Gray whales arrive to Laguna San Ignacio!
Our dear friends and colleagues at Kuyima report that their first gray whale sighting was on Dec 10. And on Dec 17, they saw threedifferent whales in the lagoon!
2013 and 2014 tours
Curently our 2013 tours are all full, though we always recommend getting on the waitlist in case of cancellations. Please note our 2014 tours are open for booking–plan ahead and book now!
(Thanks to Rich Crossen for this photo. We never know what will show up off the bow of Searcher! In this case, it’s a school of mobula rays.)
Gray whales are arriving!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…when the gray whales start appearing off the San Diego coast. The first of the season have been spotted and the ACS-LA census volunteers have been at their stations since December 1. They’ve seen 5 southbound gray whales from shore. A San Diego-based boat has had a couple of days of gray whale sighting offshore. We expect those numbers to build through December and January. Here they come!
San Diego ACS chapter to host educational programs
On December 4, ACS’ San Diego chapter is hosting a talk by Dr Tom Jefferson (also a naturalist) at 7 p.m. at Sumner auditorium on UCSD campus. His talk will be “Porpocide: The Killing of Harbor Porpoises by coastal Bottlenose Dolphins.”
The chapter is also planning winter whalewatching trips. There are a few reports of (southbound) migrating gray whales heading our way!
San Diego sightings/comments from Sept 3-7 pelagic trip
Our route was from Pt Loma to the Nine Mile Bank near the Mexican Border, we then turned northwest and ran the length of the bank to the 178 spot (3 n.miles northwest of the bank), then straight west across the San Diego Trough to the 182 spot on the inside edge of the 30 Mile Bank then north. We left the dock around 1230, checked the bait docks, and cruised by Ballast Point (no Oystercatchers seen). We remained in S.D. Co. waters for all but part of the last hour of daylight (L.A.Co.). As noted before, the Wilson’s Storm Petrel was the best bird in S.D.waters, but a imm. Long-tailed Jaeger, is always a good S.D. bird, and was closer than expected , at about 16-17 n.mile ( S.D.Trough). Leach’s Strom Petrels (chapman’s) were also a bit closer ( S.D.Trough and 30 MIle Bank). Least Storm Petrels were seen near the far edge of the S.D. Trough, at about 20 n. miles.
This is a partial count of species of interest. Todd Mc Grath, and Jon Feenstra will release the complete counts (which will be higher), with trip totals.
Pink-footed Shearwater
Sooty Shearwater
Black-vented Shearwater
Black Storm Petrel
Leach’s Storm Petrel
Wilson’s Storm Petrel
Least Storm Petrel
Red Phalarope
Red-necked Phalarope
Sabine’s Gull
Common Tern
Pomarine Jaeger
Long-tailed Jaeger
A bit of a surprising miss in S.D. waters was Ashy Storm Petrel. That species has been present in small numbers (2-15) all summer. We also found them absent or in very small numbers in the traditional areas around the outer Channel Is. (S.Rosa Is.-S. Miguel Is, and Point Conception.).
Black Storm Petrel remain in low numbers and scattered . That species has been a puzzle to me this year. I’m used to seeing large rafts on the 30 Mile Bank ( sometimes even on the Nine) numbering in the thousands. We have not found that this year.
Though we did not see Red-b Tropicbird in S. D. waters the number (20+) off the escarpment is nothing less than amazing . Seen on the 5th (3) and 6th (18) of Sept. along the escarpment.
Red Phalarope numbers well offshore were high (700+),with scattered Reds throughout the trip, made it the most abundant species seen.
Arctic Tern seems all but absent (2-3 seen) for the second straight trip…?
S.P. Skua numbers (7-8) were impressive on this trip, though missed in S.D. Co.
and last a seeming out of place a White-tailed Kite at sea between Santa Barbara Is. and San Nicholas Is. I gather they are regular winter visitors to the Channel Is. so I guess it’s not so strange that one would be out here. I have to admit that seeing a W-t kite coming up the wake, into the gull flock does make one do double and triple takes.
The marine mammal show off Southern California remains exceptional. Blue and fin whales, Common (both Long and Short beaked), Risso’s, and Bottlenose Dolphin were all seen in S.D. waters, with Humpback, Baird’s Beaked, Cuvier’s Beaked, and a un- I.D. possible Mesoplodon sp. whales. Also Pacific White Sided Dolphin all seen elsewhere on the trip. We also saw both Northern and Guadalupe Fur Seals, along with the usual Harbor Seal, and Calif. Sea lions.
