Oregon Seabirds

"Winter" pelagic trip: March 12, 2012

2012-01-19T21:58:00.000-08:00

Winter seas off Oregon are frequently too rough for pelagic trips. Fortunately, though, winter birds continue into spring.

So, such winter specialties such as LAYSAN ALBATROSSES, SHORT-TAILED SHEARWATERS, and ANCIENT MURRELETS are regular in March, when seas average a bit calmer.

March is also the peak of abundance of BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES and RHINOCEROS AUKLETS.

Several rare species have also been found in March, including SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSSES, FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATERS, MANX SHEARWATERS, and HORNED PUFFINS.

So, our first trip of the year is a "winter" trip on March 12, 2012.

Since 2001, we've scheduled 11 trips in March. Of those, two trips weathered-out, and one trip was shortened due to rough seas. That's a success rate of about 77%, which isn't that different from our September and October success rates.

Here are the frequencies and high numbers for the target species in March:

Species	Frequency	High number
Short-tailed Albatross	22%	1
Laysan Albatross	78%	8
Short-tailed Shearwater	78%	10
Flesh-footed Shearwater	33%	1
Manx Shearwater	22%	2
Black-legged Kittiwake	100%	225
Ancient Murrelet	67%	33
Rhinoceros Auklet	100%	500
Horned Puffin	22%	7

April has more birds overall, as migration starts up. But SHORT-TAILED SHEARWATER is significantly less likely in April as compared to March. Nevertheless, you may want to consider our April 7, 2012 trip as having a good chance for several of the winter specialties, too.

ABA Pelagic Directory 2012

2012-01-05T14:05:00.000-08:00

For many years the February issue of Winging It, the newsletter of the American Birding Association, was entirely dedicated to listing North American pelagic trips and schedules. In recent years they moved the pelagic directory to the ABA web site.

I received news recently that the ABA will not produce a pelagic directory in 2012. They may bring it back in 2013. So, what to do?

Well, I invite all pelagic trip providers, bird clubs, or individuals, to list their trips and contact info in the comments section below.

In addition, here are the web sites for major NA providers:

The Bird Guide Oregon--that's us!
Westport Seabirds Washington State
Shearwater Journeys Monterey and California
Monterey Seabirds Monterey
SoCalBirding.com Southern California and Baja
Seabirding North Carolina with Brian Patteson
See Life Paulagics New York, New Jersey, Delaware

What pelagic trips will you attend this year?

2012-01-05T12:42:00.000-08:00

Our 2012 pelagic trip schedule is posted and ready for signup!

Use the seabird abundance bar chart to determine when your target birds are most likely, then choose from these trips from Oregon:

March 10, 8 hours from Newport
April 7, 8 hours from Newport
May 5, 10 hours from Newport
July 21, 8 hours from Newport
August 11, 12 hours from Newport
August 25, 5 hours from Charleston
September 15, 8 hours from Newport
October 6, 10 hours from Newport
October 20, 8 hours from Newport

Visit our web site for more details and to sign up for these exciting trips.

Trip results: Oregon Seabirds: October 22, 2011

2011-11-06T07:21:00.000-08:00

Mild seas, but a bit of early drizzle, met birders on The Bird Guide, Inc.'s final trip of the year.

Highlights included two LAYSAN ALBATROSSES and over 130 BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES--always a crowd-pleaser!

A kaleidoscope of NORTHERN FULMAR plumages was present among over 600 birds, including several light phase birds.

A couple NORTHERN FUR SEALS presented their classic "jug handle" pose--holding their extremely long hind flippers in their front paws, and looking something like a flower watering jug.

Full trip report is here, including Wayne Hoffman's diving BLUE WHALE photo.

My trip photos.

Trip results: Perptua Bank: October 8, 2011

2011-11-06T06:38:00.000-08:00

Highlights from the 10-hour trip off Newport to the canyon between Heceta and Perpetua Bank included nearly 100 BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES and over 300 NORTHERN FULMARS.

FORK-TAILED STORM-PETRELS are always a treat--and we saw over 30. We were able to compare field marks of RED and RED-NECKED PHALAROPES.

POMARINE JAEGERS were common, with over a dozen seen. Two SOUTH POLAR SKUAS made passes near the boat.

The rarest bird was a vagrant male BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER about 20 miles to sea that followed our boat for a minute or two allowing decent photos!

Trip results are here, including a photo of the rare warbler by Jesse Hampton.

My photos from this trip.

Trip results: Oregon Seabirds: September 24, 2011

2011-10-05T13:46:00.000-07:00

We had a nice morning with clouds and wind in the afternoon. The full trip report is here.

Highlights included several South Polar Skuas and good looks at a couple of Tufted Puffins. About 600 Sooty Shearwaters were widely distributed and in near-constant view from a mile offshore to our chum stop 24 miles west of Newport, Oregon.

We spent 10 minutes with 3 Humpback Whales until they sounded.

Overall, typical species with no rarities--a good day!

Hawaiian/Galapagos Petrel article

2011-10-03T14:13:00.000-07:00

An article on Dark-rumped Petrel identification in North American Birds by Peter Pyle, Daniel L. Webster, and Robin W. Baird appears online.

"Notes on petrels of the Dark-rumped Petrel complex (Pterodroma phaeopygia/sandwichensis) in Hawaiian waters" appears in the Volume 65 (2011), No. 2 issue of North American Birds.

Interestingly, the authors present 2 birds from Hawaii that appear to be Galapagos Petrels. I couldn't determine whether this means these two birds really were from the Galapagos, or whether there is more variation in the appearance of Hawaiian Petrel than previously thought.

Birds appearing off the West Coast of North America, peaking about the 10th of August, have thought to have been Hawaiian Petrels, based on descriptions and photos. The Hawaiian Petrel has a very small population. Perhaps we're better off using the pre-split name, Dark-rumped Petrel, until the identification criteria and exact ranges are more positively defined.

Soaring albatross

2011-09-30T09:26:00.000-07:00

Albatrosses use dynamic soaring as their main mode of flight, sweeping across the seas in graceful 'S'-shaped curves. They glide low along the waves until they are just ready to run out of flying speed. Then they wheel up to catch the winds (photo 1) and gain speed (photo 2), swooping down low (photo 3) along the water again, gliding just above the waves (photo 4).

These photos of Black-footed Albatross were taken 24 September 2011 about 24 miles off Newport, Oregon.

Oregon bycatch: Short-tailed Albatross

2011-09-17T10:44:00.001-07:00

Sad news from a recent announcement by the Pacific Fisheries Management Council as reported by the American Bird Conservancy.

An endangered Short-tailed Albatross was killed as bycatch off Oregon this past spring. Once numbering in the millions, they were hunted to near extinction in the early 20th century. Their numbers have built to nearly 3000 today.

"Bycatch" is the name for all the fish, dolphins, birds and other animals that were not the intended fishing target. These "accidental catch" can be hauled up in nets or caught on baited hooks, as this albatross apparently was.

I was previously unaware that any longline fishing was done off Oregon. In fact, I thought a ruling in October 2002 prohibited longline fishing off Washington, Oregon, and California. So this must be an experimental longlining hake fishery.

Of course, the albatross that was killed was probably an all-dark juvenile, not the white, gold, and black bird in the photo accompanying the ABC article. There are only 17 reports of Short-tailed Albatross in Oregon, though they are increasing in recent years and are probably offshore late fall through spring in small numbers when weather prevents many smaller vessels from going offshore to look.

I appreciated the remark by Robert Alverson, Executive Director of the Fishing Vessel Owners Association in Seattle, Washington. He said, "Albatross bycatch benefits no one, and our fleets are very interested in minimizing any negative impact on seabirds."

Indeed, US fisheries have made significant progress in the past few years reducing seabird bycatch, especially in longline fisheries off Hawaii and Alaska.

For more information: Report on the Bycatch of Marine Mammals and Seabirds by the US West Coast Groundfish Fleet.

Identifying Cassin's Auklets

2011-09-15T16:12:00.000-07:00

You will likely have to see hundreds of Cassin's Auklets before you see one this well. Photo 8 August 2009 by Greg Gillson.

On the water, Cassin’s Auklet is a pudgy, round, gray ball. It is similar in size, shape, and coloration to a tailless juvenile European Starling, or a dark gray rubber bathtub duck. The head rests on the front of the body with no visible neck. The bill is rather short and thick at the base. The breast is dark to the waterline, fading gradually along the sides to the pale under tail. The white eyes and eye crescents are surprisingly visible.

This is the view as shown in the field guides. Go ahead and look, but you'll never see one like this. Why? The bird above was photographed at 1/1000th of a second. Your eyes don't work that fast and these twitchy little birds don't hold still very long! Combine that with rough seas and a bouncing boat, add some wave splash and spray, magnify all that movement by 7 or 8 times (the magnification of your binoculars), and it's no wonder that even after several pelagic trips where Cassin's Auklets are recorded, many seabirders still haven't gotten a good look.

When The Crossley ID Guide was published earlier this year, I discovered that Richard Crossley created an entire book of photos I had been deleting! His book showed only a very few birds at close range and tack-sharp focus. Instead, he showed birds as they actually appeared in the field--at odd angles, flying away, half-hidden, far away, and blurry!

Pfft. I can do that!

So here is the identification description of Cassin's Auklet, edited from my never-to-be-published book, the working title of which is: Seabirds of Oregon: A Field Guide to the Tails of Fleeing Alcids. It is accompanied by several realistic photos of Cassin's Auklets--yes, at odd angles, flying away, half-hidden, far away, and blurry!

Cassin's Auklets are widely distributed from near shore to far offshore. Usually, though, the distribution is uneven. During a typical pelagic trip the boat may travel through “bands” of birds, when a dozen or more may be seen in a 10-minute period, separated by hours with none.

Cassin's Auklets spend much of their time diving underwater for krill. Like other alcids, these birds are skittish and flee the oncoming boat. Thus, look for birds taking off several hundred feet in front of the boat. If the birds were under water as you approached, they may pop up for a breath and dive back down, with only their head coming out of the water. All you may see is a splash and a brief instant of feet sticking out of the water.

Cassin's Auklets run on the water into the wind to take flight. Fleeing in front of the oncoming boat they flap their wings frantically, like oars rowing in the water, and run strenuously on stubby legs, creating an impressive long trail of splashes.

All this flailing effort does not necessarily lead to flight. They may just have gorged on food. They may be molting flight feathers. The water may be too rough. The boat may be gaining on them too quickly. Cassin’s Auklets often have trouble getting airborne. They may bounce off the water several times before gaining enough speed and elevation to rise up above the small wavelets that reach up to slap them down again. As the boat gains on them they often give up their doomed efforts at flight and dive under the water to safety.

If, by some miracle or accident, the bird does become airborne, the Cassin’s Auklet in flight is a flying potato. It is a tailless, headless blob. The whirring, small, rounded, Popsicle-stick wings are just a propeller-like blur. Flight is relatively slow and fairly low along the water, no higher than necessary to clear the wave crests.

A flying potato with whirring Popsicle-stick wings.

In low-angle morning or late afternoon sunlight the underparts can appear surprisingly white. In addition, a silvery sheen may show in the middle of the underwing panel if the observer is looking directly at the side of a well-lighted bird in flight. Under these conditions the bird may be mistaken with Ancient Murrelet. Pale feather-wear crescents behind the wings (where the folded wings lay) give the appearance of pale flank or rump patches on birds flying away.

Cassin’s Auklets, and alcids in general, are more visible on West Coast pelagic trips in late afternoon returning to port. Often the seas appear smoother traveling east with the wind and waves, and with the sun or bright skies to your back. At other times, it is easier to observe birds on the water between 20 and 45 degrees on either side of the reflected sun. The seas at that angle appear very pale and bright, and the dark alcids show up better there than at 180 degrees from the sun where the seas appear dark. So the place to look is in the smooth, bright water, but not directly into the sun.

