TRIP REPORT: SEPTEMBER 20, 2013 BODEGA BAY SPECTACULAR STORM-PETREL SAFARI

Howdy, Birders,

This is a trip report for Shearwater Journeys' September 20, 2013 pelagic trip departing from Bodega Bay. This was a pelagic trip for the record books! We found a SPECTACULAR STORM-PETREL BONANZA consisting of: 10,500+ ASHY STORM-PETRELS, 6,500+ FORK-TAILED STORM-PETRELS, 300 BLACK STORM-PETRELS and 25 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS, for a GRAND TOTAL of 17,325+ STORM-PETRELS. This almost certainly represents a record count for storm-petrels anywhere in North America, by sea or air. In addition to the beautiful sea conditions and lovely weather, our day was highlighted by a GRAND SLAM of the JAEGER: POMARINE, PARASITIC and LONG-TAILED, as well as SOUTH POLAR SKUAS. Most of the usual fall seabirds were encountered. Marine mammals included: 15-17 BLUE WHALES, 12 HUMPBACK WHALES, 50 NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHINS, 350 PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHINS and 8 DALL'S PORPOISES. Pinnipeds included: CALIFORNIA SEA LION, STELLER'S SEA LION, NORTHERN FUR SEAL, NORTHERN ELEPHANT SEAL and HARBOR SEAL. 

IT WAS A DAY FOR THE SEABIRD HISTORY BOOK.

All images, below, copyright, Steve N.G. Howell who co-lead this trip. Please do not use without permission. Steve N.G. Howell is the author of the recently published guide: PETRELS, ALBATROSSES & STORM-PETRELS of NORTH AMERICA: A PHOTOGRAPHIC GUIDE.

A very small portion of one of the rafts of storm-petrels, above, which shows how this looks from a distance.

Storm-petrel rafts (a flock of storm-petrels resting on the water) are typically very skittish in our area, rarely allowing close approach with a vessel. Most sources state that these storm-petrels are nocturnal feeders and rest on the ocean during the day. 

LONG-TAILED JAEGER, above.

POMARINE JAEGER, above.

SOUTH POLAR SKUA, above, putting on a show.

 

One of the many BLUE WHALES, above. Its coloration makes it blend in well. 

STELLER'S SEA LION, above, rarely seen in our area. 

HUMPBACK WHALE tail flukes above.

An interesting HEERMANN'S GULL, above, as we approached the harbor. I'm betting that this image will appear in Steve N.G. Howell's forthcoming book about terns and jaegers, as the white wing patches clearly imitate a jaeger.

Many thanks to the birders who traveled from near and far to join our offshore trip. The leaders on this day were: Steve N.G. Howell, Peter Pyle, Lisa Hug, Adam Searcy, Steve Tucker and Debi Shearwater. 

The complete species list follows. Except for the harbor and a few miles, we were in MARIN COUNTY for nearly the entire day. 

SHEARWATER JOURNEYS' SEPTEMBER 20, 2013 TRIP TO CORDELL BANK

RED-THROATED LOON- 1

COMMON LOON- 1

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 43

PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 383

BULLER'S SHEARWATER- 10

SOOTY SHEARWATER- 79

*WILSON'S STORM-PETREL- 25

**FORK-TAILED STORM-PETREL- 6500+

**ASHY STORM-PETREL- 10500+

**BLACK STORM-PETREL- 300

BROWN PELICAN- +

BRANDT'S CORMORANT- +

DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT- +

PELAGIC CORMORANT- +

MARBLED GODWIT- +, harbor

BLACK TURNSTONE- + , harbor

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 170

RED PHALAROPE- 60

SOUTH POLAR SKUA- 3

POMARINE JAEGER- 10

PARASITIC JAEGER- 2

LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 12

JAEGER SP.- 3

HEERMANN'S GULL- 10, offshore

CALIFORNIA GULL- 250

WESTERN GULL- 150

SABINE'S GULL- 10

ELEGANT TERN- + jetty

COMMON MURRE- 450

CASSIN'S AUKLET- 23

RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 11

PINTAIL- 23, offshore 

CALIFORNIA SEA LION- +

STELLER'S SEA LION- 4

NORTHERN FUR SEAL- 4

NORTHERN ELEPHANT SEAL- 1

HARBOR SEAL- +

BLUE WHALE- 15-18

HUMPBACK WHALE- 12

NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHIN- 50

PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN- 350

DALL'S PORPOISE- 8

BROWN JELLIES

We can take you out there!

Our next trip departing for the Cordell Bank from Bodega Bay is OCTOBER 18th.

We also have trips departing from Pillar Point, Half Moon Bay, easily accessible from all regions of the Bay Area:

SEPTEMBER 28 & 29; OCTOBER 6 & 27; NOVEMBER 16

Don't forget our GREAT WHITE SHARK SEARCH trip on OCTOBER 20th to the Farallon Islands. 