Sea surface temps were warm off San Diego 70-73 (highest on the 30 Mile Bank), and cooler further out 59-61 degrees off Point Conception, 62-63 inside the San Juan Seamount. 64-68 down toward the Bell Bank(southern limit of the trip).
Winds were mostly 10 kts or less, except San Miguel Is. to Point Conception, and west, on Wed., with gust to 20 kts. The southern end of the trip, Thursday 9-05-12 , along the escarpment had winds 5kts or less. Partly cloudy to clear, except some fog, and heavy overcast south of Santa Rosa Is.
My thanks to Art Taylor and Celia Condit owners and operators of Searcher Natural History Tours for another quality trip offshore. Thanks to Capt. Aaron Remy, and crew for getting us to some rarely visited location, put us in position for the best views, keeping us well fed, and returned safely home. Thanks also to all passengers for exceptional company at sea.
Dave Povey
Dulzura
Quick review of pelagic birding trip by Todd McGrath
Just got back from an excellent few days at sea on the Searcher. I was joined by Jon Feenstra, Adam Searcy, and Dave Povey as well folks from all over the globe for our annual 4 Day fall pelagic. A full trip report will follow, but I thought a brief recap would be in order.
The top avian highlight was a Hawaiian Petrel about 40 nautical miles west of Point Conception on Sep 5 (SBA County). The bird came close and buzzed our chum slick, but did not stay long. I spotted the bird from the upper deck, but my camera was on the lower deck. Fortunately Feenstra and a couple of the passengers were able to photograph the bird.
On Sep 3 in San Diego and Sep 5 in the west Santa Barbara Channel we had single Wilson’s stom-petrels.
on Sep 5 we had 3 Red-billed tropicbirds along the edge of the continental shelf, and on Sep 6 we had a whopping 18 for a total of 21. This is by far the most I have ever seen, and we had them in flight, sitting on the water, and even a pair circling the boat.
A handful of Least Storm-petrels off San Diego, and outstanding views of three Leach’s subspecies, including at least 8 “Townsend’s Storm-petrels.”, the summer-breeding type from Guadalupe that is a potential split, rounded out the notables.
Cetaceans were numerous and we had multiple encounters with Baird’s Beaked whales, including multiple breaches, and a pair logging on the surface that allowed great views.
Pelagic birding trip– Sep 3-7
We are a bit behind on our reporting, but the group has had good success so far. Ashy and Wilson’s storm petrels, pink-footed and Buller’s shearwaters, black-footed albatross…and…this morning, a Hawaiian petrel! All are thrilled with that sighting and have high hopes for the rest of the day, up in the central California islands and deep canyons.
Award for our naturalist Paul Jones
Ecologist Paul Jones of the Water Division’s Wetlands Office has been awarded the Edward T. “Red” Heinen Award, EPA’s most prestigious national award for superior work protecting wetlands. The annual award, voted on by Regional wetlands managers across the country, acknowledges individuals who are a source of inspiration to others in the program, and whose work and attitude best contributes to our environmental and public service goals.
Division Director Alexis Strauss, in nominating Paul for the award, said he “personifies the criteria for this award: his program knowledge and skills are of national stature, his public service ethic is evident daily, and he has been and remains an exceptional role model for the next generation of wetlands professionals.”
After working as a carpenter in the Bay Area and sailing around the world, Paul got his master’s degree in ecology, with an emphasis on birds, from San Francisco State University in the mid-1980s. He then worked at Genentech until joining Region 9’s wetlands program in 1990.
Wetlands are federally protected in several ways, including grants programs and regulatory prohibitions against their unnecessary destruction (Section 404 of the Clean Water Act). No property owner, including government agencies, can fill or eliminate wetlands covered by the CWA without a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. EPA co-implements the program by ensuring compliance with the standards EPA wrote that guide permitting, and by taking formal enforcement actions against unpermitted wetlands fill. The program is always controversial because of its direct link to private property rights. In the arid Western States, including California, controversy is often even greater because some wetlands, such as vernal pools, may be dry for most of the year, making their legal coverage less certain.
