BREAKING NEWS: FIRST RECORD of WEDGE-RUMPED STORM-PETREL @ FARALLON ISLANDS

WEDGE-RUMPED STORM-PETREL

Image, courtesy and copyright, Dave Pereksta

THIS POST IS FROM POINT BLUE CONSERVATION SCIENCE'S FACEBOOK PAGE:

On April 19th, Point Blue Farallon biologist, Pete Warzybok and his field crew were conducting the first Ashy Storm-petrel netting session of the breeding season when they captured a rare visitor to the California Current. The unusual Storm-petrel that found its way into their mist-net was much smaller than the typical Ashy and Leach’s Storm-petrels that breed on the islands and it had an unusual triangular shaped white patch on the rump that didn't look right, even for the smallest races of Leach’s. Photos and measurements were taken, the bird was banded and then released to go about its way. Upon consulting with field guides and experts in the field of Storm-petrel identification, the identification was confirmed. They had captured the island’s first ever Wedge-rumped Storm-petrel (Oceanodroma tethys)! This particular small individual likely belonged to the kelsalli subspecies, also known as the Peruvian Storm-petrel, and is normally found in waters over the continental shelf between Mexico and Chile. This species is very rare off of California and the Farallon bird represents the farthest north they have ever been encountered. Interestingly, all records have occurred during periods of warmest ocean temperatures, providing further evidence for the unusual warming conditions observed in the Gulf of the Farallones this year.

Speaking of rare birds, this Saturday will mark the three-year Ganniversary of the Northern Gannet on the Farallones. The first, and as far as we know only, Gannet in the Pacific first arrived at the Farallones on April 25th 2012. With the exception of a few sightseeing visits to San Francisco, it has been present at the island almost every day since.

Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrel is a mega rare seabird anywhere in the USA. Additionally, a TRISTRAM'S STORM-PETREL carcass was recently found on the Farallon Islands. Things are hot offshore! There could not be a better time to plan your trip. Shearwater Journeys' calendar of 2015 trips can be found at our web site. Book early, and book often! 

See you out there!

Storm-Petrels Forever, 

Debi Shearwater

debi@shearwaterjourneys.com

CORDELL BANK & BODEGA CANYON SEABIRD & MARINE MAMMAL TRIPS

LOOKING FOR STORM-PETRELS?

CORDELL BANK & BODEGA CANYON SEABIRDING 2014 PELAGIC TRIPS:

SEPTEMBER 1 & 19, 2014

Massive rafts of storm-petrels have been observed on Shearwater Journeys's offshore trips from Bodega Bay in recent years. Flocks number in the thousands have included: ASHY, BLACK, FORK-TAILED, LEAST AND WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS. On our September 20, 2013 trip, we recorded a record-breaking 17,325 storm-petrels! While on our September 21, 2012 trip a fly-by HAWAIIAN PETREL was spotted while we were watching the storm-petrels!

 

Since 1980 Shearwater Journeys has offered pelagic trips departing from Bodega Bay, north of Point Reyes and San Francisco. This is the longest running birding operation from this port. 

 The areas that we cover on this departure have recorded more MEGA-RARE SEABIRDS than any other port in North America! The list is very long: SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSS, LIGHT-MANTELD ALBATROSS, SHY ALBATROSS (3 different individuals, separate trips);
MURPHY'S, COOK'S, HAWAIIAN, WHITE-CHINNED, PARKINSON'S and GREAT-WINGED PETRELS; GREAT, MANX, STREAKED, CORY'S, WEDGE-TAILED and FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATERS; LEAST STORM-PETREL (rare this far north, but might happen in 2014 due to warmer water); LONG-BILLED MURRELET and CRESTED AUKLET. These are some of the rarest of the rare seabirds in all of North America, and in some instances, the northern Pacific Ocean. (Great-winged Petrel represented the first record for the Northern Hemisphere, as well as North America!)

