The San Diego pelagic trip on Sunday, 25 August, out to the 30-Mile Bank area aboard “Legacy” and sponsored by Buena Vista Audubon Society took place with a morning moderate, short-period swell, calming down later in the day. There were good numbers of birds just 4-6 miles out, and then again around the 30-Mile Bank. Mostly quiet in between. The highlights were the 30-Mile albatrosses: a fine Laysan Albatross sitting on the water and a record county total of 9 Black-footed Albatrosses (8 in view at once). The Laysan was banded, probably at the colony on Mexico’s Guadalupe Island, and the alphanumeric code will be sent to the Bird Banding Lab. The other clear highlight was the large number of white-rumped storm-petrels at the 30-Mile Bank, with perhaps 60 in all, of which a majority appeared to be Townsend’s Storm-Petrels–a new record high for San Diego County waters. A more “exact” total will be determined once we have studied the many photographs taken. A total of 4 Craveri’s Murrelets were seen on the trip, as well as 7 Brown (Cocos) Boobies. The lone landbird migrant well offshore was a surprising MacGillivray’s Warbler. Non-birds of interest included a Striped Marlin, Loggerhead Sea-Turtle, Elephant Seal, and Risso’s Dolphins.

Totals for the day once over a mile offshore were:

• Red-necked Phalarope  54
• Pomarine Jaeger  17
• Parasitic Jaeger  3
• jaeger sp.  7
• Craveri’s Murrelet  4
• Heermann’s Gull  2
• Western Gull  250
• California Gull  1
• Common Tern  19
• Forster’s Tern  1  (a few miles out)
• Elegant Tern  400
• Laysan Albatross  1
• Black-footed Albatross  9
• Leach’s Storm-Petrel  15+
• Townsend’s Storm-Petrel  ca. 40
• Leach’s/Townsend’s Storm-Petrels  ca. 20
• Black Storm-Petrel  300
• Sooty Shearwater  5
• Pink-footed Shearwater  100
• Black-vented Shearwater  2000
• Brown (Cocos) Booby  7
• Brandt’s Cormorant  12
• Brown Pelican  120
• MacGillivray’s Warbler  1  (30-Mile Bank)
• Also:  Surfbirds, Loggerhead Sea-Turtle, Striped Marlin, California Flying-Fish, Minke Whale, Risso’s Dolphins, and Elephant Seal.

Paul Lehman, Dave Povey, Bruce Rideout, Alex Abela, Nancy Christensen, Gary Nunn, San Diego

The San Diego pelagic trip on Sunday, August 4th, aboard “Legacy” and sponsored by Buena Vista Audubon Society, sailed out to the 9-Mile & 30-Mile Banks and “The Corner” (some 32 miles offshore). Seas were light to moderate, with a light surface chop, improving as the day went on. Highlights of the trip were a very cooperative South Polar Skua on the 30-Mile Bank, again a record (tie) single-day high count of 6 Black-footed Albatrosses for the second day in a row, mostly in the 30-Mile Bank area, 5 Brown (Cocos) Boobies, and plenty of white-rumped Leach’s/Townsend’s Storm-Petrels at the 30-Mile Bank and nearby to befuddle us.

Totals for the day, once we were a mile offshore, included:

• Western Sandpiper  10
• Red-necked Phalarope  40
• South Polar Skua  1
• Pomarine Jaeger  2
• Cassin’s Auklet  1
• small alcid sp.  1
• Heermann’s Gull  1
• Western Gull  70
• Least Tern  1  (30 miles offshore)
• Common Tern  2
• Elegant Tern  34
• Black-footed Albatross  6
• Leach’s Storm-Petrel  23  (fairly high total; both white-rumped and dark-rumped)
• Townsend’s Storm-Petrel  2  (more or less, depending on outcome of photo study)
• Leach’s/Townsend’s (white-rumped) Storm-Petrel  10
• Black Storm-Petrel  320
• Sooty Shearwater  37
• Pink-footed Shearwater  24
• Black-vented Shearwater  16
• Brown (Cocos) Booby  5
• Brandt’s Cormorant  1
• Double-crested Cormorant  1
• Brown Pelican  73
• Also:
• Surfbird  10
• Blue Whale  2
• Risso’s Dolphins

Paul Lehman, Dan Jehl, Jimmy McMorran, Gary Nunn, Barbara Wise, San Diego

The San Diego pelagic trip on Saturday, August 3rd, aboard “Legacy” and sponsored by Buena Vista Audubon Society, sailed out to the 9-Mile & 30-Mile Banks and “The Corner” (some 32 miles offshore). Seas were light to moderate, with a light surface chop. Highlights of the trip were the record (tie) single-day high count for San Diego County waters of 6 Black-footed Albatrosses, mostly in the 30-Mile Bank area, and a good storm-petrel show at the 30-Mile Bank that included 2 somewhat early Least Storm-Petrels, 2-3 Townsend’s Storm-Petrels and another 10 or so white-rumped Leach’s/Townsend’s types, and additional good numbers of dark-rumped Leach’s. The day’s lack of alcids and boobies was an unfortunate surprise. Photos will appear in the shared eBird lists out in a couple days. 