Being effective in the wetlands program is thus not a job for the faint of heart, or those without the scientific chops to go toe-to-to with powerful opposing interests. In 1995, Simpson Timber Company used heavy equipment to rip up clay subsoil across a 16-square mile grassland dotted with 950 acres of vernal pools and intermittent creeks. Their eucalyptus tree plantation destroyed an unusually large, contiguous block of these rare wetlands in the northern Sacramento Valley. Paul’s reconnaissance mapped these wetlands, and resulted in an enforcement settlement permanently protecting nearly six square miles of wetlands in the area.
Rich Sumner of EPA’s Western Ecology Division Lab in Corvallis, Oregon was one of several others who seconded the nomination. Says Sumner, “The big news for this past year is that Paul was successful at working with the
[Army] Corps of Engineers to . . . use wetland assessment methods for evaluating compensatory mitigation. And, Paul is bringing close to completion a comprehensive set of monitoring requirements for vernal pool mitigation.”
More than an effective enforcer, Paul also wears a “white hat” for EPA in the community. From 1996 to 2001, he worked on a multi-agency task force that designed and permitted the innovative Napa River Flood Control Project. Paul helped incorporate into the project more than a square mile of diked land just south of Napa for restoration to tidal wetlands, and helped secure funding to buy the property and restore the wetlands. Today, they’re inundated by tides twice daily and teeming with water birds. The flood control project, now complete, has prevented major rainstorms from flooding downtown Napa (as they did routinely for decades), while restoring riparian habitat for fish and wildlife.
More than an effective enforcer, Paul also wears a “white hat” for EPA in the community. From 1996 to 2001, he worked on a multi-agency task force that designed and permitted the innovative Napa River Flood Control Project. Paul helped incorporate into the project more than a square mile of diked land just south of Napa for restoration to tidal wetlands, and helped secure funding to buy the property and restore the wetlands. Today, they’re inundated by tides twice daily and teeming with water birds. The flood control project, now complete, has prevented major rainstorms from flooding downtown Napa (as they did routinely for decades), while restoring riparian habitat for fish and wildlife.
During the late 1990s, Paul was an organizing member of the EPA team that built state and tribal capacity to monitor and assess wetland health across California. He gathered lessons learned from different parts of the country and applied them to California, working with a network of scientists and program practitioners. This was the foundation for the California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM), which provides a scientifically rigorous, standardized, and cost-effective way to assess wetland condition throughout the state.
Paul also helped develop Wetland Tracker, and organized the California Wetland Monitoring Workgroup. Lessons learned in California helped in planning EPA’s National Wetland Condition Assessment, and are being used to advance monitoring and assessment work in many western states. Here in California, this collaboration has laid the groundwork for state adoption of a new Wetland and Riparian Protection Policy, including a comprehensive dredge and fill rule to be released for public comment in August.
Tim Vendlinski, who was Paul’s supervisor a few years ago, also seconded his nomination for the award, giving examples of the results of Paul’s work. “Paul is one of our chief negotiators and technical experts on controversial permitting matters surrounding the Sunrise-Douglas Community Planning Area—a 6,000-acre vernal pool landscape in Sacramento County,” Tim said. “He has helped lead multi-party talks between a dozen landowners and key federal and State regulatory agencies. One of his key accomplishments is the design of a large-scale preserve system which, if implemented, would protect sensitive aquatic resources and unique species while allowing for a significant amount of economic development.”
Paul has even put his wetlands expertise to work as a volunteer in his hometown of Pacifica, working with a local watershed group since 1999 to clean up and remove obstructions to fish migration in San Pedro Creek, the northernmost steelhead trout spawning stream on the San Francisco Peninsula. Once a trash-strewn, polluted waterway, the creek is now clean and provides the fish a pathway to spawning habitat in San Pedro Valley County Park.
Tim says, “Paul Jones is one of the most important people to ever work in the Wetlands Office of Region 9, and one of the Region’s most valuable players. His integrity and work ethic are unsurpassed, and he produces work of the highest quality. He’s a consummate team player—willing to give others the credit while taking private satisfaction for a job well done.”
New species of seabird, possible to see aboard Searcher!
Xantus’s murrelet (Synthliboramphus hypoleucus) has finally been split by the AOU into Scripps’s murrelet (S. scrippsi) and Guadalupe murrelet (S. hypoleucus). July-Oct is the best season for Guadalupe murrelet in ABA waters. 30 miles is the minimum distance offshore it can be reasonably expected….hop aboard our Sep 3-7 deepwater offshore pelagic seabird trip!