The tails of fleeing alcids

If you want to try your luck onshore, alcids, and seabirds in general, approach nearer to shore at night and move offshore first thing in the morning. The best time to watch seabirds from shore is just after sunrise, with the sun to your back. Cassin's Auklets are especially numerous in September and October off the shores of the Pacific Northwest. Search for a slight headland near the water, such as at Boiler Bay, Oregon.

Trip results: Oregon Seabirds: September 10, 2011

2011-09-15T15:59:00.000-07:00

The trip from Newport, Oregon, on Saturday, September 10, 2011, started foggy with fairly large swell, which made the first portion of the trip uncomfortable and relatively birdless. Early in the trip Tim Shelmerdine spotted a XANTUS’S MURRELET in the fog. CASSIN’S AUKLETS fled from the boat during this portion of the trip, and were seen nearly constantly the rest of the way.

The fog burned off about 10:30 AM and immediately albatrosses and fulmars found us and we began our chum stop in 200 fathoms of water about 25 miles due west of Yaquina Head.

We had two SOUTH POLAR SKUAS come right in to our chum and sit down for great photos. Two others were seen at a distance. All three JAEGERS visited us here, as well.

A cooperative TUFTED PUFFIN allowed prolonged views on the return, and two HUMPBACK WHALES were not too far, while others spouted in the distance. Smoother seas and sun comforted us on the return. Near shore the swell was high again and we had rather poor views of MARBLED MURRELETS. Much farther away, 5 ELEGANT TERNS were diving into the breakers near NYE Beach, about 3/4 of a mile distant from us, unfortunately.

A complete trip report is here.

More photos from the trip are here.

For more information, please see The Bird Guide pelagic site.

Trip results: Oregon Shorebird Festival pelagic: August 27, 2011

2011-08-31T14:59:00.000-07:00

It was a foggy and windy morning for this 5-hour pelagic trip from Charleston, Oregon, for the 25th annual Oregon Shorebird Festival.

Nevertheless, we 33 birders saw nearly all of the expected species for this time of year, albeit, most in low numbers. We also broke out of the sun about 9 miles offshore as the water warmed. This trip went out 12 miles where we stopped to chum in the albatrosses and fulmars to the boat.

I didn't even get out my camera, but passenger Lois Miller put together a nice photo journal of the trip.

August 27, 2011
Aboard Betty Kay of Betty Kay Charters
Captain Kathy, deck hand Bam-Bam

Guides: Tim Shelmerdine, Russ Namitz, Tim Rodenkirk, Greg Gillson

In Coos Bay (0700-0715 hours outgoing and 1145-1200 hours on the return) we recorded these species:

Harlequin Duck 1
Surf Scoter 15
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel 1
Brandt's Cormorant 150
Double-crested Cormorant 5
Pelagic Cormorant 3
Brown Pelican 20
Osprey 2
Black Turnstone 10
Red-necked Phalarope 2
Heermann's Gull 30
Western Gull 40
California Gull 5
Common Murre 4
Pigeon Guillemot 8
Rhinoceros Auklet 1

From the bar crossing to 6 miles offshore (0715-0815 hours outgoing and 1045-1145 hours on the return) we recorded these birds:

Red-throated Loon 1
Northern Fulmar 2
Sooty Shearwater 20
Brandt's Cormorant 50
Brown Pelican 5
Red-necked Phalarope 5
Red Phalarope 5
Heermann's Gull 2
Western Gull 10
Arctic Tern 1
Common Murre 25
Pigeon Guillemot 2
Marbled Murrelet 2
Cassin's Auklet 50
Rhinoceros Auklet 8
Tufted Puffin 1

From 6-12 miles offshore (0815-1045 hours) we recorded these birds:

Black-footed Albatross 8
Northern Fulmar 50
Pink-footed Shearwater 15
Buller's Shearwater 3
Sooty Shearwater 5
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel 15
Red-necked Phalarope 5
Red Phalarope 30
Sabine's Gull 10
Western Gull 2
Arctic Tern 4
South Polar Skua 1
Parasitic Jaeger 1
Long-tailed Jaeger 15
Cassin's Auklet 30
Rhinoceros Auklet 8

Central Oregon Coast Birding Guide

2011-08-31T14:40:00.000-07:00

Are you visiting the central Oregon coast for a pelagic trip and want to know where to find other goods birds?

I have created the Central Oregon Coast Birding Guide just for you!

This guide builds upon the information in the Oregon Coast Birding Trail brochure. It is more in-depth and concentrates on the best areas. After the main listing of birding sites and regular birds, the guide is followed by a target species list with the best areas named with seasonal or habitat comments. It closes with a few comments on Oregon coast bird ID problems that often confuse visitors or beginners.

Oregon charter boats: fishers versus bird watchers

2011-08-22T14:26:00.000-07:00

Recently I queried Janess Eilers about the number of charter fishing boats in Oregon. Eilers is the Registration Operations & Policy Analyst for the Oregon State Marine Board, who is responsible for licensing charter boats.

In March 2011 there were 243 licensed charter vessels in Oregon. Of these, 210 were "6 packs," smaller vessels carrying 6 or fewer people and not requiring Coast Guard inspection. That leaves 33 larger Coast Guard inspected vessels.

Birders use only 3 of the larger boats for pelagic birding on less than 10 days out of the year. That seems insignificant compared to the total number of boats available and the total number of trip days available on all those boats in a year.

According to the 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation there were 30.0 million US anglers (age 16 or over, 75% male, 92% white) of which 5.3 million (17.7%) fished salt water from boats. These salt water boat fishers averaged over 11 days fishing at sea during the year.

Of the wildlife watchers in the US, 88% watched birds. Of these, 19.9 million watched birds more than 1 mile away from their homes (age 16 or over, 54% female, 93% white).

Locally, Oregon had 483,000 fishers (16% of population). If Oregon's average is the same as the US in total, then about 85,330 fished from a boat in the ocean. At an average of 11 trips per year, charter boats carried nearly 950,000 people fishing in Oregon in 2006.

Oregon also had 675,000 away-from-home wildlife watchers. If the US average of 88% of these being bird watchers applies to Oregon, then there were approximately 594,000 bird watchers in Oregon in 2006.

So many interesting things to say about these numbers....

But for now, I want to tie it to charter boats and fishers versus pelagic birders.

The number of bird watchers joining chartered birding boat trips at sea off Oregon is no more than 250 persons per year. That includes about 20 people who take 2-3 trips each year.

So, there are about 20% more bird watchers than fishers, yet in one year, fishers take just shy of a million ocean boat fishing trips in Oregon, while birders take 250.

Obviously, there is a tremendous difference in the participation rate of going to sea in boats between the two groups (3800:1).

Why?

Seasickness!

2011-08-16T08:53:00.000-07:00

There are several thousand times more fishers in boats at sea than pelagic birders (a topic for a future post). Yet birders seem much more vocal about their emetic experiences at sea.

It is very doubtful that birders are more susceptible to seasickness than fishers.

No one has studied seasickness more than the Department of the Army. The research concludes that anyone can be made motion sick with the right stimuli. A vertical motion of 0.2 Hertz produces the highest incidence of sickness. Guess what? That's one wave every 5 seconds--just what you might get traveling into a slow swell, or the frequency of wind waves that might be produced by 20 mile per hour winds.

An extensive study of navy sailors found that about 4% sometimes got seasick even in calm conditions. In moderate conditions 4-28% of sailors sometimes got sick. However, even in rough seas, 34% of sailors never felt ill. Women are more susceptible to motion sickness than men, by a 5:3 ration. (Benson, A.J. 2002. Motion sickness. In: Medical Aspects of Harsh Environments, Vol. 2. US Dept. of the Army. Washington DC.)

What does this mean for birders?

Well, be prepared. There are motion sickness medications available. Probably the best is the Scopolamine "patch" worn behind the ear and administered at least 8 hours before getting on the boat.

Stay amidships, in the fresh air, where you can see the horizon. Standing and riding the swells, keeping your head level, is better than sitting and rocking with the boat.

Those fishers probably keep going out and get used to the "motion of the ocean." Birders are more likely to give up after one bad experience. "Habituation offers the surest counter measure to motion sickness." (Golding, J.F. 2006. Motion sickness susceptibility. Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic & Clinical (129):67-76.)

So, don't give up. Try again!

Finding Wrentits

2011-08-04T11:31:00.000-07:00

I finally got decent photos of Wrentit on July 30th. It was a bittersweet victory. The only reason I was there in the foothills of the Oregon Coast Range was because high winds had forced the cancellation of our deep water pelagic trip scheduled for that day.

Pelagic trips can cancel any time of year. The best month, on average, for calm seas is July. But that didn't matter this day. Winds of 25 miles per hour were creating 6 foot wind waves, which would prevent our charter boat from making any headway and would make viewing conditions abominable. The winds were caused by a thermal low over northern California that creates strong north winds along the southern and central Oregon coast.

So here I was, checking out some onshore birding sites instead. It is my intention to create a small birding guide for just such occasions--where to go birding when your pelagic trip cancels (sad face).

View Larger Map

This location is found on the way to Drift Creek Falls, Site #54 on the Oregon Coast Birding Trail.

Head south from Lincoln City and turn E (left) on Drift Creek Rd 1.6 miles, then S (right) on South Drift Creek Rd 0.4 miles, then E (left) on Forest Service Road 17 and go 0.8 miles to the intersection with FS19. Walk this paved but mostly abandoned and unmaintained overgrown road to the southeast into the forest.

This is a great spot, May-August, for West Coast forest birds: Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Western Tanager, Swainson's Thrush, and Varied Thrush among many others.

Wrentits are secretive birds that crawl and fly-hop from branch to branch in the dense evergreen tangles of salal bushes. Besides their descending accelerated whistle song, they give rattling little contact notes: "dt-dt-dt-dt-dt" that you may be able to imitate by blowing an unvoiced 'D' through the tip of your tongue (4-6 notes at the rate of about 10 notes per second). Birds respond to this rattle all year, coming close to take a look.

So you want to see a Murphy's Petrel?

2011-06-17T13:04:00.000-07:00

The eBird map above shows the Oregon locations of observed Murphy's Petrels on 4 cruise ship trips in May 2009-2011. You can click the map above for a larger view. The yellow markers are sighting locations for the most recent trip (May 20, 2011) on which I went with 7 other Oregon birders.

It turns out that cruise ships make repositioning cruises at the exact season (late April to mid-May) and exact distance offshore (45-65 miles) from Oregon to regularly find these rare solitary seabirds.

Cruises departing San Francisco just after noon will have dawn just off the California/Oregon border, then spend all day off the Oregon coast. Ships arrive in Vancouver, British Columbia the next morning, a trip of just under 48 hours. Other cruises also depart for Vancouver from Long Beach, and spend an extra day at sea (but may not be off Oregon for all or any of the daylight hours).

Murphy's Petrels are not attracted to boats as are some seabirds. So a spotting scope is necessary to see these amazing aerialists in their rapid, bounding flight. ID is difficult, so you may wish for experienced seabirders to travel with. And this far to sea total bird numbers are often quite low--Leach's Storm-Petrel is the most common bird.

Murphy's Petrel numbers vary from year-to-year. And each trip is different, depending upon location at sunrise, observer effort, and weather conditions. Of the 5 cruises in spring 2011 with birders aboard, only two of the trips saw Murphy's Petrel off Oregon (though all trips saw Murphy's Petrels in either Oregon or California waters, or both).