Totals for the day, once we were a mile offshore, included:

• Surf Scoter  1
• Red-necked Phalarope  65
• Pomarine Jaeger  1
• Heermann’s Gull  1
• Western Gull  60
• Common Tern  1
• Elegant Tern  40
• Black-footed Albatross  6
• Leach’s Storm-Petrel  19
• Townsend’s Storm-Petrel  3
• Leach’s/Townsend’s (white-rumped) Storm-Petrel  11
• Black Storm-Petrel  400
• Least Storm-Petrel  2
• Sooty Shearwater  60
• Pink-footed Shearwater  35
• Black-vented Shearwater  14
• Brandt’s Cormorant  1
• Brown Pelican  23
• Also:
• Surfbird  6
• Blue Whale  2

Paul Lehman, Nancy Christensen, Dan Jehl, Paul Mulholland, Gary Nunn, San Diego

The San Diego pelagic trip on Sunday the 14th out to the 9-Mile & 30-Mile Banks and “The Corner” and sponsored by Buena Vista Audubon Society was blessed with fine weather and very light seas. The rarest bird of the trip was a STREAKED SHEARWATER!

At 2:47 PM while heading back east in the eastern San Diego Trough (16-1/2 mi WSW of Point Loma) just several observers saw a shearwater make a quick pass off the right side of the boat, in somewhat harsh lighting, and called out that they had an odd-looking Pink-footed type bird with a distinctly pale face. The bird quickly continued on and disappeared. The only person to obtain photos was Alex Abela, whose camera that day was seriously acting up, so the quality suffered somewhat. Studying the photos on the back of the camera immediately thereafter, it did appear that the bird was a very good candidate to be a Streaked Shearwater, a Japanese species that is casual in California waters, primarily off northern California and almost all from September and October, with at least a couple mid-August records, the earliest of which was on 13 August back in the 1980s way inland at Red Bluff in the northern Sacramento Valley. So this bird would be even a month earlier than that. Following a little bit of photo brightness improvement and sharing with several folks with more extensive experience with the species, the consensus is unanimous that the bird is indeed a Streaked Shearwater.

The second rarest bird of the trip was the Guadalupe Murrelet in the San Diego Trough, some 20.8 mi WSW of the tip of Point Loma. We also had a single white-rumped Townsend’s Storm-Petrel with small numbers of “Chapman’s” Leach’s and Ashy Storm-Petrels (plus the usual Blacks) mostly out at the 30-Mile Bank, as well a number of Craveri’s Murrelets and also multiple Scripps’s Murrelet families with largish chicks, a rare Black Tern, 4 Common Murres, and 2 Brown Boobies.

Totals for the trip once we were at least a mile offshore are as follows:

• Marbled Godwit  2
• Western Sandpiper  120
• Common Murre  4  (rare; inshore waters and Nine-Mile Bank)
• Scripps’s Murrelet  11  (included three family groups with various-sized chicks)
• GUADALUPE MURRELET  1  (very rare; SD Trough, 32.612, -117.594)
• Craveri’s Murrelet  9
• murrelet sp.  8
• Cassin’s Auklet  16
• Heermann’s Gull  2
• Western Gull  70
• Black Tern  1  (rare, alternate plumage, Nine-Mile Bank, 10 mi W of Point Loma)
• Common Tern  5
• Royal Tern  4
• Elegant Tern  300
• Leach’s Storm-Petrel  5  (all looked like mostly dark-rumped “Chapman’s” types, 30-Mile Bank & The Corner)
• Townsend’s Storm-Petrel  1  (white-rumped, s. 30-Mile Bank)
• Ashy Storm-Petrel  7
• Black Storm-Petrel  140
• STREAKED SHEARWATER 1
• Sooty Shearwater  1900
• Pink-footed Shearwater  55
• Black-vented Shearwater  270
• Brown Booby  2  (both looked like adult females)
• Brandt’s Cormorant  3
• Brown Pelican  30
• Brown-headed Cowbird  1  (male well offshore in SD Trough)
• Also:  Risso’s Dolphins

