Captain's Blog

Searcher Pelagic Birding Trip,  September 5-9, 2016

Sep 5, 2016 – Day 1: San Diego Bay (14 species)

Surf Scoter 1
Western Grebe 9
Brandt’s Cormorant 700 Double-crested Cormorant 4 Brown Pelican 17
Great Blue Heron 1
Snowy Egret 10

Willet (Western) 1

Heermann’s Gull 110

Western Gull 195

Caspian Tern 1

Royal Tern 8

Elegant Tern 1

Rock Pigeon 8

San Diego County Waters including 9-Mile Bank, San Diego Trough, and 30-Mile Bank (16 species + 1 other taxa)

Black-footed Albatross 1

Pink-footed Shearwater 21

Sooty shearwater 2

Black-vented Shearwater 650

Leach’s Storm-Petrel 3

Black Storm-Petrel 254

Least Storm-Petrel 5

Brown Booby 2

Red-necked Phalarope 69

Los Angeles County Waters – 30-Mile Bank (6 species)

Pink-footed Shearwater 4

Sooty Shearwater 1

Leach’s Storm-Petrel 5

Pomarine Jaeger 6

Jaeger sp. 2

Craveri’s Murrelet 5

Sabine’s Gull 3

Western Gull 234

California Gull 2

Common Tern 14

Elegant Tern 28

Black Storm-Petrel 15

Western Gull 20

Common Tern 3

Sep 6, 2016–Day 2, Santa Barbara County Waters including Santa Cruz Basin, Santa Cruz Passage, San Miguel Island waters, and Santa Barbara Channel (24 species)

Surf Scoter 1
Black-footed Albatross 7

Pink-footed Shearwater 125

Sooty Shearwater 18

Black-vented Shearwater 564

Ashy Storm-Petrel 2
Black Storm-Petrel 1
Brandt’s Cormorant 556

Pelagic Cormorant 4

Marbled Godwit 5

Red-necked Phalarope 345

South Polar Skua 1
Pomarine Jaeger 4

Sep 7, 2016–Day 3, Santa Barbara County Waters including Arguello Canyon, Rodriguez Seamount, San Miguel Gap, and west side of the Patton Ridge (24 species +2 other taxa)

Parasitic Jaeger 1

Long-tailed Jaeger 11

Common Murre 1

Cassin’s Auklet 8

Sabine’s Gull 3

Western Gull 330

California Gull 5

Common Tern 3

Royal Tern 1

Elegant Tern 13

Brown-headed Cowbird 2

Black-footed Albatross 19

Pink-footed Shearwater 11

Buller’s Shearwater 1

Sooty Shearwater 5

Wilson’s Storm-Petrel 1

Leach’s Storm-Petrel 177

Townsend’s Storm-Petrel 8

Ashy Storm-Petrel 7

White-faced Ibis 1

Red-billed Tropicbird 1

Peep sp 1

Red-necked Phalarope 52

Red Phalarope 50

Pomarine Jaeger 4

Parasitic Jaeger 3

Long-tailed Jaeger 4

Jaeger sp. 2
Cassin’s Auklet 2
Sabine’s Gull 2
Western Gull 12
Arctic Tern 11
Mourning Dove 1
Yellow Warbler 2

Wilson’s Warbler 1

Brown-headed Cowbird 1

Sep 8, 2016–Day 4, Ventura County Waters – Western part of Cortez Bank (12 Species +1 other taxa)

Black-footed Albatross 9

Pink-footed Shearwater 14

Wilson’s Storm-Petrel 3

Leach’s Storm-Petrel 306

Townsend’s Storm-Petrel 14

Black Storm-Petrel 88

Red Phalarope 9

Pomarine Jaeger 1

Long-tailed Jaeger 6

Murrelet sp. 1

Sabine’s Gull 1

Western Gull 14

Arctic Tern 2

Los Angeles County Waters – Eastern parts of Tanner and Cortez Banks, waters south of San Clemente Island (22 Species +2 other taxa)

Black-footed Albatross 11

Pink-footed Shearwater 24

Sooty Shearwater 6

Leach’s Storm-Petrel 15

Townsend’s Storm-Petrel 1

Black Storm-Petrel 12

Red-billed Tropicbird 1

Brown Booby 1

Brandt’s Cormorant 2

Double-crested Cormorant 1

Red-necked Phalarope 64

Red Phalarope 37

Pomarine Jaeger 1

Parasitic Jaeger 6

Long-tailed Jaeger 9

Jaeger sp. 1

Guadalupe Murrelet 1

Craveri’s Murrelet 6

Murrelet sp. 5

Sabine’s Gull 2

Western Gull 235

Common Tern 29

Arctic Tern 1

Elegant Tern 43

Sep 9, 2016–Day 5, San Diego County Waters: 9-Mile Bank to San Diego Bay (11 species)

Pink-footed Shearwater 5

Black-vented Shearwater 15

Leach’s Storm-Petrel 1

Black Storm-Petrel 105

Least Storm-Petrel 5

Brown Booby 1

Brandt’s Cormorant 1

Red-necked Phalarope 75

Western Gull 20

Common Tern 40

Elegant Tern 3

Many thanks to leaders Todd McGrath, Dave Pereksta, Shawneen Finnegan, and Dave Povey!