Total numbers of Murphy's Petrels off Oregon on recent cruises documented in eBird:
33 on May 8, 2009
46 on May 1, 2010
none on April 22, 2011
5 on May 11, 2011
none on May 13, 2011
none on May 15, 2011
5 on May 20, 2011

There are dedicated deepwater pelagic birding trips out of Santa Barbara and San Diego (mulit-day trip) that find these birds occasionally. But, by far, the easiest way to see these birds is to board a luxury ocean liner for these spring repositioning cruises.

Repositioning Cruise, San Francisco to Vancouver: May 19-21, 2011

2011-05-27T12:34:00.000-07:00

Crossing under San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge

Eight Oregon birders met in San Francisco to board the Coral Princess for its repositioning cruise to Vancouver, British Columbia. The ship departed in the afternoon of May 19th, and by dawn on the 20th was off Del Norte, County, California--that state's most northern county. We birders would spend the entire day traversing the entire Oregon coast, getting too dark to see birds just before crossing into Washington State waters.

Because of the shape of the Oregon coastline, the ship was about 35 miles off the southern Oregon coast, and 60 miles off the northern Oregon coast.

Cruise ships are the only reasonable way for birders to get to waters beyond 35 miles of shore--off the continental shelf. Pelagic birding trips using chartered fishing vessels barely reach 30 miles offshore and can only spend an hour or two before heading back to port. Thus, if you want to see deep water specialties (rarities), a cruise is the way to go.

Cruise birding is different from any other kind of birding you may do. It can be highly enjoyable and addicting, but disappointing if you do not know what to expect.

We started under sunny skies, with a bit of wind. Even with a later-than-scheduled departure, we were seeing albatrosses out the window by dinner time.

We awoke at dawn, had some breakfast, and made our way out on the Promenade Deck--Deck 7--which goes all the way around the ship. This particular ship did not have a covered deck on the bow as some ships do. This is an important feature for larger birding groups.

As you can see from the above photo, the birders were huddled out of the wind on the starboard side, amidships, under life boat #5. Water and air temperature were about 50F, wind in our face at 15-20 knots, and ship speed of 22 knots. That is about a 45 mile per hour breeze on the exposed parts of the ship! Nevertheless, the more experienced cruise birders noted that this was the most pleasant conditions of any previous spring trip! Brrr...

There also were fewer overall birds than on previous spring cruises, perhaps due to this later than usual cruise date. Oh, there were still birds aplenty, but many were quite distant. This proved to be a bit of detriment for me, as I will explain.

Cruise birding is far different than taking a pelagic birding trip on a chartered fishing boat. Of course, the ship is larger and you can use a scope on the calm decks. Food is included on your cruise price, with many dining rooms. But then, birders mostly want to stay on deck looking at birds during daylight hours, so knowing where the grill and pizza bar are located is important. And you can get a good night's sleep in your stateroom each night, rather than driving to the pelagic trip's port of departure in the predawn hours, as do many birders.

But the main difference between cruise ship birding and pelagic birding trips is how far you are from the birds. The pelagic trip is designed to go where the birds are and even chum them right up to the boat. Frankly, large ships scare birds. And watching from Deck 7, perhaps 40 feet above the water line, gives you about the same experience as a seawatch--watching birds from a coastal headland.

Cruise ship birding is done primarily with a spotting scope. Few birds are within 1/4 mile, or about the length of the ship. Many birds are spotted flying from the boat about 1/2 mile distant and are soon more than 2 miles distant. A scope, then, is essential. And some experience and study is needed to know what birds you are seeing--shape and flight style are essential, as lighting is often poor for picking up plumage colors and patterns.

The Pacific Loons above (one in breeding plumage and one not) were very close (for a cruise ship)--within 1/4 mile of the boat during our way out the San Francisco harbor.

This was of particular trouble for me, as I awoke on the 20th with a screaming headache--perhaps from dehydration during the previous busy travel day. For the first couple of hours it was difficult to even have my eyes open at all. Later, the headache went away, but I decided I would only use binoculars to bird--I didn't want that nauseating headache to return. Staring through my scope with one eye for an entire day, as water streamed constantly by, was a sure way to bring that headache back!

Using "binoculars only" meant that I was unable to identify shearwater-sized birds beyond about a mile and a quarter. I saw far fewer storm-petrels than the other birders (53 compared to 298). I identified no Cassin's Auklets, with about 19 seen by others throughout the day. Those birders using scopes could spot the storm-petrels and Cassin's Auklets out there a mile, and shearwaters out 3 or more miles.

There were numerous Long-tailed Jaegers seen, such as the bird above. This one was about 1/2 mile distant--about as close as they got to the ship.

But my headache didn't mean that I didn't see good birds--because I did!

While still in California waters, 2 Laysan Albatrosses flew by. Then Russ and I identified a Pterodroma by flight style, and a bit later my life Murphy's Petrel swooped up with the same flight style right alongside the boat! I observed 4 more in Oregon waters.

Only Owen Schmidt and Jeff Gilligan independently identified a single Ashy Storm-Petrel in Oregon waters. The light was bad, so they primarily had only flight style and shape to go by, but they did note the all-dark rump. There are about a half dozen sightings of this species in Oregon waters--unfortunately none seen well enough to pass a records committee yet. I think, for storm-petrels in general, a video showing it flying would be more helpful to a bird records committee to accept it than any but a very close series of photos.

Another rarity, a pair of Parakeet Auklets, were identified by Tim Shelmerdine, Russ Namitz, and David Smith. I got a glimpse in a borrowed scope, but couldn't make out any diagnostic field marks before they splashed back down in the water.

Entering Vancouver

Russ Namitz recorded overall numbers for the Oregon portion of the cruise, as follows (my personal sightings in parentheses):
Greater Scaup 1 (1)
Black-footed Albatross 19 (7)
Northern Fulmar 9 (10)
Flesh-footed Shearwater 1 (1)
Pink-footed Shearwater 2 (0)
Sooty Shearwater 1500+ (2336)
MURPHY'S PETREL 5 (4)
ASHY STORM-PETREL 1 (0)
Leach's Storm-Petrel 186 (45)
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel 142 (10)
Whimbrel 12 (14)
Red Phalarope 624 (310)
Sabine's Gull 10 (3)
California Gull 1 (0)
Arctic Tern 7 (4)
South Polar Skua 6 (7)
Parasitic Jaeger 1 (1)
Long-tailed Jaeger 67 (43)
Common Murre 1 (0)
Cassin's Auklet 19 (0)
PARAKEET AUKLET 2 (0)
Rhinoceros Auklet 81 (9)

We also saw Northern Fur Seals, Northern Elephant Seal (Russ only), Dall's Porpoises, Humpback Whales, Sei Whale, Pilot Whales, Orcas.

So, the trip had a long-desired life bird (Murphy's Petrel), a missed lifer (Parakeet Auklet), and a missed state bird (Ashy Storm-Petrel). These were my three target birds for this trip. Well, I'll get those others another time.

Related previous posts you may find interesting if you are planning such a cruise.

Repositioning cruises (general information):
http://oregonseabirds.blogspot.com/2010/07/repositioning-cruises.html

Seabirds from boats (including cruise ship repositioning trips and costs):
http://oregonseabirds.blogspot.com/2011/02/seabirds-from-boats.html

Virtual seawatch at Boiler Bay, Oregon (viewing seabirds from a cruise ship is similar):
http://oregonseabirds.blogspot.com/2011/02/virtual-seawatch-at-boiler-bay-oregon.html

Trip results: Oregon Seabirds: May 15, 2011

2011-05-27T12:04:00.000-07:00

Rarely do birders see Red Phalaropes in breeding plumage on the West Coast. The one notable exception is on May pelagic trips. In the photo above are both Red and Red-necked Phalaropes at sea off Newport, Oregon.

This was our new "Seabirds of Oregon" trip, an 8-hour trip from Newport. The first part of the trip heads over to the scenic Yaquina (ya-KWIN-a) Head lighthouse and seabird colony. This accounted for the majority of Brandt's Cormorants and Common Murres counted. Then we headed offshore, stopping when we encountered numerous seabirds about 22 miles offshore.

We traveled on the boat "Misty" with Captain Rob Waddell at the helm.

Brant 5 (bay)
Greater Scaup 20 (bay)
Harlequin Duck 2 (bay)
Surf Scoter 80
White-winged Scoter 1 (Russ only, crossing bar outgoing, distant)
Red-throated Loon 50
Pacific Loon 157
Common Loon 4
Red-necked Grebe 2 (bay)
Western Grebe 2
Clark's Grebe 1
Black-footed Albatross 62
Northern Fulmar 1
Pink-footed Shearwater 11
Sooty Shearwater 28
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel 3
Brandt's Cormorant 405
Double-crested Cormorant 33
Pelagic Cormorant 129
Turkey Vulture 2 (bay)
Osprey 1 (bay)
Semipalmated Plover 1 (Tim only, near Yaquina Head, distant)
Black Turnstone 1 (bay)
Dunlin 2 (bay)
Red-necked Phalarope 205
Red Phalarope 650
Sabine's Gull 20
Western Gull 161
California Gull 56
Glaucous-winged Gull 2
Long-tailed Jaeger 1
Common Murre 40,616
Pigeon Guillemot 203
Marbled Murrelet 11
Cassin's Auklet 24
Rhinoceros Auklet 53
Tufted Puffin 1 (Russ only, near Yaquina Head, distant)
American Crow 1 (bay)
Barn Swallow 2 (bay)
American Robin 1 (bay)

Harbor Seal 5 (bay)
California Sea Lion 1
Steller's Sea Lion 2 (Greg only, on harbor entrance buoy, distant)
Dall's Porpoise 29
Gray Whale 2
Humpback Whale 1

More photos from this trip

Puerto Montt Storm-Petrel: Oregon birders discover new seabird!

2011-03-23T18:45:00.000-07:00

Portland, Oregon birders Jeff Gilligan and Gerard Lillie wanted to see new birds when they took a Princess cruise around South America. Never in their wildest dreams did they think they'd discover a new species of bird off Chile. See the OregonLive article by Katy Muldoon.

Short-tailed Albatross chick survives tsunami on Midway

2011-03-14T11:27:00.000-07:00

With the tragic loss of life in Japan following the earthquake and tsunami, it almost seems disrespectful to mention a single bird. However, the first chick Short-tailed Albatross ever to hatch in the wild away from the Japanese islands survived the tsunami at Midway, though tens-of-thousands of other birds apparently perished.

There are perhaps 2400 of these rare birds left, after five-million were killed in the feather trade a hundred years ago.

See the heartbreaking photos of wildlife devestation on Midway and more information at http://peteatmidway.blogspot.com/2011/03/pictures-tonight-captions-when-i-wake.html

Seabirds from boats

2011-02-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

Marbled Murrelet, from a boat off Newport, Oregon on 21 February, 2009 by Greg Gillson.

Last week's post discussed a seawatch--viewing seabirds from shore. In it, I showed views of seabirds as they would appear using binoculars and spotting scopes.

In last week's post we "magnified" a pair of Red-necked Grebes about a half mile offshore. In the magnified view--a view as would be seen with a spotting scope--we discovered another small speck of a bird that I identified as a Marbled Murrelet in flight.

Over time, a dedicated seawatcher may see many of the Pacific Northwest's oceanic birds. However, many seabirds would be just specks--even with a spotting scope. Without closer-range experience, one would not be able to learn the distinctive flight characteristics that would help identify some birds. And many seabirds rarely come near land off the Pacific NW.

The only way to see these birds better, in the Pacific Northwest, is to board a boat.

Boats do present some logistic challenges: route, instability, expense, and mal de mar (seasickness).