Paul Lehman, Dave Povey, Nancy Christensen, Alex Abela, Dan Jehl, Jimmy McMorran, San Diego

The San Diego pelagic trip on Saturday, June 8th, sponsored by Buena Vista Audubon Society and aboard “Legacy” out of Mission Bay was blessed with very light seas and nice overcast (good lighting) all day. Virtually all the expected pelagic species were seen, along with several scarce or rare species for June (e. g., Common Murre, Sabine’s Gull, Northern Fulmar). Good photo opportunities were had of species like breeding-plumaged Red Phalarope, multiple very close Craveri’s Murrelets, Northern Fulmar, etc. 

Totals for the day, once we were about two miles offshore were:

• Red-necked Phalarope  1 (basic)
• Red Phalarope  2 (1 alternate, 1 basic)
• Pomarine Jaeger  1
• Parasitic Jaeger  1
• Common Murre  3 (off Mission Bay)
• Scripps’s Murrelet  6
• Craveri’s Murrelet  16
• murrelet sp.  2
• Cassin’s Auklet  55
• Sabine’s Gull  3 (one-year-olds, 30-Mile Bank)
• Heermann’s Gull   5
• Western Gull  175
• Common Tern  1 (The Corner)
• Least Tern  2
• Royal Tern  2
• Elegant Tern  3200
• Pacific Loon  3 (basic, northbound)
• Ashy Storm-Petrel  8
• Black Storm-Petrel  175
• Northern Fulmar  2 (SD Trough)
• Pink-footed Shearwater  25
• Sooty Shearwater  1250
• Black-vented Shearwater  11
• Brown Booby  2
• Brown Pelican  130
• Brandt’s Cormorant  2
• Also: American X Black Oystercatcher & Black Oystercatcher (Mission Bay jetties)

Paul Lehman, Dave Povey, Bruce Rideout, Nancy Christensen, Dan Jehl, and Jimmy McMorran

San Diego

The San Diego pelagic trip on 18 May sponsored by Buena Vista Audubon Society aboard “Legacy” out of Mission Bay went out to the 9-Mile Bank, San Diego Trough, 30-Mile Bank, and “The Corner.” Ocean conditions were excellent, with light seas and a high marine overcast all morning. Large numbers of several species were noted in the waters from about 4 miles offshore out to the 9-Mile, with smaller numbers farther out. Especially impressive totals included the 20 Blue Whales, 115 Scripps’s Murrelets, 3000 Sooty Shearwaters (including one bird with a fully white head and neck), and 6 Brown Boobies. The two Common Murres were scarce and getting late.

Offshore totals for the day (once a couple miles offshore) were:

• Surf Scoter  4
• Eared Grebe  1
• Red-necked Phalarope  35
• jaeger sp.  1
• Common Murre  2  (off Mission Bay)
• Scripps’s Murrelet  115  (high count)
• Cassin’s Auklet  65
• Rhinoceros Auklet  1
• Bonaparte’s Gull  2
• Heermann’s Gull  2
• Western Gull  175
• California Gull  50
• Least Tern  3
• Elegant Tern  1300
• Common Loon  4
• Pacific Loon  12
• Ashy Storm-Petrel  2
• Black Storm-Petrel  160
• Pink-footed Shearwater  80
• Sooty Shearwater  3000
• Black-vented Shearwater  4
• Brown Booby  6
• Brown Pelican  70
• Double-crested Cormorant  1
• Brandt’s Cormorant  3
• hummingbird sp.  1
• warbler sp.  1
• Black Oystercatcher 2, hybrid American X Black Oystercatcher 1 (Mission Bay jetties)

• Blue Whale  20  (very high count)
• Fin Whale  5

___________________________________________

Paul Lehman, Dave Povey, Bruce Rideout, Dan King, Jimmy McMorran

San Diego

The San Diego pelagic trip on 30 September aboard “Legacy” and sponsored by Buena Vista Audubon Society ventured out to the Nine-Mile and 30-Mile Banks. Weather was generally fine, despite some forecasts to the contrary, with fairly low swell, light chop, and dry skies. The slight chop, however, did make it difficult to spot alcids on the water, so all murrelets and auklets were seen only in flight. Highlights included a well-seen one-year-old Masked/Nazca Booby at the Nine-Mile Bank, a young age which is typically difficult to identify to species, but we’ll work on photos, just in case. Good numbers of storm-petrels on the 30-Mile Bank included approx. 300 Leasts, an Ashy, a briefly seen dark-rumped Townsend’s, and good numbers of Blacks.

