On one of our few June,Westport pelagic trips, we had a remarkable day. In
fact it was one of the best trips I've ever been on. With a full boat of birders
from Illinois,Missouri, Germany, Sweden and one person from Wa., we recorded
some fantastic sightings! After leaving the harbor at 0600, we quickly
recorded some of the common birds, such as: Common Murre, Rhino's, Pigeon Guillemot,
Brown Pelicans, Heermann's Gulls, Sooty Shearwaters and a couple of Cassin's
Auklets. We then spent a couple of hours motoring out to the edge of Grays
Canyon. Near the edge was two commerical fishing boats with lots of birds in their
wake looking for leftovers. Perhaps 1500 birds in total including 500
Black-footed Albatross. Phil Anderson and I , when coming close to the flock,saw a
quick view of one Laysan Albatross. This put everyone on high alert! We
searched the flock with no Laysan in sight. However, as we were getting a little
fustrated, Gene Reveles calls out SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSS! In front of us is this
huge immature albatross with a massive pink bill. The bird flew a ways and we
eventually got very close to the now sitting bird. Pictures were taken and we
finally had to leave the bird on the water to continue our trip! This is only
the third record in recent times for Wa. of this rare vistor from Asia.
At our chum spot 40 miles out, we recorded 6 Fork-tailed Storm Petrels. Near
this area we had a fantastic marine mammal show of around 300 Pacific
White-sided Dolphins, close to 50 Risso's Dolphins and one Elephant Seal.
Coming back, we encountered the fishing boat fleet once again and added more
Black-footed Albatross. As we were viewing the 1000 plus birds on the water,
the elusive LAYSAN ALBATROSS flew in and landed on the water for close looks
and pictures. The birders were then in bird heaven and everyone was elated.
On the way back to shore we had even more highlights including: 3 Tufted
Puffins, 1 South Polar Skua, 2 Marbled Murrelets and 2 Ancient Murrelets( very
unexpected).
The day was mostly sunny, the ocean was calm with very little glare and one
boatload of pelagic birders had an adventure of a lifetime.
Much thanks to Michael Donahue, Gene Revelas and Phil and Chris Anderson for
making this trip so memorable!
For further information on Westport Pelagic trips visit our website at
www.westportseabirds.com

Bruce LaBar
snyderlabar at aol.com
Tacoma, Wa.