Unless you own your own seaworthy craft, the only way to get the boat to go bird watching is to charter it. Chartering a vessel in the Pacific NW may cost $750 for a small boat ("six-pack," which carries 6 persons on a 20-30 foot boat) or a larger Coast Guard certified vessel that may carry 20-30 passengers on a boat 40-55 feet long for a rate of about $2500 per day. Sharing the cost among the participants is a way to make such a trip affordable--but usually can't be done on the spur of the moment.

In the Pacific Northwest, the only two regular providers of bird watching trips by boat, or "pelagic trips," are Westport Seabirds in Washington State and The Bird Guide in Oregon. Shearwater Journeys operates out of California (primarily Monterey area) with some trips in northern California. There are a couple other providers (often Audubon Societies and dedicated individuals) that offer pelagic trips from Monterey south to San Diego.

Only the larger boats are Coast Guard certified to travel beyond 20 miles of shore--out to the albatrosses and several other more oceanic species. Thus, a dedicated group pelagic trip on a large boat is the most direct way for an individual to view seabirds. A full-day trip may cost $150 per person.

On such a trip, many birds will still be distant. But unlike on a land-based seawatch, you can get closer with the boat. A chartered pelagic birding trip is designed to go where the birds are. During the day, chances are good that you will see thousands of seabirds, many at very close range. On your first such trip you are likely to add 15-20 life birds--species you've never seen before!

Because the boat bobs on the waves, a birder on a regular pelagic trip cannot use a scope and tripod--binoculars are required. Of course, bobbing up and down looking through binoculars is not easy on your equilibrium, leading to queasiness (or worse) for some people. Despite these challenges, a pelagic trip is the best way to see seabirds. They are timed for the best birding and led by expert seabird guides intent on showing you seabirds and helping you to identify them.

Happy birders encounter fishing vessels trailing thousands of seabirds (albatrosses, shearwaters, fulmars, jaegers, petrels, and other birds, not to mention whales and dolphins!) on a pelagic trip off Newport, Oregon on 31 May 2003 by Greg Gillson.

There are a few options besides a scheduled pelagic trip. These options are less certain than a pelagic trip--you may not see any birds worth mentioning. Or worse--you see lots of birds just a few hundred feet away but the boat won't travel toward them so you can identify them, because... it is not a birding trip. More important, you'll often have to identify the birds yourself.

1) Whale watching trip: From certain ports on the West Coast, specifically at Newport and Depoe Bay on the central Oregon coast, local fishing charters lead out trips to view Gray Whales at $20 per person. These trips will often be right along shore, though in winter they may go out 5 miles. These trips last an hour or two. Gray Whales and Marbled Murrelets feed on the sandy bottom and are often seen together. You might see a Rhinoceros Auklet, Tufted Puffin, or Northern Fulmar. You may see nothing, not even a whale.

2) Bottom or salmon fishing trip: "Deep sea fishing" is not done in the deep sea. Boats rarely go out more than 3 miles for bottom fishing, often less than one mile to "inner reefs." However, if you want to join fishing friends for 4 hours, you can often get a 1/2 fare for non-fishing passenger, or about $35. These won't see any more than on a whale watch trip, but are offered from more ports. Expect lots of cormorants, murres, and Pigeon Guillemots, and probably some Marbled Murrelets and maybe some other nearshore pelagic birds and harbor porpoises.

3) Halibut or tuna fishing trip: These trips go out 20-40 miles and take you into albatross waters. However, once there you are likely either to sit in one place or troll round and round in a small area. These trips are 12-18 hours, cost about $350 per person, and usually do not allow non-fishing passengers. If you like to fish, this can be a great trip. However, there may be hours at a time with no birds whatsoever. The best birds are often seen on the trip out and back, which may be at dawn and dusk. Halibut trips such as these are offered only May and August. The tuna trips are July to early September.

4) Cruise ship repositioning trips: Lasting 3-4 days, these trips on luxury ocean liners are surprisingly affordable ($200). They travel out at 60 miles, beyond large numbers of birds, including albatrosses--out where any bird could be a mega-rare petrel or other seabird. Great whales are often spotted. A 3-day cruise will cost you far less than 3 regular one-day pelagic trips (especially if you include travel, motel, and food for 3 days). You'll have to come up with a bus ($75) or rental car from Vancouver, British Columbia and a flight from either San Francisco ($170) or Long Beach, California. So, maybe $550 per person (from Portland, Oregon), double-occupancy, in a lower-class room. Advantages of a cruise ship include a bed if you get tired, food is included in the price, and you can set up your spotting scope on the deck. You usually bird from a covered deck on about the 7th floor of the bow. In many ways, this is like a seawatch. For the past several years small groups of birders have been arranging these trips--so you may find a trip with other expert seabirders to help spot and identify birds.

This post is co-published on the Pacific NW Birder blog.

Virtual seawatch at Boiler Bay, Oregon

2011-02-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

What are these people doing? Looking for Gray Whales at Boiler Bay State Wayside near Depoe Bay, Oregon!

Good viewpoints for whales are positioned not too far above or away from the water. Not surprisingly, good places to view Gray Whales are also good places to view nearshore seabirds. And Boiler Bay is perhaps the best seawatch site on the West Coast.

But if you don't know what to expect, you may be disappointed.

On the rocks near the water you may find Black Oystercatchers, as in the photo below. Click the photo for a view that would approximate what you would see with binoculars. [I suggest you right-click and "open link in new window," so it doesn't take so long to reload the page using your "back" button.]

Time spent scanning for seabirds is called a "seawatch." Seawatches are not very successful with only binoculars. It usually requires a higher-powered (20-60x) spotting scope to bring the birds closer into view.

In fact, the photos presented here are all designed to show you what you would actually see with binoculars or a spotting scope on a seawatch. I took these photos in August 2009, just to see how bad photos of seabirds from shore would be (in general, bad, just as I surmised). Not magazine quality, are they? But they prove useful in teaching about seawatches.

Just beyond the first breakers you may see cormorants. In the photo below, a Pelagic Cormorant leads a Brandt's Cormorant. Click for a view such as you would see with binoculars.

You may also see Common Murres quite near shore. Such as in the photo below. Again, click to view the photo as it would appear with binoculars.

And here is a photo of a Pigeon Guillemot out about 1/4 mile. Click on the photo to make it appear as you would see it in binoculars.

On a seawatch, most of the birds are quite distant and views are usually no where near "field guide quality." It takes practice to identify seabirds and to learn what field marks you can see at a distance. By watching nearer, known-identity, birds fly away, you can learn flight shape and characteristics that will allow you to put a name on more distant birds.

Your binoculars aren't much use for birds more than a half mile distant. But with a spotting scope, you can identify birds 3 miles at sea or more.

For instance, take a look at this fishing boat about a mile offshore. Click the photo to give you a fairly accurate view of what you would see with binoculars.

Do you see the bird just behind the boat? If you watch the flap-and-glide progression of this long-winged bird, you could guess it was a shearwater. However, you need more optical magnification. So, click on the following photo to see what you might see with a 25x spotting scope.

You can see the long-winged bird flying right-to-left. The left wing is pointed right at us, so we can't see it. What we see is the underside of the right wing. The white underwing linings are clearly seen, identifying this bird as a Sooty Shearwater!

Here is another photo of a pair of Red-necked Grebes flying south about 1/2 mile out. Click the photo to see what view you would have of these birds with binoculars only.

Oh, that speck would be hard to identify with binoculars only, wouldn't it?

A lot of time on a seawatch is spent scanning with binoculars, then switching to the more powerful scope when you find something. Scanning with the scope has too small of a field of view--you'll miss more birds than you'll find if you scan with your scope. So find the birds with your bare eyes or with binoculars, then switch to higher power.

For instance, once you spot those flying "specks" in the above photo, get on it with your scope and you'll see something interesting. Click on the photo below to see what you would see with a spotting scope.

Now you can see the white face and white secondary wing patch identifying the two Red-necked Grebes in the lower left of the photo.

But notice what else appeared in our virtual spotting scope view? In the upper right of the photo is a bird flying left with pointed wings bent sharply at the wrist. The throat is pale and the head appears slightly raised on a short neck. Can you make it out? That's a Marbled Murrelet.

So, to answer your question... yes, seawatchers identify distant birds with only minimal pattern, shape, and flight style clues. Even with spotting scopes the views are not very good. But scopes do allow you to see small specks of birds about 3 miles offshore or farther, depending upon atmospheric conditions.

Here are some hints to make seawatching more successful.

1) Go at dawn. Seabirds are nearer shore first thing in the morning, then move off. By 2 hours after sunrise activity may be mostly over for the day. In May, that could mean that all the action is over by 8 a.m. On the West Coast, the sun comes up behind you, giving you the best light at dawn.

2) Scan with your naked eye or with binoculars. Only when you find something do you switch to your spotting scope.

3) Go seawatching during spring and fall migration, April-May and September-November.

4) Go during really nasty weather. Those big November windstorms often push seabirds near shore. Go between downpours. Dress warmly. Protect your optics. Head for a hot bowl of chowder afterward.

5) Practice, practice, practice! Identify close seabirds, then watch them as they fly away. What do you see as they get farther and farther away? Learn seabird patterns, shapes, and flight styles.

Andy Frank took some photos of Ancient Murrelets at Boiler Bay in December.

[This article is co-published on the Pacific NW Birder blog.]

Laysan Albatross search trip: March 12, 2011

2011-02-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

The Bird Guide's annual Laysan Albatross search trip is scheduled for Saturday, March 12, 2011.

This first trip of the year is designed to get our pelagic season off to an exciting beginning. Besides these wonderful albatrosses, frequent birds include Ancient Murrelets, Short-tailed Shearwaters, Thayer's Gulls, and high numbers of Rhinoceros Auklets and Black-legged Kittiwakes!

As of January 31, 2011, the boat is about half-full--there are still about 15 spaces open. This trip will be sold out soon!

This 10-hour trip costs $150 per person from Newport, Oregon. Check on The Bird Guide's pelagic web pages for more information.

See last year's trip results.

Short-tailed Albatross feeding chick on Midway!

2011-01-31T16:29:00.000-08:00

More info since the first announcement!

The first nesting of Short-tailed Albatross outside Japan. A pair of birds nested for the first time. Here is the video from January 28, 2011.

If I understand correctly, another nest on nearby Kure Atoll was evidently tended by two female Short-tailed Albatrosses and the infertile egg never hatched.

2011 ABA Pelagic Directory

2011-01-31T15:28:00.000-08:00

The 2011 ABA Pelagic Directory is now available online as a pdf.

In years past this directory was published in the January Winging It newsletter, and mailed to all ABA members. However, for the past couple of years it has been online only.

This issue is very nice, listing 49 pelagic opportunities around North America--from Nova Scotia to Florida, and California to Alaska. It is "decorated" with some amazing seabird and marine mammal photos, along with a couple of boat photos.

One of the photos is the one above of a Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel I took on September 11, 2010 off Newport, Oregon.

Banded albatrosses

2011-01-23T09:49:00.000-08:00

Some of the 135 Black-footed Albatrosses, off Newport, Oregon on 11 September 2010 by Greg Gillson.

Thirty miles off the Oregon coast Black-footed Albatrosses gather every summer to feed in the rich California Current. They come from far away across the sea. Far, far, away.

Many of the Black-footed Albatrosses off the coast of the Pacific NW come from remote islands such as Laysan, Midway, and the French Frigate Shoals.

It is approximately 2500 miles SW from the Pacific NW coast to Honolulu, Hawaii. From there it is another 560 miles NW to Tern Island, French Frigate Shoals. This coral atoll is the worn down top of an ancient volcano. The waves wear down the volcano until the top is under the water. Coral grows up to the surface, detritus and flotsam get caught in the shallows and an island is formed,... barely. Because the waves tear it down again.