Totals for the day once offshore were:

• Red-necked Phalarope  26
• Red Phalarope  2
• Pomarine Jaeger  5
• Parasitic Jaeger  5
• jaeger sp.  2
• Craveri’s Murrelet  2
• murrelet sp.  8
• Cassin’s Auklet  8
• Sabine’s Gull  3
• Heermann’s Gull  11
• Western Gull  250
• California Gull  1
• Common Tern  20
• Forster’s Tern  1  (7-1/4 mi off Ocean Beach, farther offshore than usual)
• Elegant Tern  20
• Common Loon  1
• Townsend’s Storm-Petrel  1  (dark rumped; 30-Mile)
• Leach’s/Townsend’s Storm-Petrel  1  (white-rumped; 30-Mile)
• Ashy Storm-Petrel  1  (30-Mile; scarce in fall)
• Black Storm-Petrel  1400  (including several rafts)
• Least Storm-Petrel  300  (30-Mile; good count)
• Pink-footed Shearwater  35
• Black-vented Shearwater  250
• Masked/Nazca Booby  1  (upper Nine-Mile Bank; one-year old)
• Brown Booby  2
• Brown Pelican  90
• Brandt’s Cormorant 9
• Also:  Surfbird  26  (jetties)

–Paul Lehman, Dave Povey, Bruce Rideout, Dan King, Matt Sadowski, Justyn Stahl, San Diego

The pelagic trip off San Diego on Sunday, 10 September, sponsored by Buena Vista Audubon Society and aboard “Legacy,” visited nearshore waters and out to the 9-Mile and 30-Mile Banks. Sea conditions ended up being appreciably better than had been forecast, with only mostly light winds and light to moderate swell. As has been the case the past few weeks, the largest concentration of birds (especially shearwaters) was inshore. Highlights certainly included the Nazca Booby show, with a total of FIVE adult and near-adult birds scattered between 6 miles offshore out to the 30-Mile Bank, as well as 2 much younger birds that are currently being left as Masked/Nazca Boobies but we’ll see if photo analysis and discussion in the near future can raise either bird to “full species rank.” In comparison, “only” 2 Brown Boobies were seen. We also had pairs of Craveri’s Murrelets, as well as brief or rather distant views of 1 white-rumped Townsend’s and several Least Storm-Petrels, plus better views of at least 8 “Chapman’s” Leach’s Storm-Petrels.

Totals for the day once offshore were:

• Whimbrel  3
• Red-necked Phalarope  150
• Pomarine Jaeger  7
• Parasitic Jaeger  6
• jaeger sp.  4
• Craveri’s Murrelet  6  (w. SD Trough/30-Mile Bank)
• Cassin’s Auklet  5
• small alcid sp.  5
• Sabine’s Gull  8
• Heermann’s Gull  12
• Western Gull  350
• California Gull  2
• Common Tern  115  (good count)
• Royal Tern  1
• Elegant Tern  55
• Leach’s (Chapman’s) Storm-Petrel  8  (mostly 30-Mile Bank)
• Townsend’s Storm-Petrel  1  (30-Mile Bank)
• Black Storm-Petrel  115
• Least Storm-Petrel  4  (30-Mile Bank and w. SD Trough)
• Sooty Shearwater  40
• Pink-footed Shearwater  400
• Black-vented Shearwater  1100
• [Manx Shearwater  1 (possible bird inshore on return, photos to be studied)]
• Nazca Booby  5  (first bird 6 mi off Mission Bay, more out as far as 30-Mile Bank)
• Masked/Nazca Booby  2
• Brown Booby 2
• Brandt’s Cormorant  55
• Double-crested Cormorant  1
• Brown Pelican  185
• Guadalupe Fur Seal  1

–Paul Lehman, Dave Povey, Bruce Rideout, Alex Abela, Dan Jehl, Matt Sadowski, San Diego

The San Diego 11-hour pelagic trip on 26 August aboard “Legacy” and sponsored by Buena Vista Audubon Society made the usual route out to the Nine-Mile and 30-Mile Banks and “The Corner”–out to about 34 miles offshore. A mass of thousands of feeding shearwaters and other birds only 5-6 miles offshore was spectacular. As we neared that concentration, a light-morph Wedge-tailed Shearwater flew right up the side of the boat, establishing the fourth record for San Diego County of this casual visitor to California waters. The same mass of birds also included an adult or near adult Nazca Booby. Farther offshore was much quieter, but we did find a few Leach’s and single Townsend’s & Least Storm-Petrels, plus another adult booby that was just a bit too far to safely ID as either Nazca or Masked.

