Tweeters,

Pelagic enthusiasts from as far away as England and the east coast
converged on Westport Sunday morning for a very successful and wildlife
filled 9 hour Westport Seabirds trip. Briefings completed and full covid
measures explained, we left the dock and captain Phil guided us out of the
harbor and toward the open ocean.

Although a bit foggy at first, we started seeing Sooty Shearwaters (652)
cruise by on stiff wings all heading south on their long journey back to
breeding grounds near New Zealand, a mere 6500 nautical miles away. When
put into that perspective, getting up at 5 am to get to a boat seemed
pretty simple! Common Murres (543) made sure to leave space as we knifed
through a rolling yet smooth sea dotted with murres on the left and right.
A few Red-necked Phalaropes (24) crossed the bow which had us lifting our
bins repeatedly. Fairly soon after, the first of the larger Pink-footed
Shearwaters (52) materialized, presumably heading to their breeding grounds
off Chile 6400 miles away. Not to be outdone, the handsome Buller's
Shearwaters (45) added to the mix and the differences between all three of
these shearwaters were on full display. The Buller's are also returning to
New Zealand so we were surrounded by some incredible long distance
migrants! Northern Fulmars (81) joined the cast of tubenoses and the
startling structural differences between the shearwaters and the Fulmar
were obvious.

Not to be outdone, some of the North Pacific's more diminutive species were
also within sight of our bins. Well fed Cassin's Auklets (44), shaped like
gray tennis balls with stubby wings and a small head, bounced along the
water's surface, a sign of nutrient rich waters. Larger Rhinoceros Auklets
(34) also put in appearances as our lists grew longer. Ryan spotted a
Tufted Puffin (2) ahead of the *Monte Carlo* and Phil slowed the boat so we
could watch this large alcid and listen to the accompanied crescendo of
camera clicks. This was a fairly young bird which wasn't sporting the
bulging red bill or stunning yellow tuft but that was ok, it'll grow into
that later! One of the highlights of the day came a bit later when two
GUADALUPE MURRELETs (4) took off and, as usual, flew straight away from
us. Quick at the shutter photographers reviewed photographs to confirm the
identification. These are birds that breed on islands off Mexico and don't
visit Washington's offshore waters every year. In fact, Washington only
has about half a dozen records of the species! Exultation was low key as
only a handful of us saw them which is unfortunately also typical of
murrelet sightings in that they always seem to fly away within seconds of
their being sighted. Red Phalaropes (15) also lit on the water for a
chance to review relevant identification features. A prize sighting was a
beautiful dark adult Pomarine Jaeger (8) that cruised by us on our way to
our chum spot.

Our goal was the edge of Gray's Harbor Canyon where the water depth
increases from 400 feet to over 2000 feet which brings upwellings of life
closer to the surface for waiting shearwaters, fulmars, storm-petrels, and
the much sought albatrosses. Today's goal of encountering these birds
met expectations. Black-footed Albatrosses (50) sporting an impressive 6
foot wingspan vied for attention with nearby shearwaters, fulmars and
diminutive Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels (20). Our chum slick was productive.
In addition to the tubenoses, a full tailed Pomarine Jaeger and a Parasitic
Jaeger (3) were attracted to the activity as was a South Polar Skua (3).
Attractive Sabine's Gulls (26) also caused more camera shutters to click.
On our return trip, a flyby Long-tailed Jaeger (1) and a few Arctic Terns
(2) were nice additions in addition to several more flyby South Polar
Skuas. The Long-tailed gave us the much coveted skua slam! Again,
Guadelupe Murrelets put in an appearance. By the end of the trip, most
participants were able to catch at least a glimpse of this species.

The seabirds were only one facet of the trip. Migration is on and we were
reminded of it by the non-sea birds that we saw. Some in total control of
their situation like the flocks of waterfowl heading southeast but not so
much for others like a single Greater White-fronted Goose or, more dire
still, an unhappy Yellow-rumped Warbler and Varied Thrush..

Mammals were fantastic too. A pod of Dall's Porpoises () approached the *Monte
Carlo* which afforded amazing views of these speed demons of the sea. Phil
navigated us to a pod of whales which, upon closer inspection, yielded
both Humpback (6) and Fin Whales (4). Although Humpback Whales are seen on
almost every Westport Seabirds trip, Fin Whales are encountered much less
frequently. The last sighting was May, 2019.

One last bit of fun was watching a large round silvery object jumping out
of the water. What looked like a large detached head was, in fact, a very
large mola mola. We collectively wondered how this species could create
enough forward speed to breach several times. Weird yes but expect the
unexpected out on the sea.

Shorebird spotting along the jetty at the end of the trip was also
productive with a surprisingly large number of Black Turnstones (55) with
Surfbird (1) and Wandering Tattlers (2) mixed in. A drake Harlequin Duck
was good to see too! The flock of Marbled Godwits (~400) greeted us inside
the harbor.

Thanks to Captain Phil Anderson and first mate Chris Anderson for making us
feel so comfortable on the trip and to Bruce Labar, Ryan Merrill and me for
wildlife spotting, identification tips, and all around good humor.

Two more trips this coming weekend will round out the season. Not too
early to start thinking about your pelagic schedule for next year!

Stay well and be safe.

Jim for Westport Seabirds (https://westportseabirds.com)
--
Jim Danzenbaker
Battle Ground, WA
360-702-9395
jdanzenbaker at gmail.com
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