But there, 3000 miles from the cold and rainy Pacific NW, on warm sandy beaches, Black-footed Albatrosses come ashore to breed in December and January. There they raise their single chick until May, then they strike out eastward to the continental shelf of western North America to feed in the cold, productive waters.

Map of Tern Island

More on Tern Island

Even out in the middle of nowhere, there are biologists working on these remote islands to catalog the endangered wildlife. Thus, many of the albatrosses we see off the Pacific NW in summer and fall had been banded as chicks many years before. These carry a metal US Fish & Wildlife band and a larger plastic band with easier to read larger numbers.

On an offshore birding boat trip this fall we found one such banded bird. It wore a numbered plastic leg band. One of our passengers was able to get a photograph of it and sent it to me. I reported the number to the Bird Banding Laboratory and received the thank you acknowledgement below.

Then, going through my own photos, I found I unknowingly took a picture of another albatross with a different band number on it. This, also, I turned in, but have not yet heard back. If I had turned in the number on the stamped aluminum band I would have gotten an answer directly from the US Fish & Wildlife Service. But the colored leg bands are only tracked by the research scientist. The researchers put both bands on, but the aluminum one is the official band, but harder to read. So, I haven't heard anything about the bird in the photo below, but expect it has the same story as that detailed in the acknowledgement above.

Black-footed Albatross with band A386, off Newport, Oregon on 11 September 2010 by Greg Gillson.

To report a color-marked or birds banded with aluminum band (except domestic pigeons), record the number and report the number on : this web site.

[This article first appeared in Pacific NW Birder on 11 October 2010.]

Short-tailed Albatross breeding at Midway!

2010-12-08T13:50:00.000-08:00

The photo above is of a young bird, 1 or 2 years old. These all-dark immature birds are what we expect off the West Coast of North America. This is the 9th accepted Oregon record of a bird off Newport, Oregon on March 18, 2006. Photo by Troy Guy.

Exciting news! A pair of Short-tailed Albatrosses is breeding on Midway Atoll! This is the first modern breeding record outside of Japan.

The US Fish & Wildlife Service has had decoys up on Midway Atoll NWR and been playing Short-tailed Albatross calls for several years. A pair of Short-tailed Albatrosses has visited the island annually for 4 years, and this year started incubating an egg in November.

Once numbering perhaps 5 million, these magnificent birds were killed on their nests and plucked and stuffed into pillows and mattresses until they were presumed extinct. In the first quarter of the 20th century perhaps only 10 pairs remained. They have since recovered to some 2400 birds.

Check out the news item and photos on the USFWS Flicker site.

With the above news of breeding on Midway, perhaps we can expect to see more of these in the future. Of course, it will take decades to notice the increase from this site, and most of the birds will probably still forage north in the Aleutians. But there is every reason for long-term hope that these birds will continue to recover.

Trip results: Perpetua Bank, October 2, 2010

2010-10-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

http://thebirdguide.com/pelagics/archive/10022010.htm

Saturday, October 2, 2010
11 hours Perpetua Bank trip
From Newport, Oregon, offshore to 32 miles, south 10 miles to Perpetua Bank chum stop, then port

Seas: Fair; mild winds.

Boat: Misty
Captain Robert Waddell
Newport Tradewinds Charter

The Bird Guide, Inc.
http://thebirdguide.com/

Guides: Greg Gillson, Tim Shelmerdine, Russ Namitz

We had a fun trip offshore from Newport this past Saturday. This was the final pelagic trip of the year.

Highlights include a couple of ANCIENT MURRELETS nearshore on both outgoing and returning segments of our trip. For the second trip in a row, we've had FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATERS come into our chum slick. On this day, one bird to each slick, about 15 miles (and over an hour) apart. Four SOUTH POLAR SKUAS and a flock of about 400 FORK-TAILED STORM-PETRELS were nice.

My photos of this trip are at: http://www.pbase.com/gregbirder/20101002_pelagic

There aren't too many bird photos; 5 of the 11 photos are breaching HUMPBACK WHALES! Skies were overcast for most of the day, making viewing conditions excellent in all directions, but making for dull photography...

Species list:

Northern Pintail 20
Green-winged Teal 2
Greater Scaup 1
Surf Scoter 139
White-winged Scoter 33
Red-breasted Merganser 3
Red-throated Loon 1
Pacific Loon 3
Common Loon 18
Red-necked Grebe 1 (bay)
Western Grebe 10
Black-footed Albatross 39
Northern Fulmar 37
Pink-footed Shearwater 111
Flesh-footed Shearwater 2
Buller's Shearwater 21
Sooty Shearwater 50
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel 400
Brown Pelican 36
Brandt's Cormorant 46
Double-crested Cormorant 35 (bay)
Pelagic Cormorant 72
Red-necked Phalarope 99
Red Phalarope 16
Sabine's Gull 21
Heermann's Gull 4
Mew Gull 2 (bay)
Western Gull 48
California Gull 155
Herring Gull 6
Glaucous-winged Gull 3 (bay)
Common Tern 1
South Polar Skua 4
Pomarine Jaeger 12
Parasitic Jaeger 16
Common Murre 60
Pigeon Guillemot 6
Marbled Murrelet 4
Ancient Murrelet 5
Cassin's Auklet 60
Rhinoceros Auklet 40
Tufted Puffin 2

Ocean Sunfish 10
Humpback Whale 4
Gray Whale 1
Harbor Porpoise 1
Dall's Porpoise 8
Pacific White-sided Dolphin 8
Steller's Sea Lion 8
California Sea Lion 10 (plus 100+ on breakwater in bay)
Harbor Seal 3 (bay)
Northern Fur Seal 1

Trip results: Perpetua Bank, Oregon, 11 September 2010

2010-09-14T08:59:00.000-07:00

http://thebirdguide.com/pelagics/archive/09112010.htm

Pelagic trip report:
Saturday, September 11, 2010
11 hours
From Newport, Oregon, to 30 miles west of Newport, then south 10 miles to the seaward slope of Perpetua Bank.

Seas: gentle seas, winds 10 knots.

Boat: Misty
Captain Robert Waddell
Newport Tradewinds Charter

The Bird Guide, Inc.
http://thebirdguide.com/

Guides: Greg Gillson, Tim Shelmerdine, Shawneen Finnegan, Russ Namitz, David Mandell

A great trip with good seas, soft breeze, and lots of birds and marine mammals in view constantly throughout the day.

Highlights included high numbers of Pink-footed Shearwaters, Buller's Shearwaters, Sabine's Gulls, South Polar Skuas, and Humpback Whales. The Flesh-footed Shearwater views (photo above) were better than any we've had in 10 years. Alcid numbers were low.

Cheryl Welchel posted photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vgswallow16/

My photos: http://www.pbase.com/gregbirder/20100911_perpetua

Species list:

Green-winged Teal 1
Surf Scoter 60
White-winged Scoter 7
Red-throated Loon 2
Black-footed Albatross 135
Northern Fulmar 45
Pink-footed Shearwater 2300
Flesh-footed Shearwater 1
Buller's Shearwater 225
Sooty Shearwater 75
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel 80
Brown Pelican 12 (bay)
Brandt's Cormorant 100 (40 in bay)
Double-crested Cormorant 25 (bay)
Pelagic Cormorant 40 (20 in bay)
Wandering Tattler 2 (jetty)
Black Turnstone 2 (jetty)
Surfbird 8 (jetty)
Red-necked Phalarope 60
Red Phalarope 8
Sabine's Gull 250 (all adult except for 2-3 juvenile)
Heermann's Gull 15 (bay)
Mew Gull 5 (bay)
Western Gull 120 (70 in bay)
California Gull 120 (40 in bay)
Glaucous-winged Gull 1 (bay)
Olympic Gull (Glaucous-winged x Western) 5 (bay)
Common Tern 5
South Polar Skua 12
Pomarine Jaeger 18
Parasitic Jaeger 2
jaeger (undetermined species) 3
Common Murre 120 (most parent/chick pairs)
Pigeon Guillemot 15
Marbled Murrelet 10
Cassin's Auklet 15
Rhinoceros Auklet 15

Gray Whale 2
Humpback Whale 20
Pacific White-sided Dolphin 20
Dall's Porpoise 8
Harbor Porpoise 20
Northern Fur Seal 2
Northern Elephant Seal 2
California Sea Lion 170 (150 in bay)
Steller's Sea Lion 8
Harbor Seal 8 (bay)

Blue Shark 2
Salmon Shark 1
Soupfin Shark 2
Ocean Sunfish 7

Greg Gillson
The Bird Guide, Inc.
greg@thebirdguide.com
http://thebirdguide.com

Trip results: August 14, 2010 Perpetua Bank

2010-09-03T09:12:00.000-07:00

Saturday's pelagic trip went out of Newport, Oregon in somewhat foggy and cool conditions (55F).

Typical early fall seabirds included good numbers of FORK-TAILED STORM-PETRELS, RED-NECKED PHALAROPES, and SABINE'S GULLS. Other August specialties included LONG-TAILED JAEGERS and ARCTIC TERNS.

It is now possible to use web-based AIS to locate commercial fishing vessels the morning of our trip to see if any are in range. On this day we located 2 hake fishing boats exactly on our Perpetua Bank chum stop location, so headed there first. Most of the albatrosses and fulmars were here. After an hour or so with no new birds we headed out to 400 fathoms just west of 125W, about 40 miles west of Waldport.

Trip guides were Tim Shelmerdine, Tom Snetsinger, Shawneen Finnegan, Russ Namitz, and Greg Gillson.

Surf Scoter 20
White-winged Scoter 6
Red-throated Loon 1
Pacific Loon 5
Black-footed Albatross 200
Northern Fulmar 75
Pink-footed Shearwater 55
Sooty Shearwater 20
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel 110
Pelagic Cormorant 80
Brandt's Cormorant 100
Double-crested Cormorant 15
Brown Pelican 8
Bald Eagle 1
Wandering Tattler 1 (seen by few)
Black Turnstone 6
Surfbird 4
Red-necked Phalarope 300
Red Phalarope 1 (seen by few)
California Gull 50
Western Gull 50
Sabine's Gull 40
Heermann's Gull 10
Arctic Tern 3
Common Murre 250
Pigeon Guillemot 30
Marbled Murrelet 11
Cassin's Auklet 2
Rhinoceros Auklet 10
Pomarine Jaeger 1
Parasitic Jaeger 2
Long-tailed Jaeger 5

Northern Fur Seal 1
Northern Elephant Seal 1
Steller's Sea Lion 3
California Sea Lion 2
Harbor Seal 3

Blue Shark 1
Salmon Shark 1
Ocean Sunfish 2

Some photos:

Birders watching albatrosses

Red-necked Phalarope

Black-footed Albatross

Black-footed Albatrosses and Northern Fulmars

Trip report: 29 April – 2 May, 2010: Long Beach, CA to Vancouver, BC

2010-07-25T14:59:00.000-07:00

[I received the report below from Ryan Merrill and pass it on for your enjoyment (or envy).]

Gadflies Galore
Offshore Seabird Survey – Repositioning Cruise, MS Amsterdam
Long Beach, CA to Vancouver, BC
29 April – 2 May, 2010

Kevin Aanerud, Todd Hass, Ryan Merrill, Adam Sedgley, and Michael Willison
Joined part of the time by Don & Sandi McVay, and Randy Bjorklund

We went on a Holland America cruise from Long Beach to Vancouver which included two days offshore. The sold-out ship was the 780-foot, 1,380-passenger MS Amsterdam. Seas were quite rough the first day, with 18-27 foot swells and 35+kt winds. Many on the ship were sick, but the birding, for those of us who were able, was wonderful. With the conditions and layout of the ship, our group-size worked well. It would have been difficult to find a calm viewpoint with many more people, though in calmer conditions it wouldn’t be an issue. Viewing was from 60-80 feet above sea level with binoculars and telescopes.