 ASHY & FORK-TAILED STORM-PETRELS, above. 

 HUMPBACK WHALE, above. This is a rich feeding area for marine mammals. 

LONG-TAILED JAEGER, above and SOUTH POLAR SKUA, below. 

This area can be fabulous for viewing all three species of jaegers. Skua is rarely missed on this trip.

 BLUE WHALE, below, showing its back and dorsal fin.

 The sheer numbers of marine mammals near Bodega Canyon can be astounding, during fall. 

 LONG-TAILED JAEGER, above and SABINE'S GULL, below. 

BROWN BOOBY, below. Seen on our October 25, 2013 trip. 

The NEW SEA ANGLER, our comfortable birding vessel, below. 

NOTE: The September 19 Bodega Bay trip can be combined with the September 21 Half Moon Bay trip for a weekend of seabirding and land birding on September 20. The September 1 trip could be hooked up with the early Monterey Bay trips on September 5 and 6, with land birding in between.

DETAILS FOR BODEGA BAY TRIPS: SEPTEMBER 1 & 19:

DEPARTURE: 7 a.m. SHARP. The boat will not wait for latecomers. Check in with Debi at the dock. RATE: $218

RETURN: About 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., varies. Allow for delays of several hours. 

PARKING: is free in the large, dirt lot. Try to check out the location the day prior, as it can be confusing in the morning darkness. On Highway 1, heading north from Bodega Bay, proceed north of the Tide's Whart, past the Boat House restaurant on your left. Turn left, heading downhill at the large, brown sign for EAST SHORE ROAD. At the stop sign a the bottom of the hill, proceed straight to Port O' Bodega. It will seem as if you are heading out to the water. Park here. 

PRICE ADJUSTMENT: all pricing is based on current rates and may be adjusted at the dockside. If so, this fee will be collected at the dock, between $10-20/person, cash only. 

FOOD & DRINKS: Bring all of your food and drinks, including water. Nothing is available on the boat. No restaurants are open in the morning hours prior to departure. Dress VERY WARMLY. 

MOTELS: in this area can be fully booked and can be quite expensive. Bodega Coast Inn and Suites is only 5 minutes from the dock. You might try asking the manage for the "Shearwater Discount" which they sometimes honor. Bodega Harbor Inn is conveniently located. Be sure to ask about their refund policy. You might find the rate shocking, compared to what you get. The Inn at the Tides is very nice, especially if you have family members traveling with you who will not be doing the boat trip. Their rate includes breakfast, but it is not served early enough for you to partake of it. Cheaper motels can be found along the Highway 101 corridor. However,  be SURE to allow a minimum of one hour to get to the dock from any motel along Highway 101. The roads leading to the dock are winding, two lane and can be foggy in the morning. It is possible to get stuck behind a truck pulling a trailer with a boat on it, going only 30 mph. Birders have missed the boat by not allowing enough time to make this trip! Refunds are not available for "no shows" at the dock! NO eating facilities are open early enough in the morning in Bodega Bay for breakfast. Please plan accordingly.

GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE: Be sure to check toll details regarding crossing the bridge, even if you rent a car, if you are returning to San Francisco after the trip. The toll is only collected on the southbound trip. 

TRIP REPORT: AUG 30, 2013

IMAGES OF AUG 30, 2013 BY STEVE HOWELL

TRIP REPORT: SEP 20, 2013

BIRDERS SPEAK ABOUT THE EPIC SEP 20, 2013 TRIP

TRIP REPORT: OCT 18, 2013

BODEGA BAY IMAGES BY TODD MCGRATH

TRIP REPORT: SEP 21, 2012 WITH HAWAIIAN PETREL

BODEGA BAY IMAGES BY STEVE HOWELL

TRIP REPORT: OCT 26, 2012

TRIP REPORT: AUG 17, 2011

BODEGA BAY IMAGES BY ABE BORKER

EMERGENCY PELAGIC TRIP: OCT 29, 2011

TRIP REPORT: OCT 29, 2011

TRIP REPORT: SEP 15, 2010- COOK'S PETREL

TRIP REPORT: AUG 15, 2009- COOK'S & HAWAIIAN PETRELS

TRIP REPORT: SEP 18, 2009

TRIP REPORT: SEP 20, 2009

Whew! That's a lotta reading!

