Sea & Sage Audubon 2015 WINTER PELAGIC TRIP REPORT BY CURTIS MARANTZ

Transcription

1 Report on Winter Pelagic Trip by Curtis Marantz; DANA POINT HARBOR, ORANGE US-CA Date of trip: Jan. 10, 2015 Protocol: Traveling 2.5 kilometers Comments: Jon Dunn, Brian Daniels, Tom Benson, Gerald Tolman, Robert McNab, and I led the winter pelagic trip for the Sea and Sage Audubon Society aboard the Ocean Institute's R/V Sea Explorer with Mike Bursk as our captain. Following our orientation, we left the dock at 7:20 am and cruised along the outer breakwater scanning the gulls, pelicans, and cormorants before checking the bay off Doheny Beach and then the offshore waters (the latter two treated in separate lists). Unlike most trips, we cruised more extensively around the harbor today in search of an Ancient Murrelet that had been present for a few days in the eastern part of the harbor near the fuel barge. This list represents only those birds seen within the harbor and on the breakwaters. Most of the land birds on this list were recorded either while we did our orientation at the dock or around the parking lot. This was a good trip for Orange County waters, and even before we left the harbor we had good views of the Ancient Murrelet. Among those on the boat were Irene Horiuchi, Bruce Aird, Lucy Lee, Steve Morris, David Evans, Brittany O'Connor, Amin Khalifa, Rick Shearer, Sherry Meddick, and a group of junior naturalists. There was a 90% cover of mid-level to high clouds on our departure, a trace 5 knot) breeze from the north or northeast, and temperatures that were in the low to middle 50s. 6:45-7:50 am (including the harbor and breakwaters). We covered much of the same area on our way back to port, but we did not keep as careful track of the birds seen. We did again see the same Ancient Murrelet on our return, along with an Osprey over the harbor and two Spotted Sandpipers that were seen by a few. Given the similarity of the morning and afternoon lists, we have restricted the present list to our morning departure. The weather conditions on our return represented a nearly full, mid-level overcast, calm conditions, and temperatures in the low 60s. 2:45-3:05 pm. California Sea-Lion - 15 (most of the sea-lions were loafing at the tip of the breakwater). 35 species (+1 other taxa) Surf Scoter 1 (I missed a female that was seen by others) Red-throated Loon 3 (we saw an adult, a juvenile, and a third bird of undertermined age) Pacific Loon 1 (we saw one Pacific Loon at the harbor mouth on our way out, but two on our return) Common Loon 1 (I missed the only Common Loon seen today) Horned Grebe 1 Eared Grebe 2 Western Grebe 6 Brandt's Cormorant 90 (my best count of the flock at the end of the breakwater was 90 birds) Doublecrested Cormorant 30 (most of the Double-crested Cormorants were along the middle portion of the breakwater) Pelagic Cormorant 1 (I missed the only Pelagic Cormorant that was seen in the harbor) Brown Pelican 65 (I did my best to count the pelicans as we cruised down along the breakwater) Great Blue Heron 3 Great Egret 2 Black-crowned Night-Heron 1 (I missed this bird) Black Oystercatcher 4 Willet 1 Sanderling 1 (I missed the Sanderling) Ancient Murrelet 1 A bird seen in the eastern part of the harbor near the fuel barge had been present here for several days. We spent a short time studying and photographing this bird before continuing offshore. This was a small alcid that had a plump body, a conspicuously short neck, and a medium-sized head that had a somewhat flat-crowned to blocky appearance. The short bill was of moderate mass, and it had a broadly 1

2 pointed tip. Clearly evident was a black hood that extended from the forehead back through the crown to the nape and then down across the face and through the eye to the base of the lower mandible, if not across the chin. Demarcating the hood was the white of the throat, which also extended backward across the lower part of the face and the sides of the neck to nearly pinch off the dark coloration on the back of the neck, but I was less sure to what degree this bird showed a white postocular-stripe or supercilium. In the overcast conditions under which we made our observations, the upperparts appeared to be medium-gray, but the remiges contrasted as more blackish. I clearly saw a short tail that was cocked upward revealing white undertailcoverts, but I failed to note the color of the tail itself. I further thought the belly and underwings were extensively white when this bird raised up to flap its wings. The bill was black basally, but with a creamywhite tip that covered most of its length. The eyes were dark, but seemingly with the eyelids pale. I never did see the legs or feet clearly. Heermann's Gull 12 Western Gull 435 (I tried carefully to count the Western Gulls around the harbor and my tally was right about 435 birds) Herring Gull 6 (I saw one adult, one second-winter bird, and four first-winter birds along the breakwater) Glaucous-winged Gull 12 (I saw at least eight first-winter birds, but I missed several others) Royal Tern 2 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 12 hummingbird sp. 1 (I missed a hummingbird that was