We completed consecutive 20-minute surveys during daylight hours of the two days spent offshore. On Day One we were 30-45 miles offshore, from San Luis Obispo to Point Arena. On Day Two we were 30-60 miles offshore, from southern Oregon to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. The transect data will be entered into eBird for anyone who is interested in more specific locations of the birds. Documentation of review species will be sent to the appropriate committees.

Two day totals:

Greater Scaup – 3
Pacific Loon – 2
Laysan Albatross – 1 – Lane County, OR
Black-footed Albatross – 53
Northern Fulmar – 52
Murphy’s Petrel – 61 – mostly off OR but seen in all three states. They generally approached the ship more closely than the Cook’s Petrels did. The white chin was seen on many of them, as was the prominent M pattern on the back and the silvery under-wing flash that extended up the trailing edge of the wing toward the secondaries.
Dark Pterodroma sp. – 10, two were not Murphy’s but neither was identified to species. One “menacing”, “big-boned” bird off CA we watched for 15+ seconds while it soared 60-100 feet above sea level, it was amazing to watch despite not knowing its identity, and the only bird we saw above the horizon line the entire first day. The other was off OR and bulkier than Murphy’s, but other than being quite dark, no plumage characteristics were seen despite watching for several arcs.
Mottled Petrel – 2, Grays Harbor County, WA, Kevin, Todd & Adam saw.
Cook’s Petrel – 232 – the first, last, and most abundant species of the first day. Seen on every twenty-minute transect!
Hawaiian/Galapagos (Dark-rumped) Petrel – 2 – CA, one seen fairly well by all and identified as such in the field. The other was observed as a large white-bellied, dark-backed gadfly petrel – distant photos of it show coloration consistent with Hawaiian/Galapagos including dark cap and nape.
White-bellied Pterodroma sp. – 2 – large, consistent with Hawaiian
Pink-footed Shearwater – 26
Sooty Shearwater – 195
Short-tailed Shearwater – 3 – OR & WA
White-bellied tubenose sp. – 6 – three were possible Manx Shearwaters
Dark tubenose sp. – 7
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel – 45 – 40 were in a raft at dusk off WA
Leach’s Storm-Petrel – 363 – all but 4 were off OR & WA
Ashy Storm-Petrel – 2 – Dark-rumped storm-petrels that appeared to be this species. Ryan saw the first one close and well for 5+ seconds. Kevin saw the second briefly but well, while Todd, Adam, and Ryan just glimpsed this bird. Both Grays Harbor County, WA
Red-necked Phalarope – 6
Red Phalarope – 1732
Phalarope sp. – 82
California Gull – 2
Herring Gull – 5
Western Gull – 41
Glaucous-winged Gull – 1
Gull sp. – 18
Sabine’s Gull – 322
Arctic Tern – 13
Pomarine Jaeger – 7
Parasitic Jaeger – 8
Long-tailed Jaeger – 19
Jaeger sp. – 7
Common Murre – 4
Cassin’s Auklet – 72
Parakeet Auklet – 26 – CA, OR & WA
Rhinocerous Auklet – 176
Tufted Puffin – 4 – CA & WA
Alcid sp. – 46 – 20 were likely Parakeets, 9 were likely Rhinos

The big mammal highlight was a group of six Baird’s Beaked Whales off Lincoln County, OR. Other mammals include Fin Whale (OR), Sperm Whale (OR), Humpback Whale, Short-beaked Common Dolphin (near Long Beach), Dall’s Porpoise, Bottlenose Dolphin (Long Beach Harbor), Killer Whale, and Northern Fur Seal.

Repositioning cruises

2010-07-25T14:34:00.001-07:00

For several years now, a small group of birders has been taking cruise ships off the West Coast and watching some fantastic seabirds in comfort and luxury at a discount price.

In summer the big cruise ships travel 8-14 days from Vancouver, British Columbia to Ketchikan and other Alaskan ports. In winter they cruise from Long Beach, California to the "Mexican Riviera" (Mazatlan and Puerto Villarta). These trips have all the amenities--shows, staterooms, food, drink, music, spas, art shows, fancy dinners--really, they are self-contained floating casinos.

In spring, each boat must depart Long Beach and head to its new home in Vancouver. In the fall, the course is reversed. These repositioning cruises are 3-4 days and travel 60 miles offshore--the perfect place for deep water seabirding! The prices are exceptionally reasonable. In fact, the cost of such a trip (including air-fare) is often less than 3 day-long pelagic trips, when you figure in travel costs, restaurants, and a motel for 3 nights.

If you choose your trip carefully, you can plan to be offshore during daylight hours nearly anywhere on the West Coast. Rise at dawn and have the ship to yourself for several hours, as the last late-night partiers are just stumbling off to bed.

You watch birds generally from a covered deck on about the 7th floor of most ships. Bring your scope, it is smooth and the view is an ocean panorama (see photo above from September 2007). The very bow of the ship, from where you watch, may be more than a hundred feet forward of the bow wake, thus it is very quiet and relaxing.

For more photos of the trip I took, see: http://www.pbase.com/gregbirder/20070915_cruise

Trip results: May 1, 2010

2010-05-10T19:53:00.000-07:00

A lone Black-footed Albatross during a brief shower. Photo by Greg Gillson.

Our Perpetua Bank pelagic trip went out in bumpy seas.

Bird species were typical for the time of year. Highlights included 9 LONG-TAILED JAEGERS and a mother and calf HUMPBACK WHALE.

The trip report is here.

More trip photos are here.

Additional photos from passenger Andy Hoffman are here.

Trip results: March 6, 2010

2010-04-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

Success! Our annual February/March "winter" Perpetua Bank trip was again successful at finding Laysan Albatrosses. This trip we had two different birds approach the boat, including at our chum stop, allowing for great views and photos.

This trip in February or March is likely the most reliable in the continental US for finding Laysan Albatrosses on a single-day pelagic trip. In the past 11 winters we have had 9 of these Laysan Albatross search trips make it out. Of these, all but one trip located Laysan Albatrosses.

These are also great trips for seeing Black-legged Kittiwakes, Thayer's Gulls, and Rhinoceros Auklets. Short-tailed Shearwaters and Ancient Murrelets are usually spotted, but don't always give good views.

The trip report is here.

Other photos from this trip are here.

Albatross-cam

2010-01-16T14:25:00.000-08:00

Seabird enthusiasts are sure to find an article published in October 2009 very interesting.

The complete article on the web is entitled: "From the Eye of the Albatross: a Bird-Borne Camera Shows an Association between Albatrosses and a Killer Whale in the Southern Ocean.

Figure 1 shows several photographs from the camera attached to this Black-browed Albatross showing it following behind other albatrosses in flight, an encounter with a Killer Whale, approaching a fishing vessel, and flying near an iceberg.

Neat stuff!

Another Brown Booby from Oregon

2010-01-16T13:58:00.000-08:00

Perhaps missed in the excitement of the Coos Bay Brown Booby from October 28 to November 28+, was another report of Brown Booby in November. Phil Pickering did a seawatch on a blustery day at Boiler Bay, about 100 miles north of Coos Bay. While the Coos Bay Brown Booby was still being reported there, Phil spotted another female-plumaged Brown Booby on November 22, 2009 from Boiler Bay.

Pickering's report was:

"Seen briefly in front of squall <1/2 mile at ~9:20, drifting slowly S 40-50 feet above the water over a small feeding group of Pelicans/gulls. Recognized immediately by unmistakable shape - 2/3 size of Pelican with long comparatively slender body, long neck, long evenly tapered bill, and very long obviously wedge-shaped dark tail. Upperparts entirely dark brown, belly white, complete solidly dark brown hood extending to lower breast, sharply delineated from white belly. Underwing/bill color didn't register."

Amazingly, during this same seawatch, a Laysan Albatross also soared by about 1 mile offshore. This is species is rarely reported from shore.

Bird finding: Rock Sandpiper

2010-01-08T17:59:00.000-08:00

A Rock Sandpiper poses for photos on a barnacle-encrusted jetty rock at Tillamook's Barview Jetty. Photo 17 January 2009 by Greg Gillson.

One highly sought after bird on the Oregon coast is Rock Sandpiper. "Is it too early to see one?" is a question I hear from many fall pelagic participants.

Rock Sandpipers have been recorded as early as late August. The latest departure date has been mid May. So, no, it's not too early in August or September. It's just not likely. Most birds are found along the Oregon coast from late October into March.

Habitat requirements are fairly stringent and not always safely birded. This slate-colored bird works the rocky intertidal zone, blending in with its habitat inches above the crashing surf.

On the central Oregon coast is perhaps one of the more reliable places to find this bird, just 10 miles south of Newport at Seal Rock State Wayside. The best place to try is 1/4 mile south of the park entrance at a pullout overlooking some large rocks at the end of the beach.

View Larger Map

This area is best at high tide, when the rocks farther offshore are submerged and the birds are forced closer to shore. It is possible for the agile to clamber down the rocks to the beach, but this is not recommended--especially if the rocks are wet.

Another place to look is on the north coast at Barview Jetty, the north jetty of Tillamook Bay. Drive through Barview Jetty Park (no fee needed). The jetty at low tide is sometimes navigable for a ways. Again, the footing on wet rocks is treacherous. Sneaker waves could sweep across the jetty at any time. If seas are particularly rough, the birds may actually be up the bay slightly, near the Coast Guard tower. The bird photographed above was located as indicated on the map below.

View Larger Map

There are two strategies to use to see these birds. First, they often loosely associate with flocks of Surfbirds and Black Turnstones. Watch for them to all fly out occasionally as they are wont to do. Then look for the smaller Dunlin-like bird flying out with them.

Secondly, scan along with the incoming waves. These birds feed right along the waterline and the waves often flush them a few feet up the jetty rocks before the wave passes and they scurry down again.

Non-consumptive Ocean Recreation

2009-12-11T17:09:00.000-08:00

Happy pelagic birders. Photographed at Perpetua Bank off Newport, Oregon May 31, 2003 by Greg Gillson.

Chris Eardley at Oregon State University is working on "non-consumptive" recreational ocean use questionnaire. This study may be used to understand pelagic birding as it relates to access to and importance of Marine Important Bird Areas or future Marine Reserves. It is likely that very few policy-makers know about pelagic birding. Here's your chance to explain its importance to such decision makers.

Chris writes:

A first-of-its-kind study in the state, Oregon State University is conducting research focusing on the “non-consumptive” ocean recreational users of Oregon-including divers, surfers, kite boarders, windsurfers, boaters/sailors, kayakers, and boat-based nature viewers. The project hopes to better understand these communities in learning about their needs, perspectives, composition, and contributions. Presently, there is a void in available information on these groups.

The information gathered will be used to create a profile of these recreational communities to potentially serve as a foundation for informing policy decisions. This project seeks to ensure that the present void in information on these “non-consumptive” recreational ocean users is filled to facilitate their representation in future decision-making regarding Oregon’s oceans.

As a stakeholder of Oregon’s ocean resources, your participation is highly valued. Participation in the study is voluntary, limited to Oregon residents over the age of 18, and will involve the completion of a mail questionnaire. Help us to serve you!

To participate please contact Chris Eardley, an Oregon State University graduate student, at ceardley@coas.oregonstate.edu. Please mention which ocean recreational group(s) you belong to and provide your mailing address for receiving the questionnaire.

All information gathered will be presented as a whole, in a summarized form. We will not seek any sensitive information, no identities will be made public, and mailing information will not be shared with third parties.

Let's work together.

