The San Diego pelagic trip on Saturday, Sep 27th, on board “Legacy” and sponsored by Buena Vista Audubon Society, took place under pleasant sea conditions. We went out past the 9-Mile Bank to the 30-Mile Bank and The Corner. A good number and variety of species were seen all the way out and at the 30-Mile Bank and The Corner, with far fewer birds on the return. Highlights included some 30 Least Storm-Petrels in with about 4000 rafting Black Storm-Petrels at the border between the 30-Mile Bank and The Corner, a Cocos Booby off Mission Bay, Long-tailed Jaeger, several Arctic Terns, and plenty of Sabine’s Gulls and Pomarine Jaegers. Great looks at a close Fin Whale. Several offshore passerines and two well-offshore Cinnamon Teal.
Totals for the day once we were over a mile offshore were:
- Cinnamon Teal 2 (well offshore at the 30-Mile Bank)
- Red-necked Phalarope 55
- Pomarine Jaeger 30
- Parasitic Jaeger 6
- Long-tailed Jaeger 1
- jaeger sp. 10Cassin’s Auklet 9
- Sabine’s Gull 60
- Heermann’s Gull 37
- Western Gull 500
- California Gull 2
- Common Tern 45 (good count)
- Arctic Tern 5
- Elegant Tern 135
- Ashy Storm-Petrel 1
- Black Storm-Petrel 4000
- Least Storm-Petrel 30
- Sooty Shearwater 22
- Pink-footed Shearwater 800
- Black-vented Shearwater 650
- Cocos Booby 1
- Brandt’s Cormorant 4
- Brown Pelican 450
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
- Chipping Sparrow 1
- Yellow-rumped Warbler 3
- Also: Surfbirds, Fin & Minke Whales, N. Elephant Seal, California Flying Fish
Paul Lehman, Bruce Rideout, Dan Jehl, Dan King, Paul Mulholland, Nathan French, San Diego
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