Pelagic Birding Tour

Friday, May 12, 2023

• American Crow — 6
• Anna’s Hummingbird — 2
• Ashy Storm-Petrel — 1
• Black Storm-Petrel — 18
• Black Turnstone — 1
• Black-vented Shearwater — 96
• Brandt’s Cormoran — 6
• Brown Pelican — 90
• Common Tern — 32
• Double-crested Cormorant — 25
• Elegant Tern — 65
• Great Blue Heron (Great Blue) — 7
• Great Egret — 13
• Heermann’s Gull — 40
• House Sparrow — 10
• Jaeger sp. — 1
• Least Storm-Petrel — 2
• Long-tailed Jaeger — 4
• Mallard — 7
• Osprey (carolinensis) — 1
• Parasitic Jaeger (Dark morph) — 2
• Pink-footed Shearwater — 9
• Pomarine Jaeger — 2
• Red-necked Phalarope — 22
• Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) — 1
• Royal Tern — 1
• Scripp’s Murrelet — 1
• Snowy Egret — 5
• Spotted Sandpiper — 1
• Western Grebe — 4
• Western Gull — 101
• Yellow-crowned Night-Heron — 5

Today we had a 6-hour pelagic birding trip with the Dana Wharf Whale Watch out of the Dana Point Harbor led by David Pereksta. Leaving the harbor, we ran along the inside of the south end of the outer breakwater and then ran halfway down the outside of the outer breakwater where we saw a few shorebirds.

We left the Dana Point Harbor and ran southwest towards the Crespi Knoll. On our first leg, we encountered a steady stream of Black-vented Shearwaters and a mix of alcids, which were dominated in numbers by Rhinoceros Auklets. As we proceeded to the southwest during our second leg, we crossed the east side of the 279 Bank where we encountered a large mixed flock of shearwaters that included two Pink-footeds and two Sooties.

We also had several flocks of Red Phalaropes, a Pomarine Jaeger, a variety of alcids, and a shark that was likely a mako. We eventually reached the Crespi Knoll where we started our third leg of the trip. We circled the Crespi Knoll but did not find many birds there. A few alcids, shearwaters, and Forster’s Terns but not much else. After circling the Crespi Knoll, we turned back towards Dana Point on the fourth leg of the trip again crossing the 279 Bank to the west of where we crossed it a few hours earlier. Fair numbers of Black-vented Shearwaters and Bonaparte’s Gulls, and a Pomarine Jaeger made a few close passes of the boat.

The fifth leg of the trip started as we left the 279 Bank on our way back to the Dana Point Harbor. On our ride in we encountered modest numbers of alcids, Bonaparte’s Gulls, and Black-vented Shearwaters. Other wildlife seen during the trip included common dolphins, fin whales, a humpback whale, ocean sunfish, and a few sharks. The day started with 100% cloud cover giving way to partial sun later in the morning, temperatures ranged from 55-64°F, wind was calm from the NE early turning to a moderate breeze from the NW by early afternoon, and seas were low in the morning (1-2’ swells) with a modest rise (2-3’ swells) with the increasing winds later in the morning.

Friday, February 3, 2023

• American Crow — 2
• Belted Kingfisher — 1
• Black Oystercatcher — 2
• Black Turnstone — 2
• Black-crowned Night-Heron —2
• Black-vented Shearwater — 986
• Bonaparte’s Gull — 77
• Brandt’s Cormorant — 55
• Brown Pelican — 114
• California Gull — 103
• Caspian Tern — 2
• Cassin’s Auklet — 21
• Double-crested Cormorant — 30
• Forster’s Tern — 20
• Great Blue Heron — 2
• Great Egret — 2
• Heermann’s Gull — 2
• Herring Gull — 1
• Mallard — 2
• Pacific Loon — 2
• Peregrine Falcon — 1
• Pink-footed Shearwater — 2
• Pomarine Jaeger — 2
• Red Phalarope — 44
• Red-breasted Merganser — 1
• Rhinoceros Auklet — 59
• Rock Pigeon — 1
• Sanderling — 4
• Scripps’s Murrelet — 11
• Snowy Egret — 4
• Sooty Shearwater — 4
• Spotted Sandpiper — 1
• Western Gull —37
• Yellow-crowned Night-Heron — 3
• Yellow-rumped Warbler — 2

Friday, August 5, 2022

On this extended Pelagic Bird Trip led by Dave Pereksta, we were able to travel to the Crespi Knoll seamount.  With the ledges and rock formations, this area attracts a variety of fish and many pelagic birds.  Here is a partial list of the sightings from this amazing 6-hour trip ~ Pomarine Jaeger, Parasitic Jaeger, Long Tailed Jaeger, Black Storm-Petrel, Red Necked Phalarope, Surf Bird, Pink-footed Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Black-vented Shearwater, Sabine’s Gull, Heermann’s Gull, Western Gull, Caspian Tern, Elegant Tern, Brandt’s Cormorant, Brown Pelican, Black Oyster Catcher, Great Blue Heron, Yellow Crowned Night Heron.  Next Pelagic Bird Trip date to be announced soon so stay tuned.

