Capt. Art's Wildlife Blog

(San Diego) The 95-foot live-aboard Searcher departed San Diego’s Fisherman’s Landing on a sunny, warm Labor Day afternoon, bound for a 5-day pelagic expedition through the Channel Islands, over deep water canyons and along the continental shelf-edge.  We headed to the Nine Mile Bank and worked our way slowly north in a zigzag fashion, following the life zones as we found them until the sunset as we were west of Oceanside.

9/9 9/8 9/7 9/6 2000 fath 948 spot SD Harbor Bell Bank SJS Chan Isls 9mile TOTAL ALBATROSSES Black-footed Albatross 9 5 14 PROCELLARIDS Northern Fulmar 1 1 1 3 Cook’s Petrel 1 1 Pink-footed Shearwater 211 35 305 552 1103 Sooty-Shearwater 15 50 97 53 215 Black-vented Shearwater 2 2 Buller’s Shearwater 27 15 [...]

Searcher‘s Labor Day week expedition through the Channel Islands and deep waters beyond the Continental Shelf began with a Black Storm-Petrel in San Diego Harbor, 2 Black Oystercatchers at Ballast Point, 15 Least and a Wilson’s Storm-Petrel at the Nine Mile Bank, a Flesh-footed Shearwater at the Bell Bank 130+ n. miles offshore,  42 Buller’s [...]

What a great report on the 5 days at sea! There was something for everyone with least & ashy storm-petrels, albatrosses, Cook’s petrels, red-billed tropicbirds; Bryde’s, humpback, blue whale, Baird’s beaked whales; and a flesh-footed shearwater. Full report and details to follow. Next trip will be Labor Day, 2011. Go here for details: http://www.bajawhale.com/pelagic/pelagic-birding-tour/

Report DATE: Sept. 1-5, 2008 TRIP: Offshore Birding Trip 28 passengers from 3 countries and 15 cities departed San Diego’s Fisherman’s Landing on a sunny, warm Labor Day afternoon, bound for a 5-day pelagic expedition through the Channel Islands, over deep water canyons and along the continental shelf-edge. Highlights of the Sept 1-5, 2008 trip [...]

DATE: June 2-6, 2008 TRIP: Offshore Birding Trip Report The squawking of Red-crowned Parrots greeted 27 birders as we boarded the live-aboard vessel Searcher at Point Loma’s Fisherman’s Landing on Monday morning, June 2, 2008 and prepared for our 5-day adventure on the high seas. Upon sailing we immediately headed for the Nine-mile Bank and [...]

DATE: September 3-7, 2007 TRIP: Offshore Birding Trip Report Day 1 After leaving San Diego Harbor to east end of Anacapa Island Pink-footed Shearwater Sooty Shearwater Black-vented Shearwater Black Storm-Petrel Leach’s Storm-Petrel Least Storm-Petrel Brown Pelican Pelagic Cormorant Red-necked Phalarope 33 3 5 188 2 17 232 1 169 Red Phalarope Heermann’s Gull Western Gull [...]

DATE: April 14-18, 2007 TRIP: Offshore Birding Trip Day 1 After leaving San Diego Harbor to just SE of Catalina Island Surf Scoter Pacific Loon Common Loon Northern Fulmar Pink-footed Shearwater Sooty Shearwater Short-tailed Shearwater Black-vented Shearwater Black Storm-Petrel Brown Pelican Brandt’s Cormorant Double-crested Cormorant Pelagic Cormorant Bonaparte’s Gull 55 42 2 8 48 68 [...]

DATE: September 4-8, 2006 TRIP: Offshore Birding Trip Trip Route (click for larger) Report Leaders: Todd McGrath, Steve Howell, Don Desjardin Sept 4th After stowing our gear and checking out our bunks, it was out on deck to start birding. The harbor in San Diego is an excellent place to bird, and our efforts were [...]

DATE: April 26-30, 2006 TRIP: Offshore Birding Trip Picture Gallery 26-Apr 27-Apr 28-Apr 29-Apr Red-throated Loon 2 5 Pacific Loon 5 500 Common Loon 90 16 Laysan Albatross 4 Black-footed Albatross 18 9 Northern Fulmar 3 18 17 12 Pink-footed Shearwater 48 36 500 12 Flesh-footed Shearwater 1 2 Sooty Shearwater 45 630 1098 65 [...]

DATE: September 5-9, 2005 TRIP: Offshore Birding Trip Daily Journal Species List Daily Journal By Todd McGrath, Walter Wehtje and Don DesJardin Day One: San Diego and points north. After an orientation of the boat and an introduction of the leaders (Don DesJardin, Mary Gustafson, Todd McGrath and Walter Wehtje), we began our multi-day exploration [...]

DATE: April 13- 17, 2005 TRIP: Offshore Birding Trip Daily Journal Picture Gallery Species List Daily Journal 13 April: San Diego towards Los Angeles. We departed Fisherman’s Landing at noon on Wednesday the 13th, and headed to the bait docks so many of our out-of-state and Canadian birders could fill up on local species such [...]

Sightings List for Sept. 8-12, 2004 Offshore Birding Trip. Species 09/08 09/09 09/10 09/11 Totals Black-footed Albatross 1 1 Northern Fulmar 5 5 Pink-footed Shearwater 18 2408 131 31 2588 Flesh-footed Shearwater 1 1 Buller’s Shearwater 2 5 7 Sooty Shearwater 22 9 3 34 Black-vented Shearwater 4 7 11 Ashy Storm-petrel 6 6 Black [...]

Sightings List for April 28-May 2, 2004 Offshore Birding Trip. Species Totals Pacific Loon 48 Laysan Albatross 20 Black-footed Albatross 17 Northern Fulmar 135 Pink-footed Shearwater 81 Sooty Shearwater 120 Manx Shearwater 1 Black-vented Shearwater 39 Leach’s Storm-petrel 51 Ashy Storm-petrel 7 Black Storm-petrel 17 Red-billed Tropicbird 6 Brown Pelican Many Brandt’s Cormorant Many Double-crested [...]

Sightings List for April 21-25, 2004 Offshore Birding Trip. Species 21-Apr 22-Apr 23-Apr 24-Apr Totals Common Loon 2 4 6 Pacific Loon 43 113 3 159 Laysan Albatross 1 1 Black-footed Albatross 1 1 Northern Fulmar 24 3 135 75 237 Cook’s Petrel 1 1 Pink-footed Shearwater 50 13 35 80 178 Flesh-footed Shearwater 1 [...]

September 4-7, 2003 This trip was our first to take place in late summer/early fall, and as such was very much an exploratory effort. We decided to take three days and search the area around the Cortez Bank, which lies 110 miles due west of San Diego, California, and then continue out into deeper water [...]

Sightings List for April 24-28, 2003 Offshore Birding Trip. Compiled by Walter Wehtje and Don DesJardin aboard Searcher. SPECIES Totals Pacific Loon 133 Common Loon 1 Laysan Albatross 2 Black-footed Albatross 19 Northern Fulmar 186 Murphy’s Petrel 25 Pterodroma sp. 7 Cookileria Petrel 2 Pink-footed Shearwater 181 Sooty Shearwater 488 Leach’s Storm-Petrel 45 Ashy Storm-Petrel [...]

Bird List for April 17-21, 2003 Pelagic Trip SPECIES 17th 18th 19th 20th Totals Red-throated Loon 2 0 0 0 2 Pacific Loon 50 15 0 1 66 Common Loon 6 5 0 0 11 Eared Grebe 3 0 0 0 3 Laysan Albatross 0 6 3 4 13 Black-footed Albatross 0 25 14 15 [...]