seen by Robert before we left port) Belted Kingfisher 1 (I missed a kingfisher that was seen by Robert before we left port) Peregrine Falcon 1 (I missed the falcon on our departure, but saw it on the return) Say's Phoebe 1 (I missed a bird that was seen by Robert before we left port) Cassin's Kingbird 1 (calling; I missed a kingbird that was reported by others) American Crow 8 (calling) Northern Mockingbird 1 (singing; heard-only) European Starling 30 (I managed to miss the starling flock) Common Yellowthroat 1 (I missed this bird at the dock) California Towhee 1 (I missed a towhee around the parking lot) White-crowned Sparrow 1 (I missed an adult that was seen around the parking lot) House Finch 4 (calling; heard-only) View this checklist online at This report was generated automatically by ebird v3 ( Report on Winter Pelagic Trip by Curtis Marantz; alineandcurtis@aol.com CAPISTRANO BEACH, CAPISTRANO BIGHT OFF SAN JUAN CREEK Jan. 10, 2015; 7:50 AM 8:10 AM Protocol: Traveling 1.5 kilometers Comments: Jon Dunn, Brian Daniels, Tom Benson, Gerald Tolman, Robert McNab, and I led the winter pelagic trip for the Sea and Sage Audubon Society aboard the Ocean Institute's R/V Sea Explorer with Mike Bursk as our captain. Before continuing offshore, we did a quick loop just off the harbor mouth to check the Capistrano Bight off Doheny State Beach, primarily in search of a Red-necked Grebe that had been reported here the previous day. We never did find the grebe, but we did encounter large numbers of cormorants foraging on the water just off the mouth of San Juan Creek, and among a good-sized flock of gulls we also saw both a first-winter Glaucous Gull and an adult Thayer's Gull, so it was well worth the 20-minute detour. Among those on the boat were Irene Horiuchi, Bruce Aird, Lucy Lee, Steve Morris, David Evans, Brittany O'Connor, Amin Khalifa, Rick Shearer, Sherry Meddick, and a group of junior naturalists. There was a 95% 2

3 cover of mid-level to high clouds, a trace (<5 knot) breeze from the north or northeast, and temperatures that were in the low to middle 50s. Seas here were <2 feet with a bit of ripple. 7:50-8:10 am (for a brief loop through the bay just east of the harbor mouth). Bottlenose Dolphin - 2 (Jon spotted a couple of large, gray dolphins foraging just off the beach). 14 species Red-throated Loon 3 Pacific Loon 1 Black-vented Shearwater 6 (we began seeing a few shearwaters just off the harbor mouth) Brandt's Cormorant 1500 (there was a very large flock of cormorants foraging on the water just off the beach) Brown Pelican 15 Heermann's Gull 50 (we had many Heermann's Gulls following the boat from the time we left the harbor mouth) Western Gull 35 (we already had good numbers of Western Gulls behind the boat at this point) California Gull 1 (I saw only one adult California Gull in this area) Herring Gull 1 (adult) Thayer's Gull 1 Jon spotted this bird as it sat on the water, where it remained for most of the period that we had it under observation. The bird did make a single, brief flight away from us before landing again on the water. Much as I did for the Glaucous Gull, I took several photos of this bird that should clarify points that I may have missed in the field. Although others were confident that this bird was an adult Thayer s Gull, I thought it seemed a little large and I was not as sure that we could have eliminated from consideration an adult Glaucous-winged Herring Gull given that the bird s overall size seemed close to that of a nearby Western Gull, and it was not dwarfed by the Glaucous Gull. I further thought this bird s bill may have been a little on the long side, yet it was not overly heavy, and it did not seem to have an obvious expansion distally. The forehead was relatively steep and the crown seemed to be quite rounded on a head of unremarkable size. The neck was short and stocky, and the body was plump. I did not think the projection of the wings beyond the tail was all that long. I now have only a vague recollection that we saw the legs and feet when this bird landed following its brief flight, but I suspect this will be clear from my photos. This bird was mostly white about the head, neck, and what I could see of the underparts, rump, and tail. I did notice moderately extensive, though fine, brownish streaking on the crown, nape, and back and sides of the neck. The back, scapulars, and most of the wings were a little lighter than medium-gray and thus maybe a little darker than those of a Herring Gull. The wingtips appeared to be mostly black with white spots at the tips when seen in the closed wing. Jon thought the undersides of the far primaries were mostly if not entirely pale, but I never saw this. We did notice when this bird made its brief flight that the black in the wingtips was quite limited and that the trailing edge of the wing had a narrow band of white. This bird had a dull-yellow bill that showed both a small, reddish spot near the tip of the lower mandible and some paling basally on both mandibles. We generally thought the eyes were dark when seen in the field, but my photos showed them to be at least relatively pale. As noted above, I now have no more