A pelagic participant's view

2009-11-21T13:36:00.000-08:00

Oh, if only more of our trips had such smooth seas! A Dall's Porpoise surfaces as a Pink-footed Shearwater glides by. Photographed off Newport, Oregon August 8, 2009 by Greg Gillson.

Erik Gauger, one of our participants on last August's Perpetua Bank trip from Newport, Oregon, blogs about his first pelagic birding experience on his Notes from the Road.

I must say the photos and narration on Erik's site are magnificent. My photos are decent pictures of birds, while his photos are artwork with an emotional appeal with a bird as the center piece to tie it together. How does he do that?

The trip report from this August 8, 2009 trip are on The Bird Guide's pelagic web site.

My photos from the trip are on my pBase photo gallery site.

New half-day pelagic trip from Newport, Oregon!

2009-11-06T12:50:00.000-08:00

Tufted Puffin, a target species on our new half-day pelagic trips. Photographed off Newport, Oregon August 10, 2008 by Greg Gillson.

This spring we inaugurate a new half-day pelagic trip from Newport, Oregon.

The first trip is Saturday, April 3, 2010.

The second trip is Sunday, May 16, 2010.

Designated as a Manx Shearwater search trip, this exciting nearshore trip will spend time getting good looks at all of Oregon's breeding alcids, as well as swing out a few miles to study flocks of shearwaters.

Common Murres, Pigeon Guillemots, Marbled Murrelets, Cassin's Auklets, Rhinoceros Auklets, and Tufted Puffin are expected on every trip as we cruise just offshore along the scenic Oregon coast.

Marbled Murrelet, a federally threatened, but locally common, nearshore species. Photographed off Newport, Oregon February 21, 2009 by Greg Gillson.

Besides these target species we expect several loons, grebes, scoters, cormorants, and sea ducks, in season. Marine mammals should include California and Steller's sea lions, harbor seals, harbor porpoises, and gray whales. On-board guides will point out birds and explain identification and natural history of both birds and mammals.

But wait! We're not finished! After a couple of hours traveling along shore we swing out several miles in search of flocks of shearwaters. Sooty Shearwaters, Pink-footed Shearwaters, and Northern Fulmars are expected on every trip. Short-tailed Shearwaters (spring) and Buller's Shearwaters (fall) are also expected, in season. Common Terns, Pomarine and Parasitic Jaegers, and possibly Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels can be expected from time to time.

The target bird, whether along shore or a bit farther out, is the rare Manx Shearwater. This common Atlantic species has been seen along the North American West Coast the past 15-20 years. In recent years Oregon has averaged over 6 birds per year spotted from shore. We expect to have a very good chance of spotting this species by boat from April-May and September-October off the central Oregon coast. This trip spends its entire time in prime Manx Shearwater habitat.

Oregon's first photographically documented Manx Shearwater (right), and a Short-tailed Shearwater (left). Photographed off Newport, Oregon March 1, 2003 by Steve Shunk.

This trip has abundant birds in view at all times. This leisurely trip is suitable for first-time ocean birders, the budget conscious, nature photographers, and rarity searchers.

The trip departs at 7:00 a.m. and returns to port at noon. Cost is $85 per person.

Find out more and sign up on The Bird Guide's pelagic web site.

Another photo of the Coos Bay Brown Booby

2009-10-30T20:13:00.000-07:00

Brown Booby. Photo October 30, 2009 by Russ Namitz. Click photo for larger view.

To add to yesterday's post of the Brown Booby in Coos Bay, Oregon, Russ Namitz sent the photo above. The sun came out today, but the bird is still distant, out in the channel.

Today's photo shows fairly clearly that this is an adult female, by the dark spot in front of the eye on the pale bill and dull yellow feet. An adult male would show darker bluish facial skin, bright yellow feet, and perhaps even darker brown upperpart plumage. It is assumed this is the race that breeds in the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California). The males of this population have frosty heads unlike the all-dark heads of male birds in the Gulf of Mexico. However, the plumage of females is similar between the two populations.

Y18 comes back! An albatross's journey

2009-10-30T12:13:00.000-07:00

Short-tailed Albatross with radio transmitter photographed at Half Moon Bay, California on 11 October 2009 by Kris Olson. See more photos from this trip on Kris's Flickr site. Click for larger view.

Last week I reported on a juvenile radio-tagged Short-tailed Albatross that journeyed past Oregon's shores from 25-29 September.

When we last left Y18, our young hero that fledged in May off Japan had just spent some days off the mouth of the Columbia River. It then flew down the Oregon coast and dissapeared into California waters.

On 11 October 2009 a pelagic trip from Half Moon Bay, California photographed one of 7 radio-tagged Short-tailed Albatrosses from Japan. Was it, perhaps, the same bird seen off Oregon two weeks earlier? Yes it was!

The flight path of Y18, May to October 2009. Provided by Rob Suryan, Oregon State University. Click for larger view.

Rob Suryan provided this map showing the past 5 months of travels of this bird. It fledged in May, flew north to the Aleutians, then down the West Coast to California. Then it headed back north, finally losing the transmitter on the 16th of October off British Columbia.

I don't know about you, but I find this terribly exciting!

Brown Booby in Coos Bay, Oregon

2009-10-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

Brown Booby (left) and Double-crested Cormorant (right). Photo October 29, 2009 by Russ Namitz. Click photo for larger view.

Birders in Oregon were excited recently when an adult Brown Booby was discovered in Coos Bay.

The first photo was posted to Oregon Birders On-Line by Owen Schmidt on the afternoon of October 29.

Here are the details of the discovery, according to Russ Namitz:

At approximately 10:00 AM on October 26th, 2009, Suzette Eagler was crabbing with her husband by boat in the lower bay on the western shore of Coos Bay. She recognized the bird as possibly being a booby species and contacted OIMB. The message was forward Professor Jan Hodder who then emailed me in the afternoon. Tim Rodenkirk and I went out searching in the late afternoon and relocated the bird around 5PM. We called Dave Lauten and Kathy Castelein to inform them that we were looking at the bird. They drove to Fossil Pt. where I was still looking at the bird.

The bird was viewable from Fossil Pt., Pigeon Pt. and the highway overlook near the "Octagon" house, according to Namitz. The bird was roosting on a wooden day marker that was located between the floating red buoys 10 and 10A. Views, thus far, have been quite distant.

View Larger Map

The bird remained overnight and many birders were able to observe the bird.

There are 3 previous records accepted by the Oregon Bird Records Committee. Additionally, there are two word-of-mouth sight reports, amazingly from the same day in 1995, about 150 miles apart.

3 October 1998: juvenile 15 mi WSW of Depoe Bay, Lincoln Co. (The Bird Guide, Inc., OBRC accepted).
May 2005: 1 adult along coast of Tillamook and Lincoln Cos. (photo, OBRC accepted).
25 July 2005: 20 miles W of Winchester Bay, Douglas Co. (second-hand report, observed by Cameron Hinman)
25 July 2005: On beach at Seaside, Clatsop Co. (second-hand report, observed by Ron Pittard)
26 October 2008: Freshly dead beach-cast at Lighthouse Beach, Coos Co. (OBRC accepted)

Algae bloom kills Pacific NW seabirds

2009-10-29T09:58:00.000-07:00

A bloom of Akashiwo sanguinea on the ocean shores of Washington and northern Oregon has killed hundreds of seabirds, according to a report by Lynne Terry of The Oregonian newspaper. The algae turns into a sticky froth in the surf. This soap-like foam destroys the waterproofing in the seabirds feathers.

The article says that in September it was mostly scoters that were killed off Washington State in a rare outbreak. Experts were surprised when another outbreak struck again in October, this time hitting primarily murres, loons, and grebes.

Western Grebe

Many birds have appeared on the beach, resting, but otherwise appearing healthy. Those less healthy are being treated by rehabilitators, which were temporarily overwhelmed. The Wildlife Center of the North Coast, in Astoria, Oregon, arranged to fly about 300 birds to another facility in California.

On Monday, October 26, 2009, volunteer rescue worker Mike Patterson of Astoria, Oregon, helped pack up the following birds for transport:
161 Common Murre
73 Western Grebe
33 Red-throated Loon
17 Common Loon
2 Pacific Loon

Update: Here is another article with photos and a video clip from The Daily Astorian.

Possible 2nd Oregon Greater Shearwater

2009-10-23T17:11:00.000-07:00

View Larger Map

While conducting a seawatch from Boiler Bay, Lincoln County, Oregon, on 18 October 2009 Wayne Hoffman spotted a very likely Greater Shearwater.

Wayne reported that the bird...

...had white underparts, dark back. As it flared to land, it showed a white band across the tail base. Seemed a bit smaller than Pink-foot, larger than Sooty.

There is one previous record of Greater Shearwater in Oregon, 9 August 2008 (trip report with photos) about 18 miles offshore Newport, Oregon.

Boiler Bay is a great place to watch seabirds at this time of year. Wayne also saw about 100 Sooty Shearwaters, 400 Sooty/Short-tailed Shearwaters, 30 Buller's Shearwaters, 18 Pink-footed Shearwaters, and 25 dark phase Northern Fulmars from 8:15-10:45 am.

Radio-tagged Short-tailed Albatross visits Oregon

2009-10-22T04:01:00.000-07:00

Track of radio-tagged Short-tailed Albatross from 25-29 September 2009.

Rob Suryan, assistant professor at Oregon State University, recently sent me this map showing satellite tracking of a juvenile Short-tailed Albatross off Oregon. It spent several days off the mouth of the Columbia River, then headed south into California.

This bird has an interesting story. It hatched this spring (2009) on volcanically active Torishima Island, where most Short-tailed Albatrosses nest. But when it was 1 month old it was translocated to Mukojima island where it was hand-raised until it fledged in May. Check out this interesting U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service fact sheet telling more about the relocation efforts.

In 5 years or so, this bird should return to its foster home on Mukojima Island to begin a new breeding colony there.

As explained at Wikipedia, Short-tailed Albatrosses were hunted nearly to extinction by 1933. Perhaps up to 10 million birds were killed for their feathers to use in mattresses. About 50 birds apparently survived, though, and with protections have increased to about 1840 individuals by 2003. The two largest risks to long-term survival of these birds is eruption of their breeding island at Torishima, and the Alaskan long-line fishing industry, which has worked hard to eliminate accidental bycatch of seabirds in recent years.

These albatrosses spend the non-breeding season feeding in the rich waters of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. Immature birds, less than 3 years of age by plumage, are rare but regular visitors on the US West Coast. Three previous radio-tagged hatch year birds moved past Oregon and into California, briefly, before heading back to Alaska. The previous logged visits were November 2003, October 2006, and November 2006.

Oregon has a total of 15 records of this species since 1961, primarily September-March. Nine of these have been since the year 2000. As with all albatrosses, they are highly attracted to fishing boats and the chum offered by pelagic birding boat trips.

Solander's Petrel in British Columbia

2009-10-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

This photo is one of a series by Sharon Toochin of an apparent first photographically documented record of Solander's Petrel in North America. Photo used with permission. Click photo for larger view.

The status of Solander's Petrel, also known as Providence Petrel, Pterodroma solanderi, is an enigma off the Pacific coast of North America. At-sea identification of fly-by out-of-range birds is difficult, as these birds are very similar to Murphy's Petrels. Both of these birds of open ocean are dark birds about the size of a small Sooty Shearwater. These petrels are generally not attracted to vessels or chum, are solitary wanderers, and fly in fast bounding flight.

The first North American report of Solander's Petrel was by experienced seabird researcher R.L. Pitman (Bailey 1989). He spotted 4 dark Pterodroma 55-70 miles off Oregon on 20 May 1981. He identified them as Solander's Petrels. His cruise continued into California waters, where he found many more dark petrels. These, however, he identified as Murphy's Petrels. Both sightings would have been North American firsts.

