All photos by Don DesJardin
Since Searcher is always roving the seas, we thought we would bring you an up to date account on what bird species we see and where.
6/4/2008
June 2-6, 2008 Pelagic Trip: Day 4
Location: Day 4: June Pelagic Trip
GPS:
Species:
Note: Hello Birders,
Today we are offshore a long ways hoping for something rare. We left San Clemente at midnight so we could be south of the island 50 miles just west of the 60-mile bank 20 miles. We continued south all day until we reached the 1000 fathom curve about 125 miles southwest of San Diego.
We saw Blackfooted and Laysan Albatross along with several Leach's Storm Petrel--White-rumped and Dark-rumped--a few Black-storm petrels and Northern fulmar. We were hoping for a Red-billed tropicbird today but to no avail. We laid out slicks in several spots to attract something and that didn't produce anything rare.
The conditions were not a factor today with light winds and a leftover swell from the wind we had the two days before.
We were dealt a bad hand weather-wise this trip but we made the best of it. There were life birds seen by several people, so all things considered it turned out to be a good trip.
Capt Art
6/3/2008
June 2-6, 2008 Pelagic Trip: Day 3
Location: Day 3: June Pelagic Trip
GPS:
Species:
Note: Hey birders,
Today we travelled east all day due to weather. We had 25-30 knots of wind all day and a 6-8 ft swell, so we headed east into the San Nicholas Basin towards San Clemente Island. We saw Black and Ashy Storm Petrels frequently along with Cassins Auklets in the afternoon. We had two Black-footed Albatross and one Laysan Albatross for a brief look.
In the late afternoon we saw several Sooty Shearwaters and a few Pink-footed. We did see three Skuas sitting on the water and flying, and that was a highlight.
We have high hopes for tomorrow with the forecast for diminishing winds. We are heading south towards the southeast end of the ABA area with hopes of something different.
More tomorrow,
Capt Art
6/3/2008
June 2-6, 2008 Pelagic Trip: Day 2
Location: Channel Islands
GPS:
Species:
Note: Hey birders,
Today started out great with good conditions--no wind or swell at Anacapa Island. We spent some time in the lee of Anacapa and saw black oystercatcher, Pigeon Guillemot, Rhino Auklet, Surf Scoter.
We travelled west and in the gap between Anacapa and Santa Cruz we saw several Sootyand Pink-footed Shearwater. Continuing west we saw a ton of Brants Cormorants in the lee of Santa Rosa.
At lunch time we turned south towards the 311 fathom spot south of Santa Rosa. Unfortunately the conditions deteriorated and the wind increased to 30 knots and the seas increased to 8-`10 feet. We had to turn downwind in order to stay safe and still have the ability to see some birds.
The birding throughout the day was good with lots of Shearwaters and a few Alcids. We did see Skua and the day ended when we chummed up three Black-footed Albatross right in the wake and very close to the boat.
We ended the day and anchored at the east end of San Nicholas Island for the night.
Our plan is to go downwind tomorrow with the forecast being more of the same with lots of wind and swell.
More tomorrow,
Capt Art
6/2/2008
June 2-6, 2008 Pelagic Trip: Day 1
Location: Offshore San Diego
GPS:
Species:
Note: Hey birders,
Our first day was a success! We had good conditions, with not much wind or swell.
We started our trip on the 9-mile bank southwest of San Diego. There were several Sooty Shearwaters and a few Xantus Murrelets. We also found one group of Risso's Dolphins.
We travelled northwest the rest of the day and found two areas with lots of life--more Sootys, Xantus Murrelets, Elegant Terns and one South Polar Skua. There was a single Sabine's Gull and a lone Royal Tern in the same area, and another group of Risso's Dolphins.
A little further northwest were more Sooties, Xantus and a small area of Cassin's Auklets, along with some Common Dolphins.
There wasn't much seen after 7 pm, but all-in -all a great first day. We hope to be around Anacapa Island at daylight , weather permitting.
More tomorrow,
Capt Art
2/6/2008
Coronado Islands and 9-mile bank trips
Location: Coronado Islands and 9-mile bank trips
GPS:
Species:
Note: Reported by Terry Hunefeld
The Saturday and Sunday pelagic boat trips to the 9-mile Bank and Los Coronados Islands were both resounding successes with well
photographed highlights like MASKED BOOBY, MANX SHEARWATER, multiple SHORT-TAILED SHEARWATER, BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, and more than
FIFTEEN HUNDRED CASSIN'S AUKLET.
Mammals included several close Gray Whales each day, an enormous pod
of 500 - 1000 Risso's Dolphin (the largest Todd McGrath has ever seen
in the SoCal Bight), bow-riding Pacific White-Sided Dolphin, Common
Dolphin and Bottlenose Dolphin.