than a vague recollection of seeing the legs and feet, yet I thought they were pink Glaucous-winged Gull 2 (most on-board saw a first-winter bird and a few saw an adult) Glaucous Gull 1 I think Jon and I spotted this bird at about the same time when it flew in and landed on the water with an adult Thayer s Gull that we had been watching in the bay just south of the harbor mouth and essentially off the mouth of San Juan Creek. We then spent several minutes observing and photographing this bird as it sat on the water, but our only views of the bird in flight were our brief, initial observations. My description of this bird is a relatively superficial one given that I concentrated on getting photos, but I do suspect that my photos will clarify most of the key points that I may have missed in the field. This was a large and seemingly stocky gull that was maybe a little larger than nearby Western Gulls and with a similarly short projection of the wings beyond the short tail. This bird also had a relatively slim, blunt-tipped bill that had the upper and lower edges more or less parallel and thus lacking the distal expansion that is typical of a Glaucous-winged Gull. I further 3

4 thought the forehead was sloping yet the crown seemed to be smoothly rounded rather than having an angular or blocky appearance. I did not however note much more detail about this bird s structure given that I concentrated on getting photos. This bird was a chalky-white color almost in its entirety. I noted faint, brownish barring on the wing coverts that gave the wings a checkered pattern, but apart from this, the bird seemed pretty evenly white to me, including the head, neck, and closed wingtips. My views of the bird in flight were too superficial to note much more than its chalky-white appearance. We noted quite clearly that the bill was mostly pale pink, but also with a black tip that was at least moderately well-defined. The eyes were dark, but I have only a vague recollection of seeing the legs and feet when this bird came in for a landing. Forster's Tern 2 (I missed all three terns that were seen just off the harbor mouth) Royal Tern 1 (I also missed the Royal Tern) View this checklist online at This report was generated automatically by ebird v3 ( Report on Winter Pelagic Trip by Curtis Marantz; alineandcurtis@aol.com ORANGE COUNTY PELAGIC Jan. 10, 2015; 8:10 AM - 2:45 PM Protocol: Traveling kilometers Comments: Jon Dunn, Brian Daniels, Tom Benson, Gerald Tolman, Robert McNab, and I led the winter pelagic trip for the Sea and Sage Audubon Society aboard the Ocean Institute's R/V Sea Explorer with Mike Bursk as our captain. From the dock, we cruised along the outer breakwater and around the harbor before checking the bay off Doheny Beach (treated in separate lists). The present list therefore represents only those birds seen on the offshore waters beyond the breakwater. From the harbor mouth, we cruised to the southwest of Dana Point before turning to the northwest and paralleling the coast at a distance of 4-5 kilometers offshore to a point off Corona del Mar. We then continued further offshore along a westerly course to check some oil drilling rigs where others had reported seeing numbers of Brown Boobies. We eventually located the roosting boobies on one of these rigs, from which we returned along essentially the same route on which we arrived, so our track was almost identical for an extended period of time despite somewhat different coverage off Dana Point. The farthest point that we reached was an oil rig located about 14 kilometers southwest of Huntington Beach, and our track revealed that we were never more than about 14 kilometers offshore today. This was a good trip for Orange County waters, with our highlights being an adult Little Gull, a first-winter Glaucous Gull, 17 Brown Boobies, and at least eight Ancient Murrelets seen offshore. We also saw exceptional numbers of Cassin's Auklets, large numbers of gulls and Rhinoceros Auklets, moderate numbers of Black-vented Shearwaters and Common Murres, and one early Scripps's Murrelet. Other expected species were either missed altogether or found in low numbers, and most on-board missed the only Northern Fulmar. Among those on the boat were Irene Horiuchi, Bruce Aird, Lucy Lee, Steve Morris, David Evans, Brittany O'Connor, Amin Khalifa, Rick Shearer, Sherry Meddick, and a group of junior naturalists. There was a nearly full to full, mid-level overcast, and drizzle to light rain between about 8:15 and noon, but relatively little wind with a breeze of no more than about 5 knots all day. Air temperatures at Dana Point increased from the low 50s to the mid-60s during the period we were out, but it was probably in the upper 50s offshore. I thought the swell was <2 feet, and even though a bit of ripple was evident at times, the seas were glassy calm at others. Conditions mid-channel at the San Pedro South Buoy (located at 33 34' 40" N, ' 04" W, and thus about 18 kilometers west of our nearest point) represented a west-southwest swell ranging feet with a dominant period of seconds and an average period of seconds (taken from the NOAA website). Water temperatures increased from 62.2º F to 62.4º F by 10:00 am and then remained constant through the rest of the time we were offshore. Conditions at the Dana Point inshore buoy (located at 33 27' 31" N, ' 02" W) represented a swell from the southwest to west-southwest of feet with a dominant period of seconds and an average period of seconds. Water temperatures increased 4