Friday, April 8, 2022

• Elegant Tern — 89
• Forster’s Tern — 1
• Glaucous-winged Gull — 1
• Great Blue Heron (Great Blue) — 4
• Great Egret — 1
• Heermann’s Gull — 1
• House Sparrow — 4
• Pacific Loon — 11
• Northern Fulmar — 5
• Caspian Tern — 2
• Double-crested Cormorant — 5
• Parasitic Jaeger — 11
• Pelagic Cormorant —  4
• Pink-footed Shearwater — 3
• Pomarine Jaeger — 1
• Red Phalarope — 8
• Red-necked Phalarope — 2
• Red-throated Loon — 3
• Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) — 10
• Royal Tern — 15.
• Sooty Shearwater — 3
• Western Gull — 20
• Whimbrel (Hudsonian) — 140
• White-throated Swift — 1

Friday, January 14, 2022

• American Crow — 5
• Anna’s Hummingbird — 2
• Belted Kingfisher — 1
• Black Oystercatcher — 2
• Black-crowned Night-Heron — 1
• Black-vented Shearwater — 1125
• Bonaparte’s Gull — 56
• Brandt’s Cormorant — 27
• Brown Pelican — 131
• California Gull — 35
• Caspian Tern — 1
• Cassin’s Auklet — 50
• Common Loon — 1
• Double-crested Cormorant — 60
• Eared Grebe — 2
• Egyptian Goose — 2
• Great Blue Heron — 6
• Great Egret — 4
• Heermann’s Gull — 4
• House Sparrow — 5
• Northern Fulmar — 2
• Osprey — 1
• Pacific Loon — 1
• Pelagic Cormorant — 2
• Pink-footed Shearwater — 2
• Pomarine Jaeger — 1
• Rhinoceros Auklet — 117
• Rock Pigeon — 10
• Royal Tern — 3
• Scripps’s Murrelet — 12
• Snowy Egret — 8
• Spotted Sandpiper — 1
• Surf Scoter — 1
• Western Gull — 53
• White-crowned Sparrow — 5
• Willet — 1
• Yellow-crowned Night-Heron — 1
• Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s) — 1

Friday, September 17, 2021

• American Crow – 5
• Barn Swallow (American) – 6
• Black Oystercatcher – 3
• Black Storm-Petrel – 3
• Black Turnstone – 2
• Black-vented Shearwater – 30
• Brandt’s Cormorant – 22
• Brown Pelican – 49
• Caspian Tern – 1
• Common Tern – 10
• Craveri’s Murrelet – 6
• Double-crested Cormorant – 26
• Eared Grebe – 8
• Elegant Tern – 13
• European Starling – 8
• Great Blue Heron (Great Blue) – 7
• Great Egret – 6
• Heermann’s Gull – 26
• Long-tailed Jaeger – 1
• murrelet (flushed before ID) – 2
• Osprey (carolinensis) – 2
• Pelagic Cormorant – 2
• Pink-footed Shearwater – 62
• Pomarine Jaeger – 2
• Red-necked Phalarope – 12
• Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) – 5
• Snowy Egret  – 11
• Sooty Shearwater – 5
• Western Grebe – 2
• Western Gull – 145
• Willet (Western) – 1

Total 483 Birds

#| Species Type | Count
1 American Crow  – 2
2 Barn Swallow – 4
3 Black Storm-Petrel – 7
4 Black Tern – 1
5 Black-crowned Night-Heron – 1
6 Brandt’s Cormorant – 4
7 Brown Pelican – 340
8 Caspian Tern – 4
9 Cassin’s Auklet – 2
10 Double-crested Cormorant – 10
11 Elegant Tern – 95
12 Forster’s Tern – 1
13 Glaucous-winged Gull – 1
14 Great Blue Heron (Blue form) – 3
15 Great Egret – 3
16 Heermann’s Gull – 60
17 Least Tern – 1
18 Osprey – 2
19 Pacific Loon – 4
20 Parasitic Jaeger – 1
21 Pink-footed Shearwater – 4
22 Red-necked Phalarope – 3
23 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) – 2
24 Royal Tern – 8
25 Snowy Egret – 2
26 Sooty Shearwater – 3550
27 Western Gull – 240

Friday, March 19, 2020

Species Count:

