see! Keep the faith.

The complete species list for AUGUST 5, 2012 follows:
WESTERN/CLARK'S GREBE- 1
BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 1
PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 8
SOOTY SHEARWATER- 1025, including "skunk head"
*NORTHERN GANNET- 1, adult
BROWN PELICAN- +
BRANDT'S CORMORANT- +
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT- +
PELAGIC CORMORANT- 7
BLACK OYSTERCATCHER- 1
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 11
RED PHALAROPE- 1515
POMARINE JAEGER- 1
HEERMANN'S GULL- +
WESTERN GULL- +
ELEGANT TERN- 40
CASPIAN TERN- 5
COMMON MURRE- 1175, many father/chick pairs
PIGEON GUILLEMOT- 625
CASSIN'S AUKLET- 601
RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 12
TUFTED PUFFIN- 34, one individual carrying food
CALIFORNIA SEA LION- +
STELLER'S SEA LION- +
HARBOR SEAL- +
GRAY WHALE- 1
BLUE WHALE- 5
HUMPBACK WHALE- 45+
HARBOR PORPOISE- 27

Our next trip to the Farallon Islands is September 30th. It is SOLD OUT, but you can ask to be on the Wait List by emailing me. Folks, this is shaping up to be an outstanding fall season with loads of nearshore food. There could not be a better time to "get out there." Shearwater Journeys' schedule is current and up to date. Please book as soon as possible. You won't want to miss this fall!

Shearwaters forever,

Debi Shearwater

All images by Debi Shearwater, copyright. Please ask permission to use.