Trip results: March 6, 2010

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

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

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.