1 — American Crow 10
2 — Anna’s Hummingbird 2
3—  Barn Swallow 5
4 — Black Oystercatchers 1
5 — Black Turnstone 1
6 — Black-bellied Plover 6
7 — Black-vented Shearwater 11
8 — Bonaparte’s Gull 53
9 — Brandt’s Cormorant 29
10 — Brown Pelican 89
11 — Double-crested Cormorant 60
12 — Eared Grebe 2
13 — Elegant Tern 12
14 — Forster’s Tern 34
15 — Great Blue Heron (Blue form) 2
16 — Great Egret 3
17 — Heermann’s Gull 6
18 — House Finch 2
19 —  loon sp. 1
20 — Masked Booby 1
21  — Osprey (carolinensis) 1
22 — Parasitic Jaeger 3
23 — Royal Tern 1
24—  Sanderling 1
25 — Scripps’s Murrelet 4
26—  Snowy Egret 2
27 — Western Gull 16
28 — Whimbrel (Hudsonian) 2
29 — Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s) 2

Total 362 Birds

Today at Dana Wharf Whale Watch. Today was the 4-hour Birding trip. We searched the shoreline of the island and saw crows, pigeons and other common birds. We then searched the inside of the breakwater and found a Great Egret, a Great Blue heron, at least six Black Oyster-catchers, Western gulls, Brown Pelicans, adult and juvenile Herrmann’s gulls and other juvenile gulls. We headed for the 14-mile bank. We spotted a small pod of common dolphins. We saw very few birds until we got out near the bank. We spotted what we thought at first was three gulls standing on a kelp paddy. As we got closer one of the birds, to our surprise was a rare adult Nazca Booby. We got closer but if few off about a hundred yards ahead of us and landed on the water. We followed and got close to it, but it finally flew away. We found nothing on the bank so we headed down the coast parallel to the shore. We saw a pair of Aukletts in the distance but they disappeared when we got closer. We were seeing an occasional California gull. Captain Frank also spotted at a distance an Elephant seal floating with its head up. We tried to get closer but it sank out. Then Bernardo spotted a Parasitic Jeagar flying some distance to our left but we could not follow it. Then Frank spotted the floating carcass of a sea lion. There was a gull standing on top of it and two Northern Fulmars floating in the water next to it, and a third Fulmar was flying away from us off the bow. One was a light phase bird. On the 12:00 P.M. trip on the Ocean Adventures we spotted a pod of common dolphins above and a pod below the harbor. On the 2:00 P.M. trip we again saw common dolphins above the harbor. On the 5:00 P.M. trip we had a huge pod of common dolphins off of the harbor. They were first moving inshore and then turned up the coast. It was a beautiful day, especial in the morning with the offshore Santa Ana winds.

Overall count: Compiled
By Dave Beeninga and Robin Lowe

October 4th Pelagic Trip

In harbor:

• 2 blue herons
• 3 great Egret
• 8 snowy
• 15 western gulls
• 8 heerman’s
• 20 rock pigeons
• 8 crows
• 10 brown pelicans
• 1 yellow-crowned night heron

Jetties:

• 6 black oystercatchers
• 1 great egret
• 3 blue herons
• 20 western gulls
• 8 Heerman’s gulls
• 7 Brandt’s cormorants
• 10 double crested
• 40 Brown Pelicans

Nearshore:

• 6 western gulls
• 1 California gull
• 2 black-vented shearwaters
• 1 heerman’s gulls

Offshore:

• 1 Nazca booby
• 25 western gulls
• 1 common tern
• 2 Craveri’s murrelets
• 1 Parasitic Jaeger
• 3 Northern Fulmars
• 1 Sooty shearwater
• 6 black-vented shearwaters

We had a pretty spectacular pelagic birding trip aboard Dana Wharf’s Ocean Adventures out of Dana Point Harbor last Friday. Conditions were perfect with smooth seas and clear skies; some fog was present but far enough not to be a factor. We checked the inside and outside of the breakwater, then headed pretty much straight to the 14 Mile Bank, traveled east parallel to the coast for a while and then returned to Dana Point.

Overall numbers of birds were low again, but we had a nice variety. We saw very few birds from about four miles out to the bank. And the bank itself was completely deserted. But soon after leaving the top of the bank things began to happen. First, we found a small flock of storm-petrels that allowed a relatively close approach and allowed us to compare Ashy and Black Storm-petrels side by side, noting the difference in size and color. Next, we had the only pair of alcids for the day, a pair of Scripps’s Murrelets that also allowed a relatively close approach but made a point of only showing us their tail ends. When they took flight, we were able to see the dark underwing and I called them Craveri’s based on that. Later examination of my photos revealed that the underwing only appeared dark because of heavy molt.

