On Friday, 23 birders headed west at high speed from Newport, Oregon on a "Leach's Storm-Petrel and Scripps's Murrelet Search Trip."
We started in fog and drizzle and very flat seas. By 11 a.m. we reached 1000 fathoms, 60 miles offshore, and quickly found and photographed both our target species. But the fun had only begun! The sun came out. Every tiny piece of flotsam beyond 50 miles of shore had an Arctic Tern resting on it. Red Phalaropes were everywhere. No mega-rarities showed after three hours in deep water.
The captain was keen to head back inshore where he learned there was a hake (Pacific whiting) fleet. He desired to see another "white albatross," as it had been several years since he last saw one. Summer is not the expected season for them. But we found the fleet... and the albatross. Flocks of jaegers, primarily Long-tailed, were attacking flocks of Red Phalaropes and Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels. Spouts from Fin Whales hung in the air in every direction like mushroom clouds in a scene from an apocalyptic movie.
You will definitely want to check out my trip photos: http://www.pbase.com/gregbirder/20130802_newportThe entire trip list is below. It includes birds and other life from bay to 70 miles offshore.
1 LAYSAN ALBATROSS 264 Black-footed Albatross 81 Northern Fulmar 431 Pink-footed Shearwater 173 Sooty Shearwater 189 Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel 61 LEACH'S STORM-PETREL 46 Brandt's Cormorant 35 Double-crested Cormorant 58 Pelagic Cormorant 1 Brown Pelican 1 Great Blue Heron 1 Great Egret 1 Turkey Vulture 1 Osprey 98 Red-necked Phalarope 533 Red Phalarope 20 Red-necked/Red Phalarope 199 Sabine's Gull 121 Western Gull 580 California Gull 74 Arctic Tern 1 Common/Arctic Tern 9 Pomarine Jaeger 12 Parasitic Jaeger 82 Long-tailed Jaeger 8 jaeger sp. 377 Common Murre 57 Pigeon Guillemot 5 SCRIPPS'S MURRELET 50 Cassin's Auklet 9 Rhinoceros Auklet 4 Tufted Puffin 1 American Crow 2 Barn Swallow Ocean Sunfish Blue Shark 2 SEI WHALE 20+ FIN WHALE 2 Humpback Whale 8 Pacific White-sided Dolphin Harbor Seal 1 Steller's Sea Lion 3 Northern Fur Seal Greg Gillson The Bird Guide, Inc. http://thebirdguide.com/pelagics/ OBOL archives: www.freelists.org/archive/obol Manage your account or unsubscribe: //www.freelists.org/list/obol Contact moderators: obol-moderators@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
