Hello all,
A beautiful start to the day today with a great sunrise and Cedros Island in the background. Sunrise in Baja is always a special part of the day, my favorite time. We had a great ride all night with calm seas and very little wind. We had a group of long-beaked common dolphin visit us this morning. Looking forward to our day at Isla San Benito.
More later, Team Searcher
Hello all,
Day 1 of our 2014 whale watching season has been great so far! We’ve seen three species of large whales, all before by 1 PM–gray, humpback and fin whales. There were also some common dolphin around Islas Todos Santos, along with several elephant seals and sea lions. We didn’t stay long because the ocean is really calm and we wanted to get offshore and see what we could find. We’ve enjoyed lots of bird life with plenty of black-vented shearwaters, Xantus’murrelets, gulls , Northern fulmar and Cassin’s auklet. Today’s picture is a gray whale fluke. It came from a group of 10 gray whales headed south. We spent an hour with them and had to leave to keep with the schedule. Looking forward to tomorrow.
Team Searcher
Guests and naturalists (Rob Nawojchik, Steven Swartz, and Rafe Payne) on watch already this morning, looking for migrating gray whales and seabirds. Reports to follow!
pelagic birding, 2013 sightings list
Date Range: Sep 2 2013 – Sep 8, 2013
Total # of Species: 48
Total # of Checklists: 25
Anacapa / Santa Cruz Passage (VEN Co.);
Anacapa / Santa Cruz passage (SBA Co.);
Arguello Canyon/948 Bank (SBA Co.);
Cortez Bank (LA Co.);
Mushroom Bank (LA Co.);
Nine Mile Bank (SD Co.);
Offshore — Cortez Flats (LA County);
Offshore — Anacapa Island vicinity (VEN Co.);
Offshore — Escarpment between Rodriguez and San Juan (SBA Co.);
Offshore — Santa Cruz Island vicinity (SBA Co.);
Pt. Loma — offshore waters (SD Co.);
Rodriguez Seamount (SBA Co.);
San Diego Bay — northwest;
San Diego Trough (SD Co.);
San Juan Seamount (SBA Co.);
Santa Barbara Channel — Anacapa Island vicinity (VEN Co.);
Santa Barbara Channel — Santa Rosa Island vicinity (SBA Co.);
Santa Barbara Channel — west channel (SBA Co.);
Santa Cruz / Santa Rosa passage (SBA Co.);
Sixty Mile Bank (LA Co.);
Tanner Bank (VEN Co.);
Thirty Mile Bank (LA Co.);
Thirty Mile Bank (SD Co.)
| Sep 2 | Sep 3 | Sep 4 | Sep 5 | Sep 6 | Sep 7 | Sep 8 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Species | 29 | 23 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of Individuals | 7,141 | 1,389 | 273 | 450 | 567 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of Checklists | 6 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Species Name | Sep 2 | Sep 3 | Sep 4 | Sep 5 | Sep 6 | Sep 7 | Sep 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species Name | Sep 2 | Sep 3 | Sep 4 | Sep 5 | Sep 6 | Sep 7 | Sep 8 |
| Black-footed Albatross (Phoebastria nigripes) |
8 (3) |
2 (2) |
|||||
| Hawaiian Petrel (Pterodroma sandwichensis) |
1
(1) |
||||||
| Pink-footed Shearwater (Puffinus creatopus) |
30
(3) |
171
(6) |
15
(3) |
263
(5) |
8
(1) |
||
| Buller’s Shearwater (Puffinus bulleri) |
1
(1) |
41
(2) |
5
(3) |
||||
| Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus) |
63
(3) |
62
(7) |
33
(4) |
6
(2) |
8
(1) |
||
| Black-vented Shearwater (Puffinus opisthomelas) |
5,210
(2) |
8
(5) |
45
(1) |
||||
| Leach’s Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) |
14
(4) |
29
(7) |
|||||
| Ashy Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma homochroa) |
4
(2) |
6
(1) |
1
(1) |
||||
| Black Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma melania) |
48
(5) |
600
(1) |
1
(1) |
4
(2) |
4
(1) |
||
| Least Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma microsoma) |
1
(1) |
1
(1) |
|||||
| storm-petrel sp. (Hydrobatidae sp.) |
2
(1) |
1
(1) |
|||||