5 from 62.1º F to 63.3º F by 1:07 pm before dropping to 62.8º F. 8:10 am - 2:45 pm (including the offshore waters beyond the harbor). Mola Mola - 1 Gray Whale - 1 (seen by others at moderate distance on our return trip) Fin Whale - 1 (seen moderately well and quite black above, but rarely showing a dorsal fin that was short and curved backward) Common Dolphin (we encountered in small pods good numbers of dolphins, a few of which rode our bow) Harbor Seal - 1 (we saw a single seal farther offshore than usual) California Sea-Lion - 10 (we saw small numbers offshore and at least a few on a buoy west of Dana Point). (28 species) Brant 4 (a distant flock of brant landed on the water some distance offshore) Pacific Loon 7 (most, if not all, of the loons seen offshore flew by the boat) Eared Grebe 15 (including two small flocks on the water near the oil rigs) Western Grebe 4 (as I recall, we saw two birds near the oil rigs and two more on our approach to the harbor) Northern Fulmar 1 (a very distant fulmar spotted by Jon near the oil rigs was missed by most on-board) Sooty Shearwater 2 (two dark-bellied shearwaters both appeared to have moderately large bills and at least one showed silvery-white underwing-coverts, but I did not see the second bird quite as well) Black-vented Shearwater 500 (we estimated seeing shearwaters, but it was difficult to be sure given that we never saw any large flocks and that we traveled along roughly the same route out-and-back) Brown Booby 17 Upon reaching offshore oil platform OCS-P-030-Eureka, located at N, W, about 14 kilometers southwest of Huntington Beach, we spotted at first five and then 12 additional boobies perched midway up the platform on the various rails and structures. We then spent an extended period of time studying and photographing these birds, though our ability to observe them was complicated much of the time by light rain. I counted 16 birds (missing only one member of the group of 12 that were roosting together) and I noted seeing three adult females, with the others all apparently representing young birds of various ages. All of these birds were roughly similar in size to the cormorants that generally perched lower on the rig, but they had longer bills that tapered from heavy bases to pointed tips along culmens that were relatively straight. Their heads also appeared larger and with more smoothly rounded crowns, their necks were somewhat shorter and stouter, and their bodies were plumper and with a posture that was not quite as upright. Given the position of these birds above us, I had a hard time seeing the wingtips and the length of the tail on the perched birds, but when some birds took flight, it was clear that they had mediumlength necks, long and relatively narrow wings that tapered to pointed tips, and pointed tails of mediumlength. As far as I could determine, all of these birds had the head, neck, upperparts, wings, and tail dark brown, though the color appeared to be a little more purely brown on the adults than on some of the young birds, which had a more dingy appearance. Most of the young birds had the dark-brown breast and sides demarcated relatively sharply from the dingy-whitish color of the belly and flanks, and the latter also had extensive smudging of brown or grayish brown, which gave the pale regions of the abdomen a clouded appearance. Others noted seeing at least one or two birds that were almost entirely brown below, but I could not recall seeing a uniformly dark belly on any of the birds that I saw clearly. The three adult females all had chocolate-brown feathering across the head, neck, and breast, but the latter was sharply demarcated from the bright-white color of the belly and flanks. Also evident on these birds was a pinkish or yellow color to the facial skin and the base of the bill, a generally pale bill, and mustard-yellow legs and webbed feet. At least most of the young birds had the facial skin and at least most of the bill instead a dark, bluish-gray color, but I was less sure about the color of their feet, and I cannot now recall noting the eye color on any of these birds, though I 5

