Saturday April 16, 2011
As you will see from Don Roberson's eBird report below, the weather
was less than ideal. Unseasonal thick fog made seeing birds or marine
mammals a challenge.
To the rescue came a male transient type Killer Whale that wanted
to get up close and personal with us. He appeared out of nowhere and
proceeded to parallel us, coming in close and touching the boat. Some
of the folks at the rail reached out and were just a few inches shy
of touching his six foot tall dorsal fin!
It was an incredible experience for all of us on board.
While I was trying to figure out why my video camera wasn't working
our deckhand Mike Merlo managed to shoot these videos with his phone!
http://www.youtube.com/user/merlo83177#p/u/1/6MD8ZWZEFto
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahx45S8CRug
Here is Don Roberson's eBird
report for the day:
| Observation date: 4/16/11 |
Notes: Monterey Seabirds trip with John Mayer skipper;
with R. Wolfe, B.G. Elliott, John Sterling, leaders; Blake Matheson,
the Sterling family, Don Glasco, et al. Very foggy day in MTY
(this list) but sunshine at N rim area in SCZ, where we stopped
for a half-hour to enjoy very close interactions with a large
male Orca (see separate checklist). Some
light chop, small swell, actually improved as day went on. This
checklist excludes inshore birds (<1 nmi offshore). Almost birdless
much of time in thick fog with fleeting glimpses of phalaropes
in a.m.; better conditions and some sun on ride back 1145-1230.
|
| Location: Monterey County |
Number of species:
|
|
13
|
 |
|
| |
Pacific Loon |
|
6 |
|
|
| |
Black-footed Albatross |
|
1 |
|
mid-Bay, right near MTY/SCZ line but while we were still in
fog |
| |
Sooty Shearwater |
|
8 |
|
|
| |
Pelagic Cormorant |
|
1 |
|
alt plumaged bird in flight at 9.5 nmi offshore, heading N towards
Santa Cruz. This is exceptional and suggests either migration
or cross-Bay movement |
| |
Red-necked Phalarope |
|
8 |
|
|
| |
Red Phalarope |
|
5 |
|
|
| |
Bonaparte's Gull |
|
5 |
|
|
| |
Western Gull |
|
100 |
|
|
| |
California Gull |
|
50 |
|
|
| |
Herring Gull (American) |
|
2 |
|
1 ad, 1 1st-cycle |
| |
Thayer's Gull |
|
1 |
|
1st-cycle |
| |
Common Murre |
|
150 |
|
|
| |
Rhinoceros Auklet |
|
10 |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| Location: Santa Cruz
County |
Number of species:
|
|
10
|
|
|
| |
Pacific Loon |
|
2 |
|
spring migrants, alt pl |
| |
Common Loon |
|
1 |
|
spring migrant, alt pl |
| |
Black-footed Albatross |
|
2 |
|
|
| |
Sooty Shearwater |
|
7 |
|
1 persistently coming to chum |
| |
Bonaparte's Gull |
|
40 |
|
|
| |
Western Gull |
|
25 |
|
|
| |
California Gull |
|
175 |
|
|
| |
Herring Gull (American) |
|
1 |
|
ad |
| |
Common Murre |
|
80 |
|
|
| |
Rhinoceros Auklet |
|
5 |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Roger Wolfe for Monterey
Seabirds
|