| Red-billed Tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus) |
12
(3) |
8
(4) |
|||||
| Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) |
1
(1) |
||||||
| Brandt’s Cormorant (Phalacrocorax penicillatus) |
335
(2) |
84
(5) |
51
(2) |
||||
| Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) |
6
(1) |
||||||
| Pelagic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus) |
1
(1) |
7
(4) |
|||||
| cormorant sp. (Phalacrocorax | 1
(1) |
||||||
| Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) |
193
(3) |
37
(5) |
1
(1) |
124
(2) |
|||
| Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) |
1
(1) |
1
(1) |
|||||
| Great Egret (Ardea alba) | 4
(1) |
||||||
| Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) | 15
(1) |
||||||
| Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) | 2
(1) |
1
(1) |
|||||
| Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) |
1
(1) |
||||||
| peep sp. (Calidris sp. (peep sp.)) |
3
(1) |
||||||
| Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus) |
5
(2) |
36
(6) |
2
(1) |
13
(3) |
42
(1) |
||
| Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius) |
112
(4) |
4
(2) |
|||||
| Red-necked/Red Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus/fulicarius) |
9
(2) |
||||||
| phalarope sp. (Phalaropus sp.) |
14
(2) |
8
(3) |
|||||
| Sabine’s Gull (Xema sabini) | 1
(1) |
2
(2) |
|||||
| Heermann’s Gull (Larus heermanni) |
510
(3) |
5
(1) |
4
(2) |
||||
| Western Gull (Larus occidentalis) |
586
(6) |
345
(8) |
2
(1) |
104
(5) |
75
(2) |
||
| California Gull (Larus californicus) |
1
(1) |
2
(1) |
|||||
| Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) |
1
(1) |
||||||
| Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) |
5
(2) |
1
(1) |
1
(1) |
||||
| Common/Arctic Tern (Sterna hirundo/paradisaea) |
12
(1) |
||||||
| Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus) |
5
(1) |
||||||
| Elegant Tern (Thalasseus elegans) |
89
(3) |
70
(2) |
|||||
| tern sp. (Sterninae sp.) | 130
(1) |
||||||
| Pomarine Jaeger (Stercorarius pomarinus) |
2 (2) |
5 (3) |
4 (1) |
4 (3) |
1
(1) |
||
| Parasitic Jaeger (Stercorarius parasiticus) |
3 (1) |
||||||
| Long-tailed Jaeger (Stercorarius longicaudus) |
4 (2) |
1 (1) |
|||||
| Parasitic/Long-tailed Jaeger (Stercorarius parasiticus/longicaudus) |
1 (1) |
||||||
| jaeger sp. (Stercorarius sp. (jaeger sp.)) |
1 (1) |
1 (1) |
1 (1) |
||||
| Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba) |
1 (1) |
||||||
| Scripps’s/Guadalupe/Craveri’s Murrelet (Synthliboramphus scrippsi/hypoleucus/craveri) |
4 (2) |
2 (1) |
|||||
| Cassin’s Auklet (Ptychoramphus aleuticus) |
1 (1 |
||||||
| Rock Pigeon (Domestic type) (Columba livia (Domestic type)) |
2 (1) |
||||||
| Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) |
1 (1) |
This is the report for the portion of the Searcher Pelagic Sept. 2nd to 6th. that fell in San Diego Co. waters.
Leaders: Todd McGrath, Jonathan Feenstra, Adam Searcy, and Dave Povey.
We left the dock at a little after noon, and did the more or less regular tour of the bait dock, then continued
south, then turned west into a fairly stout breeze. We had no more than made the turn (3 n.m.) when Jon Feenstra called out
a pair of flying murrelets. These birds continued beyond our sight to the northwest. The frustration with these guys would
continue. We flushed two more well north, and on the far side of The San Diego Trough with the same results.
We found the area just inside the Nine Mile Bank loaded with feeding Black-vented Shearwaters (est. 5000+). Two weeks
ago (8-25) a trip through this area turned up a single (1) Black-vent Shearwater.
Associated with the mass of Black-vents, were Pink-footed (25), and Sooty Shearwaters (150+), a few Elegant and
Common Terns, several Pomarine, and Parasitic Jaegers and many Common Dolphin.
