The tuna charter mentioned yesterday out of Newport, Oregon, will cost
$150 for non-fishing passengers. There are still 4 bunks available (sleeps
10) for this 48-hour trip to fish for tuna over 100 miles offshore. To
fish it will cost $270 so the $150 price is a great deal, though you might
not be able to convince the captain to turn around and chase an unusual bird.

I couldn't resist, I'm going....

Southern, warm water species are a possibility: basically, anything that
they have reported on the California trips lately. That would include petrels:
maybe Cook's/Stenjer's, Black and Wilson's Storm-Petrel; Black-vented
Shearwater, and southern alcids: Craveri's and Xantus' Murrelets.

Have frigatebirds or tropicbirds been recorded off Oregon far at sea?

I probably shouldn't expect the Light-mantled (Sooty) Albatross, though,
should I? ;-)

Even if I see none of those, however, I am planning on seeing lots of
Leach's Storm-Petrels. Evidently they are a 100 times more common than
Fork-tailed, but are found farther offshore, and are more nocturnal at
their nest burrows along the southern Oregon Coast. I've only seen them
a couple of times, and have never seen the white rump feathers (they've
usually been quite far from shore with binoculars). Some non- breeding birds
(such as Laysan Albatross) might be out there (they've expanded to a
colony off Mexico recently, since nearly being extirpated on Laysan and
Midway during World War II (do I have my facts straight?).

If nothing else, it's a good chance to break my record of never getting
seasick! :-{

Contact me right away if you wish to join me. Boat leaves about 7-8 p.m.
on Friday night and returns about the same time Sunday (So much for
getting my projects caught up on the weekend!).

--
Greg Gillson <gregg at tdd.hbo.nec.com>
Hillsboro, OR