The Coronados Islands high count of BROWN BOOBIES was Saturday with
20 on Middle Rock and one in flight several miles north of the
islands for a total of 21. Not seen on Middle Rock Saturday, but
present Sunday, was a MASKED BOOBY.
The Coronados Islands high count of oystercatchers was Sunday with 18
Black, 2 "American" and 4 hybrids.
Two-day totals of other species of interest (to us):
5-7 Northern Fulmar
2-3 Short-tailed Shearwater (Mexico)
1 Manx Shearwater (San Diego)
1 Pink-footed Shearwater (Mexico)
7-8 Black-vented Shearwater
38 Bonaparte's Gull
3 Mew Gull
2 Herring Gull
1 Thayer's Gull
4 Glaucous-winged Gull
1 Black-legged Kittiwake (Mexico)
7 Pom Jaeger
1 Jaeger sp
19 Xantus's Murrelet (scrippsi) (Mexico & US)
1,530 Cassin's Auklet
29 Rhino Auklet
Both trips were 6.5 hours in duration. The most productive life-zone
was over Coronado Canyon, a deep submarine canyon south of the 9-mile
bank.
1/26/2008
Offshore Oceanside
Location: Oceanside/San Diego offshore
GPS:
Species: The warm sun shone upon nearly 100 birders today as they sailed out of Oceanside Harbor into calm waters for a 3-hour tour sponsored by the Buena Vista Audubon. Almost immediately the call of "Pom Jaeger!" went up as a morning began of witnessing the interaction of jaegers, terns, shearwaters and gulls, i.e. shearwaters, terns and gulls catching fish, jaegers chasing shearwaters, terns and gulls.
This season's "invasion" of Rhinoceros Auklets was very much in
evidence as we totaled 45, in stark contrast with some years totaling
zero all season. Other alcids: 2 fairly close Cassin's Auklets were
seen with another 6 and one Common Murre too distant to be seen by many.
3 "dark" shearwaters were sighted (read: Sooty or Short-tailed). One was positively identified as a Short-tailed by its uniform medium- grey underwings and a soaring, banking, erratic non-sooty flight style; it banked within 100 feet of the boat. Other tubenoses
included 3 Northern Fulmar (2 dark and a light morph) that came by to dine on our popcorn chum.
During the course of the morning we saw several small flocks of 6-10 Bonaparte's Gulls, and 8 Red Phalarope. Jaegers were seen well by all, 6 Pomarine and 6 Parasitic, pretty much all engaged in chasing prey or finding prey to chase.
A surprise was only one loon. A Pacific. Period.
Mammals included a pod of 20 Common Dolphin, a pod 6 Bottlenose
Dolphin and a spouting Gray Whale that surfaced 5 or 6 times within
several hundred feet of the boat for great looks by all aboard.
In short, a fun morning of birds, marine mammals, old friends and new
ones.
A special thanks from the Buena Vista Audubon Society to Andy Mauro
for organizing this whole affair. Without his idea and hard work,
this would not have happened.
Totals:
1 Short-tailed Shearwater
331 Black-vented Shearwater
2 dark shearwater sp
3 Northern Fulmar
8 Red Phalarope
59 Bonaparte's Gull
15 Royal Tern
6 Parasitic Jaeger
6 Pomarine Jaeger
1 Common Murre
45 Rhino Auklet
8 Cassin's Auklet
1/19/2008
Offshore San Diego--9 mile bank/Coronados Islands
Location: Offshore San Diego--9 mile bank/Coronados Islands
GPS:
Species: A Caspian Tern flew overhead as Dave Povey, Matt Sadowski, Lea
Squires and I departed Mission Bay Dana Landing at 7:30 a.m. this
morning. Within a mile we began seeing multiple Rhinoceros and Cassin's Auklets. Small groups were seemingly everywhere.
About 5 miles offshore we passed through a cloud of 1200 Bonaparte's Gulls, all moving together in unison as if choreographed. Black-vented Shearwaters appeared here and there. A Northern Fulmar circled a few times. A Pom Jaeger flew in to investigate the commotion created by the gulls around our chum.
By the time we reached the 9-mile bank (about 14 miles west of Point Loma) we had counted 81 Rhino and 92 Cassin's Auklets plus 37 Black-vented Shearwaters. We took a short break to absorb the spectacle of so many birds. I filled and hung my new "Chum-O-Matic" cod-liver-oil- drip-system over the side of the boat to see what tubenoses it might attract.
Motoring south down the Nine-mile Bank, the Rhino and Cassin's
Auklets continued. Never did more than 2 minutes go by without an
alcid sighting. Just north of the Mexican border a Pink-footed
Shearwater came in to check us out. Either it followed us all the
way to the Coronados Islands (13 miles) or we saw 2 or 3 different
birds.
