Mendocino pelagic 7 May 2023 (1 Viewer)

[Mendobirder]

We have a few spaces left for an offshore trip out of Fort Bragg (Mendocino County) California on 7 May. Weather permitting we plan to get 30 miles offshore; if it's rough we should still be able to get out 10 miles to the deepwater Noyo Canyon and find plenty of Black-footed Albatrosses. Laysan Albatross is also possible and if we get really lucky, a Short-tailed. Other possibilities include Jaegers, Terns, Auklets, and perhaps Sabine's Gull on migration, and if we're lucky, perhaps a Petrel or two. Not many trips have been run out of here in Spring so we don't really know what else might be zipping around out there.
PM me if you're interested.

 

[Mendobirder]

Trip report (copied from the Seawatch forum):
Well we got lucky with near-perfect weather and sea conditions, allowing us to run SW to the edge of the continental shelf and some marine canyons. Our slicks worked like magic bird magnets. Lots (60-100) of Black-footed Albatrosses, plus eight Laysans - a large number for this area - but the birds of the day were Murphy's and Hawaiian Petrels. We counted 30+ Murphy's including some very close birds, well photographed, and four Hawaiians that came close enough to be seen well, plus a couple more distant birds. One of the Hawaiians even repeatedly visited our slick, at one point chasing a Murphy's - an exhilarating sight. This was perhaps the best Pterodroma day anyone has seen here, and we were only about 20 miles from shore.
Other interesting birds included three Pomarine Jaegers.
With all the Albatross activity we continually hoped for a Short-tailed, but none materialized. Can't say it was a disappointment, as the spectacular display of Petrels was far more than anyone hoped for!
eBird Trip Report: https://ebird.org/tripreport/126103