Today?s pelagic trip was a huge success under some very interesting wind and weather conditions. Because of a front during the afternoon and winds up to 25-30 knots from the south, Captain Phil Anderson suggested we head southwest towards Willapa canyon instead of our normal Gray?s canyon. This worked out well with the wind to the back of the boat, making for a much smoother and safer ride back to Westport. Also with this route, most of our sightings were in Pacific County.

The highlight of the day was the sighting of a Short-tailed Albatross! As we headed back from the canyon, this bird was spotted with a Black-footed Albatross nearby for comparison. It was a young immature bird with some white on the belly. The overall color of the bird was dark brown and of course it had the huge bubble-gum colored bill. The Short-tailed is a much larger albatross than the Black-footed and was easy to identify when side by side. Photos were taken.

The complete tally of numbers should be posted on our website soon. The following is our unofficial list for today:
Cackling Goose
Brant
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Red-throated Loon
Pacific Loon
Common Loon
Black-footed Albatross
Short-tailed Albatross
Northern Fulmar
Pink-footed Shearwater
Sooty Shearwater
Short-tailed Shearwater
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel
Brandt?s Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Brown Pelican
Great Blue Heron
Peregrine Falcon (out at sea)
Red-necked Phalarope
Red Phalarope
Black-legged Kittiwake
Sabine?s Gull
Bonaparte?s Gull
Mew Gull
Western Gull
California Gull
Herring Gull
Thayer?s Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Caspian Tern
Common Tern
Pomarine Jaeger
Parasitic Jaeger
Common Murre
Pigeon Guillemot
Ancient Murrelet
Cassin?s Auklet
Rhinoceros Auklet
Tufted Puffin

Our next pelagic trip is scheduled for May 31 which is sold out. However, there maybe a trip added on June 1. Look for further updates on Tweeters and our website. For all information and reservations visit us at www.westportseabirds.com

Leaders for today?s trip were Scott Mills, Gene Revelas and me.

Bruce LaBar
Tacoma, WA.