Post by birder1942 on Sept 12, 2009 14:18:54 GMT -8
Hi fellow birders. Just returned from a five days at sea pelagic trip. We (that is 27 birders and 7 crew) left San Diego and headed out up to over 100 miles off the coast of California and Mexico (although in US waters, thus ABA area). The US/Mexico boundary takes a South West turn in that area. We had good weather, but no extreme rarities.
I had three lifers: BLACK STORM-PETREL, LEAST STORM-PETREL AND XANTUS'S MURRELET. The only other bird of the trip that would have been a lifer was a Crevari's Murrelet, but it appeared on the other side of the boat from me, and by the time I got there it had dived and could not be found again (ah, birding!). For your interest, here is the trip list:
Black-footed Albatros
Northern Fulmar
Pink-footed, Buller's, Sooty and Black-vented Shearwaters
Least, Black, and three subspecies of Leach's Storm-Petrels
Brown Pelican
Brown Booby
Double-crested and Brandt's Cormorants
Red-necked and Red Phalaropes
South Polar Skua
Pomarine, Parasitic and Long-tailed Jaegers
Heerman's, California, Western and Sabine's Gulls
Elegant, Royal, Common, Arctic and Forster's Terns
Common Murre
Xantus's Murrelet (two subspecies of)
Craveri's Murrelet (which I did not see).
I also found several YELLOW-FOOTED GULLS (a lifer) at Salton Sea two days before the pelagic.
Good birding everyone, John Vooys
I had three lifers: BLACK STORM-PETREL, LEAST STORM-PETREL AND XANTUS'S MURRELET. The only other bird of the trip that would have been a lifer was a Crevari's Murrelet, but it appeared on the other side of the boat from me, and by the time I got there it had dived and could not be found again (ah, birding!). For your interest, here is the trip list:
Black-footed Albatros
Northern Fulmar
Pink-footed, Buller's, Sooty and Black-vented Shearwaters
Least, Black, and three subspecies of Leach's Storm-Petrels
Brown Pelican
Brown Booby
Double-crested and Brandt's Cormorants
Red-necked and Red Phalaropes
South Polar Skua
Pomarine, Parasitic and Long-tailed Jaegers
Heerman's, California, Western and Sabine's Gulls
Elegant, Royal, Common, Arctic and Forster's Terns
Common Murre
Xantus's Murrelet (two subspecies of)
Craveri's Murrelet (which I did not see).
I also found several YELLOW-FOOTED GULLS (a lifer) at Salton Sea two days before the pelagic.
Good birding everyone, John Vooys