6 suspect this will be shown in my many photos of these birds Brandt's Cormorant 200 (most of the cormorants were seen perched on, flying by, or swimming near the oil rigs, but we also saw some of these birds near the harbor) Pelagic Cormorant 2 (both of the Pelagic Cormorants were roosting on the oil rigs) Brown Pelican 50 (we saw today moderate numbers of pelicans, with some following the boat for extended periods of time; my impression was that the majority were adults and some were in fine, breeding colors) Red Phalarope 9 (we saw only a few phalaropes today) Common Murre 35 (I counted 15 murres, but I apparently missed quite a few that were seen by Robert) Scripps's Murrelet 1 (a single bird seen on the water mid-channel was presumably an early arrival) Ancient Murrelet 8 We saw four birds together on the water 7.2 kilometers west-northwest of Dana Point, two birds on the water with Cassin s Auklets over the San Gabriel Submarine Canyon 12.2 kilometers southwest of the mouth of the Santa Ana River, and a single bird in flight between the oil rigs about 16.4 kilometers west-southwest of the Santa Ana River. The birds that I saw were all small alcids with an elongate bill that was moderately stout and with a blunt tip, a somewhat flat-crowned appearance and a short neck, a plump body, and a short tail. Most conspicuous on these birds was the rounded projection of white that extended across the side of the neck to demarcate the extensively black cap, but at least most of these birds also had a medium-gray back and darker wings. These birds typically sat so low on the water that it was difficult, if not impossible, to see the white along the flanks, and it was only when the birds took flight that we could see the white underparts. The extent of black on the head seemed to vary somewhat among these birds and one or two seemed to show some suggestion of a white supercilium behind the eye. Further evident on the birds that we saw on the water was a bill that was black basally but apparently with a whitish tip, and some of these birds had dark eyes, but I never certainly noted in the field details about the legs or feet, though I have some recollection of seeing webbed feet when some of these birds took flight. I further suspect my photos will show at least some details on these birds that I missed in the field Cassin's Auklet 3000 There were so many auklets offshore that it was impossible to count them, and even though Tom and I estimated 2500, Jon thought the number approached 5000; that we followed similar paths on our way out and back made it even harder to estimate numbers accurately. Rhinoceros Auklet 150 (Tom and I each counted right about 125 birds, but others thought the the total was closer to 175) Bonaparte's Gull 600 (my best estimate of just under 550 birds was only a little lower than estimates by others; the vast majority of these birds were adults, with only a handful of young birds seen all day) Little Gull 1 I think several of us noted seeing this bird at the same time among a flock of Bonaparte s Gulls that were landing and circling over a floating kelp patty km southwest of the mouth of the Santa Ana River at 33 33' 25.7" N, ' 10.4" W. We were first attracted to this bird when we saw the extensively dark underwings, but when Jon spotted the bird as it stood on the kelp, we further noted that it was a little smaller than the Bonaparte s Gulls, that it had the head, neck, and underparts mostly if not entirely white, and that the pale gray of the back and wings contrasted with white and not black wingtips. Further 6

7 evident when it took flight the second time and disappeared was that this bird had more rounded wingtips, and possibly broader yet shorter, wings overall. We again noted the uniformly blackish underwings, but now also that there was a narrow, white band along the trailing edge of the wing when seen from below. The upperwings were uniformly light gray, with this same color extending across the back and through the wing coverts, but there was again a narrow band of white extending around the wingtips and along the trailing edge of the spread wing. I again noted the mostly white head with a dark spot behind the eye, and that the rump and tail were white, but I did not notice a pinkish wash that Jon suggested was present on the underparts (though I did not study this bird as carefully as did Jon given that I was trying to get photos). My photos further show a black bill that was short and slim. I failed to notice in the field if this bird had a dark cap, but such a cap was evident in my photos. Heermann's Gull 50 (birds seen primarily near the harbor and oil rigs included a good selection of adults in alternate plumage) Ring-billed Gull 1 (a second-cycle bird seen by Jon somewhere near the oil rigs was rather far offshore for this species) Western Gull 200 (I split the difference between my estimate of 100 Western Gulls and the 250 reported by others; it did appear that most of these birds spent extended periods of time following the boat, which made counting them a challenge) California Gull 800 (the 550 California Gulls that I estimated was considerably less than the number estimated by others; most of these birds were on the water mid-channel, and in general, they did not follow the boat to nearly the degree as did the Western Gulls) Herring Gull 3 (we saw offshore one adult and two first-winter Herring Gulls) Glaucous-winged Gull 6 (others estimated seeing six Glaucous-winged Gulls, all in their first-winter, and with some seen in association with the oil rigs) Forster's Tern 1 (I missed the only Forster's Tern that was seen offshore) Royal Tern 1 (seen in poor light as it flew overhead) Peregrine Falcon 1 (an adult perched on a crane on one of the oil rigs) View this checklist online at This report was generated automatically by ebird v3 ( 7