See you out there!

Shearwaters Forever,

Debi Shearwater

ALBACORE GROUNDS: OFFSHORE MONTEREY PELAGIC TRIP

Pomarine Jaeger, dark morph, Stercorarius pomarinus, a sure bet on our offshore Albacore pelagic trip, often numbering more than a hundred. 

Image, courtesy, Doug Koch, copyright. 

ALBACORE GROUNDS: OFFSHORE MONTEREY

SEPTEMBER 7, 2013 SATURDAY

Some years, migratory albacore, a type of tuna, come to the Monterey Bay area. Sometimes, they are within reach of a one day trip, sometimes not. Their presence causes a hot stir among fishermen. September is often the best month to try to catch one of these prized tunas. Whether albacore are present, or not, we still operate the albacore trip. Usually, but not always, we go 20 to 45 miles offshore in search of a warm water break. If we can find a "hard edge" in the temperature break, we will likely find the albacore and the seabirds associated with them! The prized and highly sought after species include: SCRIPP'S, GUADALUPE and CRAVERI'S MURRELETS and LEACH'S and LEAST STORM-PETRELS (not usually found on most Monterey trips). Rarities on this offshore trip have included RED-TAILED and RED-BILLED TROPICBIRDS. One year when albacore were not found off Monterey, I elected to go where I had previously found large concentrations of feeding seabirds. On that day, we set a world record for the second time by finding EIGHT SPECIES OF SHEARWATERS! STREAKED SHEARWATER and BROWN BOOBY were among the highlights of that day. Shearwater Journeys holds the world record, twice over, for the highest count of shearwater species recorded in one day! On almost every albacore trip, we record high counts of POMARINE, PARASITIC and LONG-TAILED JAEGERS. Some trips have recorded more than 100 Long-tailed Jaegers. This is the single best trip where SOUTH POLAR SKUA is practically guaranteed. Photographic opportunities of jaegers can be outstanding. We typically find Black-footed Albatroses. Scattered storm-petrels appear at dawn, but sometimes, we have encountered flocks of hundreds on the water in rafts. Tuna fishermen refer to BULLER'S SHEARWATERS and ARCTIC TERNS, as "tuna birds" because they are often associated with albacore. Buller's Shearwaters can sometimes be found, sitting in flocks of 50-300, presenting stunning photo-ops as they take off in flight like a ballet. Of course, if we do find albacore, we shall try to catch one or two. You can take your hand at it, too. But, fishing is not the sole purpose of this trip. Albacore trips have proved to be excellent for sighting HUMPBACK, BLUE, FIN (sometimes) and BAIRD'S BEAKED WHALES. 

This trip can easily be combined with another Monterey trip (there are many surrounding this date), or one of the Half Moon Bay departures, September 8 or 9. Past Trip Reports can give one an idea of the species list. This trip sometimes covers three counties: Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Mateo.

DETAILS FOR ALBACORE TRIP:

DEPARTURE: 5:30 a.m. SHARP. Be there about 5:15 a.m. Allow time to park and walk to the boat.

RETURN: 5:30 p.m, exactly.

PARKING: Same as for Monterey trips. 

PRICE ADJUSTMENT: There will be a price adjustment for this trip, as the cost of the boat has changed by $1000 for this trip. Yeah, that's up, not down. Please be prepared and bring $25/per person, cash to the dock. Exact amount will speed things up for an on-time departure. 

FOOD & DRINKS: Please bring all food & drinks with you. It will be a long and hopefully, productive day! 

MOTELS & RESERVATIONS: See Monterey trips. This trip typically sells out every year.

In the land of midnight sun,

Debi Shearwater

IMAGES OF THE DAY by Isaac Sanchez: September 23, 2012

Howdy, Seabirders,

Say what? Yep, that there is a BURROWING OWL, some 26 miles offshore. Actually, it is not all that uncommon, as they often land on at the Farallon Islands. Please enjoy Isaac Sanchez's images, below. Isaac hails from Texas and is on a mission to photograph as many bird species as possible. Please do not use these images without permission. 

A BURROWING OWL, above and below, that tried to land on our radio antenna!

PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER, below.

 RHINOCEROS AUKLET, below.

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS, an elegant flier, below.

 POMARINE JAEGER, above and below.

 SCRIPPS'S MURRELET, above and below, recently a split from Xantus's Murrelet.

 These murrelets, again, below, are often very shy of boats. When they fly, it is often to the end of the Earth— or so it seems!

 CASSIN'S AUKLET, below, also known as the "starlings of the sea" as they are very common breeders at the Farallon Islands.

 CASSIN'S AUKLETS, below in flight, feed on krill. 

 The elegant, BULLER'S SHEARWATER, below.

