The San Diego pelagic trip on Sunday, August 10th, on board “Legacy” and sponsored by Buena Vista Audubon Society, traveled out as far as 32 miles offshore to the 30-Mile Bank and The Corner. Highlights of the trip were two separate, recognizably different Guadalupe Murrelets about 3 miles apart on the 30-Mile Bank (23.95 mi WSW Point Loma and 23.80 mi W of Point Loma) and 2 Manx Shearwaters in a flock of Black-venteds about 6 miles off Ocean Beach, far from where the Manx was seen the previous day much farther offshore in the western San Diego Trough. Other highlights of the trip were the good numbers of white-rumped storm-petrels, totaling about 70 birds, with 20+ Townsend’s, 30 Townsend’s/Leach’s, and 2 white-rumped & 20+ “Chapman’s” Leach’s; as well as a dozen Craveri’s Murrelets (scattered) and three juvenile Long-tailed Jaegers (lower Nine-Mile Bank). Good numbers of Black-footed Albatrosses continue, with about 8 birds in total (including inshore to the Nine-Mile Bank). And a good show of 6 Blue Whales. A juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird at the 30-Mile Bank was an early fall migrant.
Totals for the day once we were over a mile offshore were:
- Red-necked Phalarope 38
- Pomarine Jaeger 2
- Parasitic Jaeger 2
- Long-tailed Jaeger 3
- Guadalupe Murrelet 2 (32.65, -117.72; 32.69, -117.72)
- Craveri’s Murrelet 12
- murrelet sp. 2
- Cassin’s Auklet 2
- Sabine’s Gull 6
- Heermann’s Gull 28
- Western Gull 250
- California Gull 1
- Elegant Tern 175
- Black-footed Albatross 8
- Leach’s (Chapman’s) Storm-Petrel 20
- Leach’s (white-rumped) Storm-Petrel 2+
- Townsend’s Storm-Petrel ca. 20
- Leach’s/Townsend’s Storm-Petrel 30
- Ashy Storm-Petrel 2
- Black Storm-Petrel 300
- Sooty Shearwater 110
- Pink-footed Shearwater 150
- Manx Shearwater 2
- Black-vented Shearwater 675
- Brandt’s Cormorant 20
- Brown Pelican 450
- Brown-headed Cowbird 1 (30-Mile Bank)
- Also: Reddish Egret, 6 Blue Whales, N. Elephant Seals, Mako Shark, California Flying-Fish
Paul Lehman, Alex Abela, Nancy Christensen, Dan Jehl, Dan King, Patti Langen/Sally Veach, San Diego
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