STORM-PETRELS FOREVER,

Debi Shearwater

Birders Speak About the Epic September 20, 2013 Bodega Bay

Three 2013 BIG YEAR BIRDERS, above: NEIL HAYWARD, ISAAC SANCHEZ and JAY LEHMAN on the epic September 20, 2013 Shearwater Journeys' pelagic trip which departed from Bodega Bay and ventured offshore to the Cordell Bank, recording a modern day record number of storm-petrels. 

Image, courtesy Isaac Sanchez

Here's what Isaac Sanchez had to say about birding with the guys:

It was also a pleasure on the pelagic trip to run into birding buddy Jay Lehman who is doing a traditional Big Year (currently at 650+).  We first birded together with another mutual birding buddy Paul Serridge while in graduate school over 40 years ago.  It was also a pleasure to meet Neil Hayward who is the 2013 Big Year front-runner with 710 species.

Isaac, himself is doing a PHOTO BIG YEAR. To date, he has photographed more than 550 birds in the USA. He might reach 575. "At the beginning of the year, I never dreamed of photographing 500 birds much less 550.  With 3 months left there is a chance I can reach 575, but 600 still seems out of reach. I have often been asked the question: what do you do with all of your bird photos?  The short answer is that I enjoy sharing them with other birders.  And I share without an ulterior motive.  I don’t sell my photos and I intend to remain an amateur for the foreseeable future.  I have already donated over 400 images to NatureInstruct, a Canadian web site devoted to bird identification. Bird photography is a great learning tool.  I am a better birder because I can discover and carefully study field marks that I would otherwise miss in the field. I am extremely gratified that my Big Year photos have already been viewed over 100,000 times.  I hope viewers enjoy the photos as much as I do.  For me, each photo provides context for a pleasant memory." 

It seems that BLACK STORM-PETREL was a Big Year tick for all three of these fellow. 

Isaac had this to say about the trip: Yesterday was an unbelievable spectacle!  At the beginning of the trip you posed the question to the leaders: where do you think the birds are?  Well I guess you answered your own question. :-)

The Shearwater pelagic out of Bodega Bay was one of those experiences that birders only dream about.  We encountered rafts of storm petrels in the thousands on the Cordell Bank (I haven’t seen the official estimate yet, but Debi Shearwater and other leaders on board, including pelagic guru Steve Howell, were bandying around numbers in excess of 10,000).  Given that we had never seen a Fork-tailed or a Black Storm-Petrel before, this was an extraordinary introduction to both birds.  Ashy Storm-Petrel was the predominant species (whose world wide numbers have been estimated to be less than 20,000), with Fork-tails close behind.

And, Jay said of the trip:  The second new bird for the year was Black Storm-Petrel.  Black Storm-Petrels were mixed with Ashy and Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels in the largest flock of storm-petrels ever recorded in North America, a total of 17,000+ storm-petrels.  It was AWESOME!  Truly, a lifetime experience.  Debi Shearwater reports on her blog that there were 10,500+ Ashy Storm-Petrels, 6,500+ Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels, 300 Black Storm-Petrels and 25 Wilson's Storm-Petrels.  We had a grand slam of jaegers:  Pomarine, Parasitic and Long-tailed Jaegers and South Polar Skua.  Sea mammals put on a good show with 15-17 Blue Whales, 12   Humpbacked Whales, 50 Northern Right Whale Dolphins, 350 Pacific White-sided Dolphins and 8 Dall's Pofpoises. Pinnipeds included: California Sea Lion, Stellar's Sea Lion, Northern Fur Seal, Northern Elephant Seal and Harbor Seal.  It was quite an exciting trip.