We continued up the Nine Mile Bank and further north, passed the “178”, then northwest into the area of recent sightings
of Craveri’s Murrelet. We did not chum in this area hoping to avoid spooking any small alcid. Other than a scattering of
Storm-Petrels, Black (40), Ashy (5),a dark-rumped Leach’s, and Todd picked up on a distance Least Storm-Petrel.
Turns out the best we could come up with was a great Blue Whale show. We found an area inside the 30 Mile Bank that had
perhaps 20 of the big whales. This including a mom, and large calf with escort well seen close to the boat. It was in this area,
while distracted with a magnificent whale show, that we flushed the two murrelets, only seen at great distance.
We had one additional murrelet sp. on the Mushroom Bank (9-5) to complete our failure to I.D. any of the 5 murrelet for
the trip! Just before sundown we sailed into L.A. Co. waters.
The last day of the trip (Sept. 6th) ,we awoke to a red sky’d dawn, a beautiful rainbow, and calm seas. We did quick look
around The Nine Mile Bank, and found more Black-vents (100), Pink-footed (7), and Sooty (15) Shearwaters, Black Storm Petrels (3),
a jaeger sp., many Red-n. Phalaropes (50+), Common Terns (35), and a lone Cassin’s Auklet.
Other trip notes: The Hawaiian Petrel was seen in an area “We” (San Diegans) would once have considered “Home Waters”.
The area about 100 n.m. w.s.w. of Point Loma, and due south of The Cortez Bank. Now that all sightings are judged by closest
land, and San Clemente Is. is L. A. Co. Los Angeles is where this bird will be recorded. Bad enough we have to put up with
their baseball team!
Red-billed Tropicbirds (21) were seen from The Rodriquez Dome (S.B. Co.)4-5, San Juan Sea Mount (L.A. Co.)8-9,
Tanner Bank(Ven. Co.)4, Cortez Bank(L.A. Co.)2, and south 2.
Sea surface ranged from 61 at the Rodriquez, 64 at San Juan, 67 to 69 degrees on the Tanner and to the south.
Not tropical water temps by any means!
Black-footed Albatross (8-10), Low numbers as expected in fall. Well offshore.
Buller’s Shearwaters (44 ), One was seen between Santa Barbara Is. and Anacapa Is., one over The Rodriquez Dome,
40 over the San Juan Seamount, and 2 over the Mushroom Bank.
Brown Booby (1) over The Rodriquez Dome (S.B.Co. )was well north and offshore for that species.
Long-tailed Jaeger (5) All but one from the San Juan Seamount.
Pigeon Guillemot (1) molting to basic plumage. Seen between Santa Rosa Is., and Santa Cruz Is.
Dave Povey
Aloha birders,: Let’s just start out with a Hawaiian petrel and a very good look at the bird! It came very close and almost circled the boat before taking off. We sighted this bird in LA County waters. There were lots of red-billed tropicbirds today too. The trip was very successful and we’re not quite done yet! Good birding, Capt Aaron
Howdy birders: We had a good day by starting with red-billed tropicbirds and a brown booby at the Rodriguez Sea Mount. We had lots of Bullers shearwaters, fin whales, and blue whales as well. So our counts are: 41 Bullers shearwaters, 12 tropicbirds, three black-footed albatrosses and a brown booby. Good birding, Capt Aaron
Howdy birders: Today started out with calm weather and a large flock of storm petrels. These were mostly black, with a few Ashy and a couple least storm petrels. We also had a great look at a pod of Risso’s dolphins in clear, well-lit water and they just loafed around while we took observation. After that we had a acrobatic show of some bottlenose dolphins. Our highlight today was a pigeon guillemot sighting. It was a suprise to see them here around the Channel Islands this late in the year. And fter that we had steady pink-footed, sooty and a few black-vented shearwaters thoughout the rest of the day. So we’re headed west tomorrow to deeeeep water looking for tubenoses, so wish us luck and stand by for a report tomorrow. Good birding, Capt Aaron
Howdy birders: First day of our trip here and it’s starting out with calm seas and lots of birds. We have had lots of black vented, sootys, and pink-footed shearwaters, a few phalaropes and some common terns to be mixed in. For the mammals we had a good-sized herd of common dolphin and to end up the day we had several blue whales–a cow-calf pair and then a fluking blue whale in the same area. So we’re headed up to the Channel Islands tonight so wish us luck tomorrow and the weather looks good tomorrow too. Good birding, Capt Aaron
Stay tuned for our reports from the field.