 BLACK--FOOTED ALBATROSS, below.

 SABINE'S GULL, below, a High Arctic breeder.

PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATERS in flight, below.

 A duo of PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATERS, below.

 SOOTY SHEARWATER, below. Its numbers are declining.

 PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER, below, showing its two-toned bill.

 BULLER'S SHEARWATER, below, showing its dark cap and wedge-shaped tail.

 BULLER'S SHEARWATER, below, undersides are gleaming white.

 The lovely, BULLER'S SHEARWATER, below, follows tuna.

 SOUTH POLAR SKUA & PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER, below. Notice the beefiness of the skua's chest! 

 The all powerful, all mighty, SOUTH POLAR SKUA, below.

  SKUAAAA!

 Nearshore, at the end of the day, a father (right) and his chick, COMMON MURRES. 

JOIN THE FUN!

SHEARWATERS FOREVER,

DEBI SHEARWATER

IMAGES OF THE DAY by Steve Howell: September 21, 2012

OCEAN DANCERS

Howdy, Birders,

The Hawaiian Petrel on Shearwater Journeys's pelagic trip to Bodega Canyon and Cordell Bank, September 21, 2012 was not the only highlight. Our skilled captain insisted that I put out a menhaden oil slick at a spot where he had seen thousands of storm-petrels a few days earlier. I did this. The resulting mass of dancing storm-petrels absolutely astounded all of the leaders — veterans of decades of seabird trips. I hope you will enjoy Steve Howell's images, below of the dancing show. It was just incredibly spectacular. This trip may have set a record for the sheer numbers of BLACK STORM-PETRELS, in particular, estimated at some 800-1000. FORK-TAILED STORM-PETRELS and ASHY STORM-PETRELS numbered about 1000 each, while 5 WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS put in a show, as well. All images, copyright, Steve Howell. Please do not use without permission.

BLACK STORM-PETREL, above.

Mountainous waves with dancing storm-petrels.

 It is very easy to pick out the pearly-gray FORK-TAILED STORM-PETRELS.

 FORK-TAILED STORM-PETRELS blend in well with the swells, below.

 Rafts of FORK-TAILED STORM-PETRELS.

 Above it all, a POMARINE JAEGER watches.

Shearwater Journeys's last departure in 2012 from Bodega Bay is Friday, October 26. This is a great time to see fall seabirds and early winter arrivals, including Ancient Murrelets, Northern Fulmar, Short-tailed Shearwater, and possibly, Black-legged Kittiwake. Rarities at this time of year have included Short-tailed Albatross, Parkinsons's and White-chinned Petrels. See you out there!

Storm-petrels forever,

Debi Shearwater

debi@shearwaterjourneys.com

AUGUST 3, 2012: IMAGES OF THE DAY BY CHRISTIAN HAASS

Howdy, Seabirders,

Below, you can enjoy some images by Christian Haass from Germany of seabirds on Shearwater Journeys' August 3, 2012 pelagic trip from Monterey Bay. All images copyright, Christian Haass. Please do not use without permission.

 The morning began with a big bang, right outside the harbor with many POMARINE JAEGERS, above and below, chasing Elegant Terns.

RED PHALAROPES far outnumbered the RED-NECKED PHALAROPES, even close to shore, possibly owing to the high winds of the previous few days.

 

SABINE'S GULLS appeared just as we reached Point Pinos. By day's end we would tally 47 individuals, often flying up the wake. This is a good count for this early in the fall season.

PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATERS appeared about the same time and often flew up the wake, as did this individual, below.

 BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES were attracted to the bird commotion behind the boat.

Shortly, even the majestic albatross was swimming toward the vessel.

Only a handful of CASSIN'S AUKLETS were found. Most of these birds might well be found further north, near the Farallon Islands or off Half Moon Bay at this time.

The real surprise of the day was the storm-petrels. Many ASHY STORM-PETRELS were noted.

The image, above, shows a white-rumped LEACH'S STORM-PETREL second bird from the left.

West Coast storm-petrels are never easy to photograph, as more often than not, they do not approach the vessel closely.

 LEACH'S STORM-PETRELS, above and below.

 Heading south, we encountered small flocks of 6-12 storm-petrels, rafting on the water. In one such flock, birders were able to see three species at once: ASHY, LEACH'S and the distinctly larger and blacker, BLACK STORM-PETREL.

 Although Leach's Storm-Petrels are common 50+ to 100 miles offshore Monterey, on this trip we set a record high count for nearshore LEACH'S STORM-PETRELS!

Whereas ARCTIC TERNS were extremely scarce during the 2011 fall migration, it appears that this fall we might find good numbers of them. 

 

Many thanks to Christian for the above images. 

Jump on board with us to experience West Coast fall seabird migration. 

Shearwaters forever,

Debi Shearwater