September 16, 2012 Trip Report

Laysan Albatross

eBird report by Don Roberson  Mike Merlo photos

Monterey Seavalley pelagic (MTY Co.), Monterey, US-CA
Sep 16, 2012 8:10 AM - 1:40 PM
Protocol: Traveling
45.0 mile(s)
Comments:     aboard 'Pt Sur Clipper' on Monterey Seabirds trip, with Mike Johns, skipper; Mike Merlo, deck;

 leaders Roger Wolfe, Dan Singer, Matthew Dodder, Todd Easterla, Fritz Steurer, Matthew Dodder, Blake Matheson, and this reporter (D. Roberson), Alex Rinkert, chum; with Esta Lee Albright, many others from out-of-state. Cold & foggy early, fog lifting by 9 a.m., sun by noon, but still quite cold. Seas very nice, mixed low chop, Beaufort 2 most of day, with some long swells. Route from harbor to Pt. Pinos (see separate checklist) then WNW to mid-Bay at 17 nmi from Pt. Pinos, then west to 22 nmi W of Pt. Pinos, but then N into SCZ waters (1.5 hours from 12:15-1:45, see sep checklist), and then running back with the swells to Pt. Pinos until 3:15 p.m. (and inshore after that). This checklist offshore MTY only, but placed at the Monterey Seavalley hot spot since we got 22 nmi offshore where the water temp was up to 58.5 and were in warmer offshore waters a good chunk of this trip (where birds fewer, but better, e.g., Skua). Only whale was a distant Blue in MTY, also a Blue Shark. We set out a slick at 17 nmi W of Pt. Pinos that attracted (mostly) jaegers. [Todd Easterla had a Tufted Puffin in flight at long distance, so he should add that here.]

 23 species

Laysan Albatross  1     banded bird came to stern on route back toward Pt. Pinos, many photos
Black-footed Albatross  15
Pink-footed Shearwater  300
Buller's Shearwater  95
Sooty Shearwater  1500
Ashy Storm-Petrel  1     missed by many
Brown Pelican  3     over a mile offshore, but dropped out by 5 mi offshore
Red-necked Phalarope  25
Sabine's Gull  1     juv
Heermann's Gull  30
Western Gull  150
California Gull  40     including some impressive juvs (phs)
Common Tern  2
Arctic Tern  3     adults at rather far distances
Elegant Tern  3
South Polar Skua  2     one photo'd extenstively
Pomarine Jaeger  12     many photo'd
Parasitic Jaeger  1     within 3 mi of the Point
Long-tailed Jaeger  1     like adult but without tail, maybe 20 nmi offshore
Common Murre  100
Scripps's Murrelet  4     1-2 nmi off the Point; poor views (mostly flying away) and missed by most; only Todd Easterla saw all 4 (so all but Todd should delete this species or reduce their number)
Cassin's Auklet  15
Rhinoceros Auklet  100

South Polar Skua

Inshore Mty Harbor to Pt. Pinos (MTY Co.), Monterey, US-CA

19 species

Common Loon  1     in flight in p.m., high overhead, heading S
Eared Grebe  1     seen by some
Sooty Shearwater  25
Brandt's Cormorant  150
Pelagic Cormorant  2
Brown Pelican  15
Great Blue Heron  1     in harbor
Great Egret  2
Snowy Egret  1
Black Turnstone  1
Surfbird  2
Red-necked Phalarope  15
Heermann's Gull  40
Western Gull  100
California Gull  30
Elegant Tern  50
Parasitic Jaeger  1
Common Murre  25
Rhinoceros Auklet  65     large numbers inshore, in 'packs' of a dozen or more 

What the hell was that?

Santa Cruz County waters:

13 species (+1 other taxa)

Black-footed Albatross  3
Pink-footed Shearwater  30
Buller's Shearwater  3
Sooty Shearwater  80
Red-necked Phalarope  5
Red Phalarope  1
Common Tern  3
Common/Arctic Tern  2     not seen well enough to be sure of species... well offshore
Elegant Tern  1     well offshore
Pomarine Jaeger  3
Long-tailed Jaeger  1     dark juv seen by many, but not by all (like this reporter)
Common Murre  10
Cassin's Auklet  2
Rhinoceros Auklet  15

 Route map for Sept. 16 counter clockwise