The first of seven Sabine’s Gulls was an apparent second-year bird sitting on a kelp paddy. When it took flight, we were able to see the striking upperwing pattern. We then entered an area with close to 100 of Common Terns, with our first sighting being of a flock of nine sitting on the water in that front-heavy way that terns have. Two jaegers were in the same area, and although one was originally identified as a Parasitic, photos revealed both to be Long-tailed Jaegers. We also found a Red Phalarope that stayed close to a Red-necked Phalarope both on the water and in flight allowing for a nice comparison.

In the harbor at the beginning of the trip, we had most of the expected species, including one Yellow-crowned Night Heron, and one each Whimbrel, Long-billed Curlew, Black Turnstone, Spotted Sandpiper, and Willet, in addition to a half dozen Black Oystercatchers.

Numbers of pelagic sightings:

• Red-necked Phalarope 13
• Red Phalarope 1
• Scripps’s Murrelet 2
• Parasitic Jaeger 1
• Long-tailed Jaeger 2
• Sabine’s Gull 7
• Heermann’s Gull 15
• Western Gull 85
• Common Tern 80
• Elegant Tern 65
• Pink-footed Shearwater 3
• Sooty Shearwater 1
• Black-vented Shearwater 87
• Ashy Storm-petrel 4
• Black Storm-petrel 7
• Brandt’s Cormorant 40
• Brown Pelican 15

Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching ran the second of what we hope will become monthly four-hour pelagic birding trips out of Dana Point on Friday, 26 July. Conditions were wonderful: calm seas with a gentle swell and good visibility in spite of some fog in the distance. We left the dock and checked out the entire length of the breakwater along the inside before heading pretty much straight to the 14 Mile Bank.

We were planning to head to the San Clemente Pier first where Capt. Frank had spotted a subadult Nazca Booby the day before. I canceled that part of the trip because I thought that the bird we had found on the breakwater was the same individual but closer examination of the photos later revealed that there are two Nazca Boobies in the area. Our bird was sitting near the edge of the breakwater among Brown Pelicans, Heermann’s Gulls, and Brandt’s Cormorants, about 150 meters from the end. While we were watching it, the bird jumped to the outside edge of the breakwater. We left the bird at approximately 08:30; when we returned at 11:50 it was sitting by itself on the very top of the breakwater, about 250 meters from the end.

We covered about 30 miles offshore and found extremely low numbers of birds but a pretty nice diversity. We had very good looks at a Red Phalarope that allowed nice comparisons with nearby Red-necked Phalaropes; we had great looks at a flock of six Cassin’s Auklets that flew across our bow, and had okay looks at a Parasitic Jaeger and unsatisfactory looks at a Pomarine jaeger and a Common Murre. We also had three Pink-footed Shearwaters, a species that we missed on the previous Saturday’s Sea and Sage pelagic.

Species and numbers seen further than 2 miles offshore:

• 6 Red-necked Phalarope
• 1 Red Phalarope
• 1 Pomarine Jaeger
• 1 Parasitic Jaeger
• 6 Cassin’s Auklets
• 1 Common Murre
• 1 Heermann’s Gull
• 15 Western Gull
• 1 Royal Tern
• 12 Elegant Tern
• 17 Black Storm-petrel
• 3 Pink-footed Shearwater
• 25 Sooty Shearwater
• 1 Black-vented Shearwater

That is 91 birds of 14 species. Additionally, we had Least Tern and Brandt’s Cormorant closer to shore and a flyby flock of 12 Whimbrels. The only shorebird on the breakwater other than Black Oystercatchers were a couple of Black Turnstones.

• Egyptian Goose  1
• Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  8
• Black Oystercatcher  3
• Black Turnstone  1
• Spotted Sandpiper  2
• Willet (Western)  2
• Heermann’s Gull  35
• Western Gull  90
• Caspian Tern  3
• Brandt’s Cormorant  6
• Double-crested Cormorant  8
• Brown Pelican  35
• Great Blue Heron (Blue form)  7
• Snowy Egret  2
• Yellow-crowned Night-Heron  1    Near-adult on the rocks below the park at the end of island way.
• American Crow  2
• Northern Rough-winged Swallow  2
• Barn Swallow (American)  1

Half-Day pelagic birding trip with Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching. We left the harbor and headed out to the Lausen Knoll. We saw a few offshore species en route, but then found flocks of shearwaters and other pelagic species on the knoll. Highlights included a Brown Booby, Sabine’s Gull, Black Storm-Petrels, Pink-footed Shearwaters, and Parasitic and Pomarine Jaegers. We also had several pods of common dolphins. Weather was sunny, clear, 68F, winds S 2 mph, 2-3′ swells.