On Sunday, 24 April, a half-day San Diego pelagic trip aboard “Legacy” and sponsored by Buena Vista Audubon Society ventured out to the 9-Mile Bank area. Seas were moderate at first, but improved later in the morning. Northbound shearwaters are clearly moving through the area, and Northern Fulmars continue in good numbers. A surprising lack of alcids. The lone rarity of the trip was an adult Masked/Nazca Booby (probably Nazca) unfortunately seen and photographed by only a single observer as it crossed way behind the boat.
Offshore totals for the 6 hours:
30 Surf Scoter
2 Mourning Dove
5 Whimbrel
[3 Surfbirds–jetty]
20 Western Sandpiper
40 Red-necked Phalarope
1 Pomarine Jaeger
1 Parasitic Jaeger
1 Bonaparte’s Gull
10 Heermann’s Gull
80 Western Gull
7 California Gull
1 Glaucous-winged Gull
9 Royal Tern
250 Elegant Tern
50 Pacific Loon
22 Northern Fulmar
30 Pink-footed Shearwater
50 Sooty Shearwater
150 Black-vented Shearwater
10 Black Storm-Petrel
1 MASKED/NAZCA BOOBY (probably Nazca–will view photos in near future)
2 Brown Booby
250 Brown Pelican
30 Brandt’s Cormorant
4 Double-crested Cormorant
–Paul Lehman, Dave Povey, Justyn Stahl, Dan Jehl, Tom Blackman, et al., San Diego
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