A couple miles south of the border we found 2 Red Phalarope and
another Northern Fulmar. Several miles further south we came upon 2 Xantus's Murrelets (scrippsi) amongst the continuing auklets. A bit further along, a molting Sooty Shearwater followed us off and on for a few miles. We were 5 miles north of the islands when we saw our
first Brown Booby flying overhead.
As we approached the islands, we saw 2 more Brown Boobies in flight.
At Middle Rock we counted 19 more, including one downy chick. The Masked Booby was present, well photographed by Matt. We visited North and Middle Islands and "Middle Rock" and saw 3 Pelagic Cormorants and about 8 oystercatchers, mostly Blacks, but at least 2 with "American" blood.
We made our way back to the mainland traveling about 6 miles off
shore. Black-vented Shearwaters ruled this region, outnumbering
auklets for the first time today. We counted 300 - 400 Black-vents
before we reached Point Loma. There, 1.5 miles off shore, we found an enormous flock of at least 3000. It was an awesome sight with them feeding and flying all around us. Suddenly Dave hollered
out, "There's a white one!!" and we looked to see an almost entirely
white Black-vented Shearwater with white secondaries and alternating white and dark primaries.
It turns out, after Matt got home and sorted through 400 photos, that
there may have been 2 leucistic black-vents. I'll let him comment
when he posts a photo link later tonight.
Today's totals:
1 Masked Booby
22 Brown Boobies
3500 BV Shearwater
1-3 Pink-footed Shearwater
1 Sooty Shearwater
2 Northern Fulmar
2 Pom Jaegers
175 Rhino Auklets
300 Cassin's Auklets
2 Xantus's Murrelets
1200 Bonaparte's Gulls
2 Red Phalarope
3 Pelagic Cormorant
6 Black Oystercatcher
2-3 Hybrid Oystercatcher
22 Brant
Terry Hunefeld, Leucadia
www.SoCalBirding.com
Life is short.
Bird often.
9/20/2007
Pelagic trip Sept 3-7
Location: Offshore San Diego--5 days
GPS:
Species:
Note: The September multi-day pelagic trip in southern California waters on the 95-foot live-aboard "Searcher" was last week, and, as always, it was an incredible trip. You never know what you will see on The Searcher because it ranges out to the seldom explored areas at the continental shelf, beyond the reach of day trips.
In fall of 2003 a Bulwar's Petrel was seen. Last fall we found Dark-rumped (Hawaiian) Petrel. This fall it was Cook's Petrel.
There will be two 5-day pelagic trips on the Searcher in 2008: June
2-6 and September 1-5. Every trip since 2003 has been sold out well in advance because there is space for only 30 participants.
I've found that there is no better way to really learn pelagic birds
than being out there for five days surrounded by top pelagic leaders
and passionate fellow birders.
Terry Hunefeld
San Diego
9/4/2007
Cory's Shearwater in US Waters!
Location: offshore San Diego
GPS:
Species: I was offshore again, chasing Marlin, on Tuesday the Sept. 4, 2007. Wehad two boats in the area of the "182" about 24 nautical miles west of San Diego. Actually that area was rather slow for birds, more being seen around the Nine Mile Bank (11-17 n. m.). Two birds I did see there were rather shocking. First was an adult Red-billed Tropicbird at 32d 41.3'N and 117d 42.1'W (about 21 n.m. from Pt Loma)about noon.
The next, at about 1:25p.m., was the Cory's Shearwater that came in to investagate the spashing of a marlin. The bird came right into the spot where the marlin had been, and passed within 75ft of the boat. I got great looks as the sun was over my shoulder, the bird seen against a dark blue sea. This bird flew in with that heavy 'Albatross like' wing beat in the light wind. The uppers were a uniform rich golden brown in the sunlight. The under parts bright white from throat to under tail coverts. The top of the tail was dark with a small crescent of white at the base. Bill was heavy and appeared light colored in the that lighting. Underwings whiter than Pink-foot's. The bird was seen flying out to the west for a 1/4 mile or more. The that languid wing motion.
All this in U.S. waters!!
Sighted two Adult Red-billed Tropicbirds ( even closer) at 32d 45.0'N and 117d 29.0'N aout 17n.m. west of Point Loma.
Sea Surface Temps. 72-75.2 degrees F.
Partial List:
Cory's Shearwater 1
Pink-footed Shearwater 22
Black-vented Shearwater 7
Black Storm Petrel 278
Leach's Storm Petrel 2
Least Storm Petrel 37
Red-billed Tropicbird 3
Red-necked Phalarope 35
Red Phalarope 2
Parasitic Jaeger 6
Pomarine Jaeger 2
Common Tern 29
Marine Mammals
Blue Whale 2
Common Dolphin 4 pods 1000+
Risso's Dolphin 2 pods 30+
Bottlenose Dolphin 1 pods 200+
California Sealions 2pods? 100+
Fish
Striped Marlin 1 (the one that got away)
reported by Dave Povey