Long time sea birder, Jim Chiropolos had this to say about the trip:

I was on the September 20 Shearwater Journeys pelagic and it was amazing.

Entering and leaving the cordell bank (but not over the bank itself) storm petrels were everywhere. Huge rafts of storm pertrels were everywhere. At times, it seemed that every yard of ocean had a storm pretel! In all my time birdwatching, I'm not sure if I have ever seen more birds. It was like watching the wilderbeast migration in Africa. It was one of those special birding moments. Imagine, perfect light, and everywhere, storm petrels dancing on a gente swell in the ocean, horizon to horizon. The areas we had the big storm petrel flocks, I don't think we saw anything but storm petrels - very interesting in itself. 

The trip leaders - Debby Shearwater, Peter Pyle and Steve Howell conservatively estimated at least 15,500 storm petrels, including 10,500 ashy, 4,500 fork tailed, several hundred black an multiple Wilsons. Debby thinks we may have seen a record amount of storm petrels ever on a single pelagic trip! No Way! Even the leaders were amazed and had never seen anything like it (I think) and they spend a lot of time on the ocean.

We also had the jaeger slam with multiple skuas, great marine mammel watching (and also smelled and heard multiple whales they were so close) on a very gentle ocean swell - no one got sea sick.

A great, great day on the ocean. Maybe I will see you out there some day.

Ashy Storm-Petrels Forever,

Debi Shearwater 

Check out Shearwater Journeys' offshore seabird trips!

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

SHEARWATER JOURNEYS 2013 PELAGIC TRIPS

Image, copyright, Todd McGrath

Ahoy There, Seabirders,

The Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma furcata) is a small, pearl-gray storm-petrel which ranges in the Pacific Northwest. They breed in colonies on small Pacific islets with enough soil in which to dig a nest burrow. They forage on the open ocean over the continental shelf and further out to sea. Two thirds of the global population breeds at the Aleutian Islands, Alaska. On California pelagic trips, the best time to encounter this species is late July through mid-September on trips departing from Half Moon Bay and Bodega Bay. On some trips, we have found flocks of hundreds, and sometimes, thousands. One such flock of 3,000 Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels was found on our September 21, 2012 Bodega Canyon and Cordell Bank trip along with 1000 Ashy and 1000 Black Storm-Petrels!

Shearwater Journeys is proud to offer 38 pelagic trips for the 2013 fall season which also happens to be our 38th year of operation! There is something on offer for every birder, whether a beginner, seasoned salt or photographer. Our friendly and knowledgable leaders welcome all on board. Their worldwide seabirding experiences put them at the forefront of seabirding. The list of mega-rare seabirds found on Shearwater Journeys' pelagic trips is longer than any other in North America. In recent years, these have included: Short-tailed and Laysan Albatrosses; Great-winged, Hawaiian and Cook's Petrels; Great and Manx Shearwaters; Northern Gannet and Brown Booby, among others. Shearwater Journeys offers the most comprehensive selection of seabirding trips on the West Coast. More than 60,000 birders have participated in our trips over these many decades.

Please note that our rates are the same as the 2012 rates. No doubt things will change. Newspaper headlines in the early part of this year could not stop talking about the steadily increasing rates of fuel. Indeed, rates rose for over thirty days straight, only to turn around an go down, again. Headlines continued: "Cost of gas to shoot past $4," and "Soaring gas prices fuel new state high,"and the latest, "Upset about ever-higher price of gas? Get used to it." A new tax is set to take effect this summer, raising rates 3.5 cents/gallon. The largest expense of any pelagic trip is diesel fuel which is also the most expensive fuel. Small marinas, such as Monterey and Bodega Bay only have one fuel dock which operates as a monopoly. Any increases in fuel by the boat owners, or any other increases will be payable at the dockside, cash only. This is the fairest way to handle the situation.