The very next month, on 15 June 1981, a beach-cast specimen of Murphy's Petrel was found near Newport, Oregon. Subsequently, through the 1980's, a couple more Murphy's Petrels washed up on Oregon's shores, and California birders discovered that Murphy's Petrels were the most common spring seabird more than 50 miles off California. Pitman's identification as Solander's Petrel was not generally accepted.

Since that time, Murphy's Petrel records continued to increase. Murphy's Petrels were removed from the California Review list, with over 100 accepted records. Oregon has 6 accepted records of Murphy's Petrel, 3 beach-cast specimens and 3 photographed birds. There are an additional 8 other Oregon sight reports of a total of 71 birds. [See Rare Seabirds of Oregon.]

Many of these reports of Murphy's Petrels come from seabird researcher Michael Force during marine mammal and seabird surveys in 1994 and 1997. On 18 April 1994 Force reported 21 Murphy's Petrels and 1 Solander's Petrel about 180 miles off Waldport, Oregon. Again, on 12 May 1997 Force recorded 2 Murphy's Petrels and 2 Solander's Petrels 140 miles off Florence, Oregon.

There are two additional reports of Solander's Petrels off the West Coast, bringing the total to 5 reports. A bird was photographed 173 miles off Cape Mendocino, California on 8 August 2005. But this bird was apparently not accepted by the California Records Committee. A sight record came from off Westport, Washington, on 11 September 1983.

So, 5 previous reports of Solander's Petrels, with no accepted verifiable objective evidence, brings us to the most recent set of photographs.

"On Tuesday October 06 2009 four birders (Mike and Sharon Toochin, Roger Foxall and Arti Ahier) observed and photographed this dark Pterodroma. This sighting occurred approximately 28nm west of Tofino, BC over Clayoquot Canyon at a sea depth of approximately 3000 feet. The bird was identified as a Murphy’s Petrel at sea. Upon examination of the photographs at home, Mike questioned the possibility of this being a Solander’s Petrel. Because we have no actual experience with Solander’s and limited first hand experience with Murphy’s we had the photos looked at by experts who have had first hand experience with both species. The consensus thus far is that this bird is a Solander’s Petrel." - Sharon Toochin

The field marks of Murphy's and Solander's Petrels are not well shown in Harrison's 1983 Seabirds: an identification guide (too dark brown, inaccurate tail shape). Murphy's Petrel is shown fairly well in The Sibley Guide to Birds, 2000. Murphy's is dark gray, the bill is short and small, there is more white on the chin than above the bill, and the tail is rounded. There is a variable light-dependant flash on the under flight feathers.

The first thing that stands out on the bird photographed above (click photo for larger view), is that the bill is long and heavy. The bases of the primaries are white, the tips of the greater primary coverts are dark and bases light. These form a white patch divided by a dark bar between the primaries and the greater primary coverts. There is more white on the face above the bill than on the chin. The tail appears to be longer and pointed.

This looks like a good "first" North American record!

White-chinned Petrel in California!

2009-10-20T10:28:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, on October 18, a pelagic trip from Half Moon Bay, California recorded the first California and second North American record of White-chinned Petrel, Procellaria aequinoctialis.

More details can be found on the American Birding Association's blog, Peeps Online.

This large dark petrel is larger and bulkier than a Flesh-footed Shearwater. It has a bill very similar to a Northern Fulmar (not thin as in the shearwaters). But the bird is larger and more long-winged than a fulmar, with a pointed tail. Each of the bill plates of the White-chinned Petrel is outlined in black, and the tip is pale.

There are several photos of this bird by Alvaro Jaramillo and John Sterling (Rare California Birds page).

The similar, but smaller, Parkinson's Petrel, Procellaria parkinsoni, has been reported three times off California (2 photographed) and once off Oregon. See: Rare Seabirds of Oregon.

Manx Shearwater status in Oregon

2009-10-20T02:00:00.000-07:00

This amazing image of two Manx Shearwaters flying side-by-side was taken by Nick Hatch at Icy Bay, Alaska on August 4, 2009. (Click photo for larger view.)

This may be the first photographic evidence of Manx Shearwaters in Alaska. Information I received from Steve Heinl in Ketchikan was that "People have been seeing Manx Shearwaters in the NE Gulf of Alaska in small numbers for the past 5 years or so."

Steve Mlodinow wrote a status article "Manx Shearwaters in the North Pacific Ocean" in Birding, December 2004, pp. 608-615. Mlodinow followed that up with a Letter to the Editor in Birding, August 2005 (Vol 37, Number 4, pp. 348-349). In this letter he wrote that nest-site prospecting was suspected on Triangle Island, BC, in 1994. Nocturnal voice recording surveys at a seabird colony there in July of that year recorded calls that were consistent with Manx Shearwater. They were "regularly" encountered on at-sea surveys off British Columbia in summer 2004 according to Ken Morgan.

Manx Shearwater by Nick Hatch, Icy Bay, Alaska, August 4, 2009.

Manx Shearwaters began appearing regularly off California in the 1990's (12 reports from California and Washington in 1994). It is no longer a Review species in California, with over 100 accepted records.

Oregon's first reported Manx Shearwater was in October 1998. Oregon's first record accepted by the Oregon Bird Records Committee (OBRC) was in September 2000. Most Oregon reports are from seawatch sites on shore where birds are rather distant and photos are difficult to obtain. Nevertheless, there are now 3 at-sea photographs of Manx Shearwaters in Oregon waters (see Oregon Rare Bird Photos). There are 6 accepted records of Manx Shearwaters by the OBRC through September 2006. However, there were 43 reported sightings of Manx Shearwaters through 2006, and another 27 reports of undifferentiated Manx/Black-vented type shearwaters from 1976-2006. Since then, reports have increased. [Many reports are not submitted to the OBRC, for various reasons that are not the subject of this post.]

Copy of March 1, 2008, Manx Shearwater report to OBRC by Greg Gillson.

Manx Shearwater reports from Oregon for the past decade have averaged over 6 birds per year. There have been an additional 25 (2.5 per year average) unidentified Manx/Black-vented Shearwaters reported during this time. There are 10 total Oregon reports of definite Black-vented Shearwaters, 4 accepted by the OBRC. So the unidentified small black-and-white shearwaters can't be assumed to be one or the other species.

Of the 64 reported Manx Shearwaters in Oregon, 30 have been April-June, while 23 have been September-November. Though some birds have been reported in summer, there seems to be definite spring and fall migration peaks. Oregon reports to date range from March 1 to December 5. [See a compilation of reports on Rare Seabirds of Oregon.]

Laysan Albatross search trip: Saturday, March 6, 2010

2009-10-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

Laysan Albatross

The date of our first trip of 2010 is now set.

Saturday, March 6, 2010 will be an 11-hour Perpetua Bank trip with Laysan Albatross as the target species. This wonderful bird has been spotted on 7 of 8 February and March Perpetua Bank trips, with a high of 8 birds.

This early March date gives us the best sea conditions of "winter." Expected winter seabirds in addition to Laysan Albatross include Short-tailed Shearwater (6 of 8), Thayer's Gull (5 of 8), Black-legged Kittiwake (8 of 8), and Ancient Murrelet (5 of 8).

Rarities in the past have included Short-tailed Albatross (twice), Manx Shearwater (twice), Flesh-footed Shearwater (twice), Leach's Storm-Petrel (once), Glaucous Gull (twice), and Horned Puffin (twice).

The common regular species include Black-footed Albatross, Northern Fulmar, Pink-footed Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, California Gull, Herring Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Western Gull, Common Murre, Pigeon Guillemot, Marbled Murrelet, Cassin's Auklet, and Rhinoceros Auklet.

We may see Rock Sandpiper on the jetties as we make our way along the bay. Peregrine Falcons are also regularly spotted in the bay while we are on the boat. Three species of loons, 3 species of scoters, 3 species of cormorants, Red-necked and other grebes.... This is a fun time to take a pelagic trip.

Please visit the Bird Guide's pelagic web site for the most up-to-date information and price.

Trip results: Perpetua Bank, October 3, 2009

2009-10-19T15:29:00.000-07:00

Feeding frenzy; Black-footed Albatrosses and Northern Fulmars.

Our final trip of 2009 was well attended and a great success. Most of our guides joined this trip to help spot birds and explain ID to our guests.

We didn't have any rarities on this trip, but we were surprised to see Brown Pelicans diving into the sea for food up to 12 miles from shore.

A couple of miles outside Perpetua Bank (125 degrees west) we encountered a small mid-level hake trawler that had just pulled in its nets. Most of the albatrosses and fulmars were here. Despite being gorged on bycatch, they scrambled over each other to take our chum offerings. The adult albatrosses bleated their complaints like sheep and the younger albatrosses whistled their begging calls. Simultaneously, the fulmars were giving their poultry-like excited "guck, guck, guck" calls. It reminded me of my childhood on my grandfather's farm....

A few photos from the trip gradually are being placed on my pBase photo site.

Trip list:
Greater White-fronted Goose 45
Cackling Goose 75
Northern Pintail 300
Green-winged Teal 8
Surf Scoter 250
White-winged Scoter 100
Red-breasted Merganser 2 (seen by few)
Common Loon 8
Pacific Loon 5
Red-throated Loon 3
Western Grebe 1
Black-footed Albatross 350
Northern Fulmar 750
Pink-footed Shearwater 65
Sooty Shearwater 100
Short-tailed Shearwater 4 (seen by few)
Buller's Shearwater 40
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel 8
Brown Pelican 750
Double-crested Cormorant 15
Brandt's Cormorant 80
Pelagic Cormorant 60
Whimbrel 1
Red Phalarope 10
Red-necked Phalarope 35
Heermann's Gull 45
Mew Gull 8
California Gull 65
Herring Gull 5
Western Gull 45
Glaucous-winged Gull 7
Sabine's Gull 4
Common Murre 80
Pigeon Guillemot 7
Marbled Murrelet 8
Cassin's Auklet 180
Rhinoceros Auklet 70
South Polar Skua 3
Pomarine Jaeger 1 (seen by few)
Parasitic Jaeger 1 (seen by few)

Humpback Whale 1
possible Blue Whale (distant spouts only) 2 (seen by few)
Harbor Porpoise 3
Steller's Sea Lion 8
California Sea Lion 3
Harbor Seal 30

Ocean Sunfish 5

Oregon Seabirds

2009-10-19T12:05:00.000-07:00

Black-footed Albatross.

Greetings!

Welcome to The Bird Guide Inc.'s pelagic blog on Oregon and West Coast seabirds. I have been meaning to start this blog for some months, and now unemployment has given me some free time!

The Bird Guide, Inc. started offering guided ocean birding boat trips off Oregon in 1994.

This blog will take the place of the Oregon Seabirds mailing list I created to communicate with our regular pelagic trip participants. Planned topics include trip announcements and results, of course, but also West Coast seabird status and distribution articles.

A note I received from recent trip guests Marti and Lew Ligocki requested more ID information. Of course, while we're on the boat, our guides attempt to teach ID of the birds we're seeing. The Ligocki's wished for more comparative plumage discussions in a class the night before the trip or on a CD.

Good ideas, but I thought that a blog format could accomplish the same instruction but start right away and keep on giving! It's less initial work and there's no need for it ever to end!

One other thing I wanted to add to this blog is finding certain target land birds on the central Oregon coast. Visitors are always asking about where to find Rock Sandpiper, Wandering Tattler, Harlequin Duck, Wrentit, Hermit Warbler, and other local birds from shore before and after the trip. Additionally, sometimes trips do weather-out. So having alternative land-based birding plans are always a wise precaution.