Saturday September 19, 2009
Our
plan was simple. Drive the boat west to where the sea surface temperature
map indicated a temperature break from 57.5 degrees F to 61.5. That
being said we made it out 44 nautical miles west of Pt. Pinos where
we found the albacore tuna fishermen trolling. We found the blue water
to be relatively birdless with the exception of numerous RED PHALAROPES.
We did see what appeared to be a distant cookilaria petrel but it
was too far away to be certain.
It did get a bit bumpy with conditions at Beaufort 4 with some gusty
northwest winds.
The trip highlight has to be the 15 FIN WHALES that we had very satisfying
looks at whilst sitting on a slick. Avian highlights were two XANTUS'S
MURRELETS and our First Of Season BLACK-VENTED SHEARWATER
which Todd Easterla spotted as we made our way back into the Monterey
Bay.
Once again we saw very few BULLER'S SHEARWATERS (15) but many
POMARINE and LONG-TAILED JAEGERS.
All told we traveled 110 miles straight out and back. (See map
below.)
Here are the totals that Don Roberson tallied for eBird:
| Monterey Bay and offshore waters: |
| |
Black-footed Albatross |
|
15 |
|
|
| |
Northern Fulmar |
|
8 |
|
|
| |
Pink-footed Shearwater |
|
75 |
|
|
| |
Buller's Shearwater |
|
15 |
|
|
| |
Sooty Shearwater |
|
150 |
|
|
| |
Sooty/Short-tailed Shearwater |
|
1 |
|
|
| |
Ashy Storm-Petrel |
|
25 |
|
|
| |
Brandt's Cormorant |
|
1 |
|
this imm ~32 nmi offshore, which is way out there for a cormorant |
| |
Red-necked Phalarope |
|
300 |
|
|
| |
Red Phalarope |
|
100 |
|
|
| |
Sabine's Gull |
|
320 |
|
|
| |
Heermann's Gull |
|
20 |
|
|
| |
Western Gull |
|
50 |
|
|
| |
California Gull |
|
50 |
|
|
| |
Common Tern |
|
1 |
|
|
| |
Arctic Tern |
|
2 |
|
|
| |
Common/Arctic Tern |
|
2 |
|
|
| |
South Polar Skua |
|
3 |
|
|
| |
Pomarine Jaeger |
|
36 |
|
|
| |
Parasitic Jaeger |
|
6 |
|
|
| |
Long-tailed Jaeger |
|
45 |
|
|
| |
jaeger sp. |
|
4 |
|
|
| |
Common Murre |
|
50 |
|
|
| |
Xantus's Murrelet (scrippsi) |
|
2 |
|
|
| |
Cassin's Auklet |
|
70 |
|
|
| |
Rhinoceros Auklet |
|
120 |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| Inside Pt. Pinos to Harbor |
| |
Common Loon |
|
1 |
|
|
| |
Sooty Shearwater |
|
40 |
|
|
| |
Black-vented Shearwater |
|
1 |
|
|
| |
Brown Pelican |
|
15 |
|
|
| |
Brandt's Cormorant |
|
500 |
|
|
| |
Pelagic Cormorant |
|
2 |
|
|
| |
Great Egret |
|
1 |
|
|
| |
Black Turnstone |
|
6 |
|
on C.G. jetty |
| |
Surfbird |
|
2 |
|
on C.G. jetty |
| |
Red-necked Phalarope |
|
15 |
|
|
| |
Heermann's Gull |
|
75 |
|
|
| |
Mew Gull (American) |
|
1 |
|
1st cycle bird following boat just off Lovers Pt.; nice views
-- my first of fall (found by R. Wolfe & T. Easterla) |
| |
Western Gull |
|
150 |
|
|
| |
California Gull |
|
75 |
|
|
| |
Elegant Tern |
|
50 |
|
|
| |
Common Murre |
|
10 |
|
|
| |
Pigeon Guillemot |
|
5 |
|
exact count; all juvs. It appears that all adults have left |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| Marine Mammals: |
| |
Fin Whale |
|
15 |
|
|
| |
Humpback Whale |
|
12 |
|
|
| |
Harbor Seal |
|
|
|
|
| |
Elephant Seal |
|
|
|
|
| |
Northern Fur Seal |
|
|
|
|
| |
California Sea Lion |
|
|
|
|
| |
Sea Otter |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
See the Google
Earth image showing locations of points along the track in
red (same route out and back) and county boundaries in white (opens
in new window). |
Roger Wolfe for Monterey
Seabirds
