Another day, another new challenge, another awesome adventure on the big
blue! Actually it was all quite gray with the wildfire smoke, but we were
thoroughly distracted with a vast variety of marine entertainment. The sea
conditions were calm, with little wind or swell. The smoke was ever
present, but appeared to be mixed with mist and was more of a horizon
shortening "fog" than a respiratory irritant. We shared the day with a
nice mix of locals and travelers, some with a great deal of pelagic birding
experience, others out for a first glimpse of what the sea can offer. Trip
totals are in parentheses.



We had a close Humpback Whale (7) sighting not long into our journey which
in hindsight was a good omen of things to come. Moving quickly through the
Sooty Shearwater (114, not a typo) and Common Murre (182) zone, we followed
a course Captain Phil had plotted to intersect a fishing fleet in Pacific
county. En route we encountered Pink-footed Shearwater (539), Buller's
Shearwater (7), Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel (64), and Northern Fulmar (6).
The large numbers of Red Phalarope (6) seen on recent trips were largely
replaced by the later migrating Red-necked Phalarope (118). We had another
tremendous day for Sabine's Gull (114) with birds seen flying high and low,
and even feeding storm petrel-like on the surface. Approaching the boats
we got our first Black-footed Albatross (46) which proved "hard to miss" as
promised due to its imposing wingspan.

"Skua" were well represented with South Polar Skua (5) on the water and
forever moving away from us, Pomarine Jaeger (8) with both dark and light
morphs seen, and Parasitic Jaeger (5). In addition to Common Murre, alcids
included Rhinoceros Auklet (15), Cassin's Auklet (29), and an offshore
Pigeon Guillemot (1). Scripps's Murrelet (4) was a highlight as we enjoyed
a very cooperative bird on the water for close to 5 minutes before we
decided to leave it. Young birds disperse the breeding area entirely via
swimming and the age at which they acquire the ability to fly remains
unknown. We speculated that this single bird may well have been a
youngster.

We departed the Scripps's exhilarated, but our adrenaline would surge even
higher when only minutes later we were joined by a gigantic pod of Pacific
White-sided Dolphin (395). The dolphins rode with us for at least 30
minutes as Phil slowed the boat to allow good viewing and photo
opportunities. They truly are magical to watch as they maneuver
effortlessly through the water. They approached close to the boat for good
underwater and porpoising views. The sheer number of them was stunning,
but how close they got and how entertaining they were to watch is why the
video is a necessity. Words alone can't do the event justice. We had to
break ourselves from the infatuation we had with them to examine a pair of
resting Buller's Shearwater on the water. The dolphins would have no bird
watching in their presence though as they bumped the birds in favor of a
little acrobatics. There was a single Northern Right Whale Dolphin noted
among the group.

Within the hour following the dolphin show, we were treated to a short, but
impressive viewing of the lightning fast, Dall's Porpoise (10). They gave
us excellent views as they approached the boat showing their characteristic
"rooster-tail" splash as they slice through the surface. We often describe
them, to those unfamiliar with the species, as looking like "baby Orcas"
due to their black dorsal surface with a large patch of white ventrally.

Little did we know we would soon see how different the two species really
are. Within the hour of the Dall's sighting, we found Orca (5)! Among the
small pod was one bull with a towering dorsal fin. A birder onboard
remarked, "that fin is as tall as me". I believe he was correct as the
male Orca's dorsal fin can be up to 6 feet tall. We watched at a
respectable distance and were awestruck as one of them approached and went
under the boat. We watched again as a second whale passed below the boat
and marveled at its mammoth size. Orcas can be 26-30 feet long and weigh
8,400-12,000 pounds.

Our group of fortune adventurers included Westport Seabirds Captain Phil
Anderson, First Mate Chris Anderson, Leaders Bill Tweit, Gene Revelas, and
me. It was a day I know we'll never forget and yet another demonstration of
the wonders we can find, if we venture with regularity, offshore in
Washington.

The video can be found at : https://youtu.be/YFhmEb0FrWI

Hope to sea you out there!

Cara Borre

Gig Harbor
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