Our last pelagic trip of 2003 was a huge success with some interesting bird
numbers and mammal highlights! With six of our seven spotters aboard the Monte
Carlo, due to a business meeting following the trip, we had the following
results. Some of the numbers are not offical till later tallying.
*Black-footed Albatross-42
*Pink-footed Shearwater-140
*Flesh-footed Shearwater-9, a high number for this year.
*Buller's Shearwater-700,one of the highest numbers in recent years.
*Short-tailed Shearwater-10
*Sooty Shearwater-of course
*Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel-7
*Pomarine Jaeger-27!
*South Polar Skua-30 a new Westport record!!
*Black-legged Kittiwake-15
*Tufted Puffin-2

In the mammal department we saw six Orca and nine Humpback Whales!

This is only a partial list. The complete numbers for all our trips can be
seen at our website which is westportseabirds.com

Our new 2004 trip list will be posted shortly and of course other information
about our pelagics can be found at this website.

Hope to see you on the ocean next year!!

Bruce LaBar
Tacoma, WA
snyderlabar at aol.com