August 21, 2008
Rough seas at the Cordell Bank
A hardy group of Central Valley birders and I toughed out rough seas on the Shearwater Journeys pelagic out of Bodega Bay. I felt particularly bad for the folks I had badgered into coming along who got seasick, but at least they all got life birds! After a foggy and stomach churning ride out, our first good birds were a pair of Xantus' Murrelets close in to the boat - I was still finding my sea legs at this point so no photos! Soon after the first of many Black-footed Albatross started coming in to the chum. The first photo gives a good impression of the sea conditions!
Takeoff...
... and landing
Surprisingly (to me), Pink-footed Shearwaters outnumbered Sooties, which were few and far between.
In a calmer patch of water, Pacific White-sided Dolphins raised the spirits by bow-riding for several minutes.
We saw quite a few Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels, only the second time I've encountered them, though I only managed a 'record shot' of an Ashy.
A real highlight of the trip for me was good looks at all 3 species of Jaeger, often lingering around the boat. The Pomarine Jaegers were in various states of moult, though a few were still sporting full spoonage.
Lots of Long-tailed Jaegers were also seen, sometimes in small flocks of 3 or 4 birds.
As they often do, a South Polar Skua stole the show, flying directly over the boat before harrying the gulls in the chum flock.
The ride back in was pretty choppy, so we were all very pleased to see Bodega Head in bright sunshine.
Sometimes the harbour itself holds some good birds. This trip allowed us to compare first-summer Pacific (first photo) and Common Loons.
A photogenic Brown Pelican at the dock.
Bodega Bay is one of the most reliable spots I know for Ruddy Turnstone.
We acclimatised to being back on land with fish and chips and a glass of wine at the Sandpiper Inn, while Chris made us all jealous with tales from his trip to Alaska. In spite of the tough sea conditions, I had a great day - pelagic birding is certainly one of my favourite activities!
Posted by rjhall at August 21, 2008 9:29 PM