In following blog posts, I will give the details of the various trips. Please note that SPACES ARE AVAILABLE, unless listed as "SOLD OUT' in big, bold letters on the schedule page. When a trip is nearly booked up, it will be listed as, "LIMITED SPACES AVAILABLE." In that case, please select a first and second choice of trips, or no other choice, as the case may be.

RESERVATIONS: Payment, in full, by check or money order is required at the time of booking. (Credit cards not accepted). The United States Coast Guard requires the name, address, phone, email of each person. Be sure to include your cell phone number. Send your reservation to: Debi Shearwater, PO Box 190, Hollister, CA 95024; debi@shearwaterjourneys.com.

Please note: The office will be closed from 3 June until 11 July while Debi is working in Norway, leading the Svalbard High Arctic Expedition. No one else will be opening the mail. However, you may still send your reservation in during that period! Reservations will be taken by postmark dates.

For the true adventurer, please stay tuned for details about our Birding Down Under: New Zealand's Sub-Antarctic Islands Voyage, November 9 - 25, 2014!

Hope to see you out there!
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

HAWAIIAN PETREL: SEPTEMBER 21, 2012 BODEGA CANYON

Howdy, Seabirders,

This is a trip report for Shearwater Journeys' September 21, 2012 pelagic trip departing from Bodega Bay. The singular highlight was a HAWAIIAN PETREL spotted by veteran seabirder, Todd McGrath, who unflinchingly and without any hesitation whatsoever, called, "Hawaiian Petrel" as the bird made a rapid, close pass by our boat. Trevor Codlin, who hails from England, was able to remain calm enough in the flash of the moment to capture the images below. All images copyright, Trevor Codlin. Please do not use without permission. The Hawaiian Petrel was in the "usual" spot where we have found so many mega rare seabirds— the edge of Bodega Canyon. It was in Sonoma County and appeared about 11:15 a.m. 

In addition to the Hawaiian Petrel, the storm-petrel show was one of the most astounding we've ever encountered. Once we reached the 1000 fathom line, some 27 miles offshore, we began to see a few scattered storm-petrels, a BLACK STORM-PETREL being the first one called. Captain Rick Powers told us that he had seen thousands and thousands of storm-petrels last Sunday. Finally, he "commanded" me to put out the menhaden oil slick, rather than wait! So, I did! Soon a constant parade, like a traffic jam, of hundreds and hundreds and then, thousands and thousands of BLACK, ASHY and FORK-TAILED STORM-PETRELS, along with a handful of WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS, covered the ocean. It looked as though the ocean was dancing! I'm sure that there will be more images to come of this. The jaegers put on a pretty good show with all three species being sighted. Numbers of alcids were low, mostly due to the high sea conditions making it too hard to see them. 

It was a wild day at sea, but we were in good hands with Captain Rick Powers whom I have worked with since 1980. His vessel, the "New Sea Angler" is just about the best boat we could have for this sort of day. The full trip report follows, below. Many, many thanks to the folks who joined us from near and far on this spectacular day! The leaders on this trip were: Todd McGrath, Steve Howell, Lisa Hug and Debi Shearwater. Please check our schedule for the latest trips with openings. 

 The species list for SEPTEMBER 21, 2012 SHEARWATER JOURNEYS' TRIP FROM BODEGA BAY (only outside of the harbor) is below:

