I took a Princess Cruises 7-day Alaska cruise roundtrip from Seattle last
week. I was planning on trying some pelagic birding but I didn't have high
expectations. It turned out a lot better than expected. I did most of my
birding from the middle of the ship on the Promenade deck with a scope.
However, on the last day I realized that views were MUCH better from the bow
(weather permitting). I even got some good pictures. I spent at least an
hour a day watching the water on sea days, sometimes more.

Higlights were some lifers for me, FORK-TAILED STORM PETREL, PINK-FOOTED
SHEARWATER, CASSIN'S AUKLET, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE and SOUTH POLAR SKUA.
Plus whales and dolphins. Here's a list of most of the birds I saw on the
trip. And a link to some pictures.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/view?uname=randybjo
<http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/view?uname=randybjo&cuname=randybjo&tags=cru
ise> &cuname=randybjo&tags=cruise#

Day 1 - Juan de Fuca, evening

- Glaucous-winged Gull - 30

- Rhinoceros Auklet - 18

- Common Murre - 1

- Tufted Puffin - 2

- (Pacific White-sided Dolphin - 12)



Day 2 - West of Vancouver Island

- Glaucous-winged Gull - 2

- Leech's Storm-petrel - 10

- Fork-tailed Storm-petrel - 14 (lifer)

- Sooty Shearwater - 5

- Common Murre - 2

- Tufted Puffin - 2 (males flying right next to boat)

- Rhinoceros Auklet - 26

- (Dall's Porpoise - 6)



Day 3 - Ketchikan

- Bald Eagle - 10

- Glaucous-winged Gull - 20

- Mew Gull - 12

- Spotted Sandpiper - 8

- Northwest Crow - 12

- Common Raven - 8

- Swainson's Thrush - 10

- Orange-crowned Warbler - 3

- Townsend's Warbler - 15

- . other common passerines



Day 4 - Tracey Arm Fjord, morning

- Glaucous-winged Gull - 20

- Mew Gull - 12

- Arctic Tern - 16

- Rhinoceros Auklet - 18

- Common Murre - 1

- Tufted Puffin - 1

- Pigeon Guillemot - 18

- Marbled Murrelet - 12

- (sea otter - 2)

- (harbor seal - 26)

- (Humpback Whale - 2)

Juneau, Mendenhall Glacier, evening

- Nesting Arctic Terns feeding young



Day 5 - Skagway

- Ravens, Crows, Eagles, etc.

- (River Otter - 2)

- (Harbor Seal - 1)



Day 6 - West of Juneau pelagic

- Arctic Tern - 6

- Leech's Storm-petrel - 4

- Fork-tailed Storm-petrel - 75

- misc jaeger - 1

- black-footed albatross - 1

- Cassin's Auklet - 40 (lifer)

- Rhinoceros Auklet - 26

- (pacific white-sided dolphin - 12)

- (Humpback whale - 1 - VERY close, fluke in the air)



Day 7 - West of Vancouver Island (Sunshine and AMAZING views of most
everything from the bow of the boat)

- Glaucous-winged Gull - 12

- South Polar Skua - 5 (lifer - GREAT views, but didn't have camera)

- Sooty Shearwater - 28 (good pics)

- Pink-footed Shearwater - 165 (lifer, good pics)

- Leech's Storm-petrel - 2

- Fork-tailed Storm-petrel - 28

- Rhinoceros Auklet - 26

- Common Murre - 14 (decent pics)

- Cassin's Auklet - 2

- Red-necked Phalarope - 16 (lifer, great pics)

- Pelagic Hummingbird? - 1 (looked like an Anna. Must have been hanging out
on the upper deck)

- (Pacific white-sided dolphin - 18 )

- (Dall's Porpoise - 8, directly underneath us, great view and a pic)

- (Humpback Whale - 26, got a few pics, but missed the flukes)



Day 7 - in Washington Waters.

- Common Murre - 4

- Red-necked Phalarope - 1

- (Pacific white-sided dolphin - 4 )


Randy Bjorklund
Federal Way, WA