Subject: [Tweeters] Westport Seabirds August 03 Trip Report
Date: Thu Aug 8 20:30:17 PDT 2019
From: bill shelmerdine - georn1 at hotmail.com

Greetings All,

Saturday Westport Seabirds conducted another successful trip out to Grays Canyon and the deeper water beyond the edge of the continental shelf. The front that passed through the previous day brought changes to ocean conditions relative to trips in June and July. The uneven NW swell was a bit of a challenge and made for a wet ride at times limiting viewing to the north. Overall there was a good variety of species, though the total number of birds were down compared to recent trips. Highlights included Laysan Albatross, Leaches Storm-Petrel, and close views of Arctic Tern.

Much of the outbound leg was rather uneventful, the large Sooty Shearwater flocks that are often encountered in the nearshore and Grays Harbor outfall were nowhere to be found. Sooty Shearwaters, California Gulls, and Common Murre were dispersed throughout the inner and mid-shelf areas. As we approached the outer part of the shelf the species variety began to pick up adding a few Pink-footed Shearwaters, Fork-tailed Storm Petrels, Cassin's and Rhinoceros Auklets and scattered flocks of both Red-necked and Red Phalaropes to the days list. Our first, and as it turns out only Jaeger of the day suddenly appeared next to the boat and created a bit of confusion. It was a large, dark juvenile Pomarine that had most of us thinking Skua initially. Some individuals like this one can look remarkably similar. Our first Sabines Gulls of the day were also in this area and we were treated to brief, but close looks of this elegant species.

As we approached the outer edge of the shelf, we encountered a shrimp trawler and the action began to pick up quickly. There were birds all around and at times it was just plane hard to focus. By far the most common species was California Gull, almost all in fresh juvenile plumage. Here we encountered our first Black-footed Albatross and got our first good looks at Pink-footed Shearwater and Fork-tailed Storm Petrel close to the boat. Before long a Laysan Albatross came winging in to join the masses. The bird made several passes close to the boat for good viewing and photos but did not stay long. It was one of the darker individuals I have seen, with mostly dark underwings.

With some reluctance, we departed the feeding activity at the trawler and continued offshore and into deeper water. Sooty Shearwater numbers increased with many large rafts sitting on the water. Soon we began picking up larger number of Red Phalaropes, mostly in basic plumage with only a small fraction retaining some red and still in transitional plumage. The deep water chum stop attracted a few more Black-footed Albatross along with California Gulls and more Fork-tailed Storm Petrels. Eventually these were joined by a few Leaches Storm-Petrels that came into the slick but did not linger. Small groups of Red Phalaropes could be seen in every direction. Sabines Gulls and a few small terns moved through. Eventually a pair of terns, one Arctic and one Common came in close to the boat and offered great comparisons of size, shape, wing pattern and flight style.

By this point we were wondering where are the Jaegers? They seemed conspicuously absent on the day. It was not until the return trip that we finally encountered South Polar Skua. Two dark Juveniles, one flyby and one sitting on the water; both seen well close to the boat. The inbound trip added numbers to the days list but did not increase the offshore species count. On return to the harbor, we had to skip the usual trip along the south jetty due to high tide and the combined NW swell and chop that made the rocks an inhospitable place to look for shorebirds. As we entered the boat basin we stopped briefly at the traditional Marbled Godwit roost. A single Whimbrel was found roosting among the hundreds of Godwits. This area was also loaded with large numbers of Pelicans, Cormorants, Heerman's Gulls and a handful of Pigeon Guillemots.

Mammals were a bit elusive on the day. The days count included only a couple of distant Humpback Whales as well as Harbor and Dall's Porpoise, Harbor and Northern Fur Seals, and California and Steller's Sea Lions. Two of the Dall's Porpoise came in close and played briefly in the bow wake, a treat for those in the front. Rounding out the species list were numbers of Mola Mola or Ocean Sunfish, including a couple of very large individuals.

Spotters for the day were Bill Shelmerdine, Scott Mills, and Kelly Beach, while Phil and Chris Anderson handled boat operations and trip logistics. All in all, it was another great day offshore with a fun group of folks.

Bill Shelmerdine

Westport Seabirds

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