Totals for the day, once about a mile offshore were:

• Whimbrel:  25
• Marbled Godwit: 21 (single flock about 10 miles offshore)
• Western Sandpiper:  3
• Red-necked Phalarope:  90
• Pomarine Jaeger: 11
• Parasitic Jaeger:  2
• Sabine’s Gull: 6
• Heermann’s Gull:  25
• Western Gull:  250
• California Gull: 2
• Least Tern: 4
• Common Tern:  15  (scattered)
• Elegant Tern: 550
• Royal Tern:  2
• Leach’s Storm-Petrel:  13  (both light and dark rumped birds)
• Townsend’s Storm-Petrel:  1  (30-Mile Bank)
• Leach’s/Townsend’s Storm-Petrel:  3
• Black Storm-Petrel:  245
• Least Storm-Petrel: 1  (Nine-Mile Bank)
• Northern Fulmar: 1  (Nine-Mile Bank; rare in summer)
• WEDGE-TAILED SHEARWATER: 1  (ca. 5-1/2 mi W of Ocean Beach; 32.75, -117.35)
• Sooty Shearwater:  450  (good count for this time of year)
• Pink-footed Shearwater:  4500  (probably record high count for SD County)
• Black-vented Shearwater:  5000
• NAZCA BOOBY:  1  (adult ca. 5-1/2 miles off Mission Bay; excellent views)
• Nazca/Masked Booby:  1  (adult, just slightly too far to ID; 30-Mile Bank)
• Brown Booby:  5
• Brandt’s Cormorant:  3
• Double-crested Cormorant:  2
• Brown Pelican:  630
• Brown-headed Cowbird: 2
• ALSO:
• Neotropic Cormorant: 2  (stakeouts near the dock)
• Surfbird: 6  (jetties)
• Guadalupe Fur Seal: several

–Paul Lehman, Dave Povey, Dan Jehl, Dan King, Jimmy McMorran, Barbara Wise, San Diego

The San Diego pelagic trip on 6 August aboard “Legacy” and sponsored by Buena Vista Audubon Society took place under very nice weather and sea conditions. As is usual, we ventured out to the Nine-Mile Bank, across the San Diego Trough, to the 30-Mile Bank and “The Corner,” some 34 miles offshore. There were a reasonable number and variety of birds offshore, including such highlights as 5 Cook’s Petrels, 1 adult Nazca Booby, 2 Black-footed Albatrosses, plenty of Townsend’s & Leach’s and Ashy Storm-Petrels, 2 Long-tailed Jaegers, a getting-late Scripps’s Murrelet, 17 Craveri’s Murrelets, a surprising 5 summertime Northern Fulmars, 10 Common Terns and 2 offshore Forster’s Terns, and a good count of 15 Brown Boobies. Totals for the trip once we were over a mile or so offshore were:

• Semipalmated Plover  1
• Black Turnstone  1
• Least Sandpiper  1
• Western Sandpiper  1
• Red-necked Phalarope  135
• Red Phalarope  3
• Parasitic Jaeger  2
• Long-tailed Jaeger  2  (Nine-Mile Bank)
• jaeger sp.  2
• Scripps’s Murrelet  1  (getting late)
• Craveri’s Murrelet  17
• murrelet sp.  10
• Sabine’s Gull  8
• Heermann’s Gull  4
• Western Gull  40
• Common Tern  10
• Forster’s Tern  2  (unusual offshore; 13 mi W of Mission Bay)
• Elegant Tern  55
• Black-footed Albatross  2  (30-Mile Bank, SD Trough)
• Leach’s Storm-Petrel  10+  (incl. 7 “Chapman’s”)
• Townsend’s Storm-Petrel  7+  (30-Mile Bank & The Corner)
• Leach’s/Townsend’s Storm-Petrel  35  (a number may prove to be Townsend’s)
• Ashy Storm-Petrel  10
• Black Storm-Petrel  150
• Cook’s Petrel  5  (vic. 30-Mile Bank)
• Northern Fulmar  5  (scattered; unusual number for summer)
• Pink-footed Shearwater  105
• Sooty Shearwater  75
• Black-vented Shearwater  570
• Nazca Booby  1  (adult; The Corner)
• Brown Booby  15  (scattered; good count)
• Brown Pelican  4
• Rufous/Allen’s Hummingbird  2
• Blue Whale  1
• Minke Whale  2

_________________________________________________

Paul Lehman, Dave Povey, Bruce Rideout, Alex Abela, Peter Ginsburg, Dan Jehl, San Diego