Well, it was another fine day at sea this past Saturday. Conditions were good with easy bar conditions, an overcast sky with light breeze, and 3-foot west swell. Some fog and/or light drizzle hampered viewing early but did not stick with us for long. Twelve passengers joined our crew of four and made for an uncrowded trip with plenty of elbow room and space to provide for social distancing.
Highlights for the trip were many. A very acrobatic Humpback Whale was a real crowd pleaser. Leaches Storm Petrels continue to highlight the deep chum stop with a trip total of 85, many approaching the slick and providing good photo opportunities. A very cooperative juvenile Long-tailed Jaeger made many passes close to and over the boat in this same area. The season's first Buller's Shearwater was a brief fly-by and seen by only a few on board. Numbers of that species should be building in the coming weeks and month.
Our route on Saturday took us north of Grays Canyon to take advantage of seabird concentrations at several boats trawling for shrimp on the outer part of the shelf. This was a good choice and numbers of Black-footed Albatross, Pink-footed and Sooty Shearwaters, and Fork-tailed Storm Petrels joined the California Gulls and a handful of Northern Fulmar at the boats. A very friendly juvenile Brandt's Cormorant was noteworthy and a bit of a surprise this far offshore. Cassin's Auklets were a bit elusive today, with only a handful recorded, and consistent with other trips this year. Sabines Gull was a no-show, usually reliable at this time of year. The Jaeger/ Skua clan was well represented with Long-tailed Jaeger the most numerous and Pomarine not recorded. In most years Pomarine is the most numerous, with this year's trips being a notable exception so far.
The return trip highlight was probably the South Polar Skua that remained with us for some time, though it did not allow for very close approach. As we entered the nearshore areas numbers of Common Murre and Rhinoceros Auklets spiked and shorebird migration was much in evidence. The jetty sported Surfbird, Black and Ruddy Turnstones, and at least 8! Wandering Tattlers. The Godwit flock in the boat basin has now swelled to number in the hundreds and included Whimbrel and Black Turnstones. The complete trip list of species and numbers will be recorded on the Westport Seabirds Website and posted to ebird this week. The non-avian species found offshore included Humpback Whale; Harbor Porpoise; Northern Fur, Elephant, and Harbor Seals; Steller's and California Sea Lions; Mola Mola (Ocean Sunfish), and Blue Shark.
It was a fun and productive day on the water with a fun group of folks. As usual Phil and Chris Anderson provided expert boat handling, logistics, and customer service. Spotters for the trip were Scott Mills and Bill Shelmerdine. Check out the Westport Seabirds website for future trips and information. Next scheduled trip is Saturday August 8.
Cheers and hope to see you on the Water.
Bill Shelmerdine
Westport Seabirds

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