August 10, 2003 Trip Report
Archive
Sunday August 10, 2003
A great group of mainly local birders showed up for the August 10 Monterey Seabird trip. With clear and sunny skies, we could see from Monterey to Santa Cruz to Moss Landing. It was T-shirt weather on the bay. We were hoping to get offshore to the area where the water temperature breaks, but stiff northwest winds came up and dashed our hopes for reaching these waters favored by Xantus's and Craveri's murrelets. We'll try again next month on our Albacore Grounds trip.
Flocks of migrating RED PHALAROPES were new on the scene. Skipper Richard Ternullo said these were the first he's seen this summer. RED-NECKED PHALAROPES were seen as well, along with some mixed flocks for a nice study of difference in size between these species. We also had our first BULLER'S SHEARWATERS (3), PARASITIC and POMARINE JAEGERS and NORTHERN FULMARS for the season. Bird of the day was a distant FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER.
PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER numbers jumped from 2 seen last month to 65 for the day. SABINE'S GULLS numbered 100 and BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS dropped to 30.
Absent were Cassin's Auklets, which had numbered in the hundreds only four weeks ago. 10 drab looking RHINOCEROS AUKLETS were seen and a single PACIFIC LOON.
The cetacean show was replete with very close BLUE WHALES including an individual that Richard recognized by its distinctive dorsal fin. Dubbed "Winglet", this whale -- unlike most blues -- often raises its flukes upon diving. We had our cameras ready and as if on cue ol' Winglet dove and there were the flukes!
Breaching Humpbacks, backflipping Pacific White-sided, bow riding Northern Right Whale and exuberant Risso's Dolphins rounded out the performance.
Trip list for August 10, 2003
Pacific Loon 1 Black-footed Albatross 3 Northern Fulmar 2 Pink-footed Shearwater 65 FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER 1 Sooty Shearwater 4,000 Red Phalarope 80 Red-necked Phalarope 40 Pomarine Jaeger 3 Parasitic Jaeger 2 Pelagic Cormorant California Gull Heerman's Gull Sabine's Gull 100 Common Murre 125 Pigeon Guillemot 10 Rhinoceros Auklet 10 Black Turnstone 6
Mammals:
Blue Whale 10 Humpback Whale 10 Pacific White-sided Dolphin 300 Risso's Dolphin 200 Northern Right Whale Dolphin 300 Harbor Seal California Sea Lion Steller Sea Lion 1 California Sea Otter
Roger Wolfe for Monterey Seabirds
Species mentioned
Northern Right Whale Dolphin · Pacific White-sided Dolphin · Flesh-footed Shearwater · Black-footed Albatross · Pink-footed Shearwater · Red-necked Phalarope · California Sea Otter · Buller's Shearwater · California Sea Lion · Craveri's Murrelet · Pelagic Cormorant · Rhinoceros Auklet · Sooty Shearwater · Parasitic Jaeger · Pigeon Guillemot · Steller Sea Lion · Northern Fulmar · Black Turnstone · Pomarine Jaeger · California Gull · Cassin's Auklet · Risso's Dolphin · Humpback Whale · Red Phalarope · Sabine's Gull · Pacific Loon · Common Murre · Harbor Seal · Blue Whale