The San Diego pelagic trip on 13 June, sponsored by Buena Vista Audubon
Society and aboard “Legacy” out to the 9-Mile and 30-Mile Banks and “the
Corner” (up to 35 miles offshore) took place in 3-to-4-fot seas and a
nice overcast in the AM and sunshine in the PM. As has been the case in
recent times, overall bird numbers and diversity were only so-so,
although there were some well seen and photo’d highlights, and there was
a good whale show. The best birds were two pairs of CRAVERI’S MURRELETS
and a surprise breeding-plumaged BLACK TERN (32.686, -117.652). Also
good looks at Scripps’s Murrelets, still several late-lingering Northern
Fulmars, numbers of Ashy Storm-Petrels, a Brown Booby, and a couple
mid-June well-offshore landbirds. One of the Blue Whales put on a good
show. Photos will be posted with the eBird reports to appear in the
following couple days. Offshore (beyond 2 miles) totals for the day were
as follows:
Scripps’s Murrelet 11 (a typical “late date”)
CRAVERI’S MURRELET 4 (two pairs; one at “the Corner” well seen, the
other at NW corner 9-Mile Bank)
Cassin’s Auklet 18
Heermann’s Gull 2
Western Gull 100
Least Tern 8 (including all the way offshore to the Corner, 33+ miles
offshore)
BLACK TERN 1 (feeding adult in San Diego Trough, 23 mi W of Point Loma;
some Black Terns are indeed pelagic in non-breeding season, but date
locally is somewhat odd for this rare migrant)
Elegant Tern 275
Black Storm-Petrel 250
Ashy Storm-Petrel 12
Leach’s Storm-Petrel 1 (briefly seen in L.A. Co. waters)
Northern Fulmar 3 (rare in summer; various color morphs)
Pink-footed Shearwater 1 (low)
Sooty Shearwater 20
Black-vented Shearwater 15
Brown Booby 1 (just inside 9-Mile Bank)
Double-crested Cormorant 1
Brandt’s Cormorant 2
Brown Pelican 150
Rufous/Allen’s Hummingbird 1 (presumably a post-breeding dispersing
Allen’s?)
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER 1 (far offshore at “the Corner”; probably a
post-breeding disperser)
Blue, Fin, and Humpback Whales, Common Dolphins, Mola-Molas
–Paul Lehman, Jimmy McMorran, Dave Povey, Bruce Rideout, Justyn Stahl,
et al., San Diego
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