SONOMA COUNTY FOR ALL RECORDS

RED-THROATED LOON- 1
PACIFIC LOON- 4
EARED GREBE- 20
BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 40
NORTHERN FULMAR- 7
**HAWAIIAN PETREL- 1
PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 65
BULLER'S SHEARWATER- 4
SOOTY SHEARWATER- 50 (low!)
WILSON'S STORM-PETREL- 5
FORK-TAILED STORM-PETREL- 3000
ASHY STORM-PETREL- 1000
BLACK STORM-PETREL- 1000 (high count for this far north)
BRANDT'S CORMORANT- 20
PELAGIC CORMORANT- 3
SURF SCOTER- 2
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 30
RED PHALAROPE- 8
POMARINE JAEGER- 15
PARASITIC JAEGER- 1
LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 8
HEERMANN'S GULL- 4
CALIFORNIA GULL- 30
WESTERN GULL- 100
Tern sp.- 1
COMMON MURRE- 85
PIGEON GUILLEMOT- 1
CASSIN'S AUKLET- 10
RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 2
CALIFORNIA SEA LION-+
NORTHERN FUR SEAL- 1
HARBOR SEAL- +
HUMPBACK WHALE- 3
PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN- 200
DALL'S PORPOISE- 18

See you out there!

Petrels forever,

Debi Shearwater

SEPTEMBER SHEARWATER JOURNEYS RECAP OF TRIPS

Howdy, Birders,

Between September 8 and 26 Shearwater Journeys offered fifteen successful pelagic trips from three ports: Monterey, Half Moon Bay and Bodega Bay. Some 552 birders participated in these trips, including the trips for the Monterey Bay Birding Festival, held this past weekend. Leaders on these trips included: Clay Kempf, Jennifer Green, Rick Fournier, Scott Terrill, Linda Terrill, Morten Joergensen, Kate Goldberg, Wes Fritz, Dena Spatz, Lisa Hug, Steve Howell, Peter Pyle, David Wimpfheimer, Tristan McKee, Abe Borker, Russell Bradley, Annie Schmidt, Joe Morlan, Dave Pereksta, Melinda Conners, Adam Fox, Adam Searcy and Debi Shearwater. Participants hailed from Canada, Belgium, The Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, England and 32 states.

Highlights were many, with all of the usual fall seabirds observed during the period. The GREAT-WINGED PETREL was observed by a lucky few birders only 7 miles offshore on the September 17th Half Moon Bay trip. This may well be the same individual Great-winged Petrel as seen on our August 26th Monterey Bay trip. A beautiful adult BROWN BOOBY flew into the wake on the September 9th Monterey Bay trip. A MANX SHEARWATER was spotted, sitting amongst a raft of Sooty Shearwaters on the September 11th Monterey Bay trip. Two LAYSAN ALBATROSSES were found on the September 14th Bodega Bay trip, along with 6 Wilson's, 150 Fork-tailed, 200 Ashy and 12 Black Storm-Petrels. Another LAYSAN ALBATROSS was observed on the September 16th Half Moon Bay trip. "Bonus" TUFTED PUFFINS were spotted on several trips from Monterey and Half Moon Bay and the September 14th Bodega Bay trip. It was an incredible month for seabirds. Many of the Half Moon Bay departures enjoyed excellent views of MARBLED MURRELETS as well as close-up views of the rocky shorebirds: SURFBIRD, WANDERING TATTLER, BLACK OYSTERCATCHER.

Fall migration continues throughout October which could shape up to be a very good month. Winter seabirds should be arriving by mid-October through November. Spaces are available on the following trips:

MONTEREY: OCT 1, 8, 16; NOV 27

HALF MOON BAY: OCT 2, 15; NOV 22

BODEGA BAY: OCT 14

For reservations, please contact Debi Shearwater at: debi@shearwaterjourneys.com

Shearwaters forever,

Debi

AKA "Annie Auklet" as played by Angelica Huston in the 20th Century Fox movie, "The Big Year" opening at a theater near you on October 14th!

I hope you will enjoy John Schwarz's images from Shearwater Journeys' September 10, 11, 14 and 18 trips. All images copyright, John Schwarz. Please do not use without permission.

Parasitic Jaeger

Sabine's Gull

Red Phalarope

Pink-footed Shearwater

South Polar Skua

Manx Shearwater

Cassin's Auklet

Long-tailed Jaeger

Laysan Albatross

Black-footed Albatross

Buller's Shearwater

Black Storm-Petrel

Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel

Ashy Storm-Petrel