By Terry Hunefeld
(San Diego) Dave Povey was accompanied to sea 28 Jan 2009 by Thomas A Blackman, Peter A Ginsburg and W Terry Hunefeld. We departed Shelter Island at 6:30 a.m. and motored by the bait barges, loaded with hundreds of Brant’s Cormorants and a mess of California Sea Lions.
Dodging an enormous Navy ship, we checked out Ballast Point for oystercatchers, finding only a Whimbrel. We spotted about 9 Common Loons and 8 Royal Terns foraging in the harbor, along with Brant and Surf Scoters. An American Herring Gull loafed on the sausage tubes surrounding the submarine base. A Royal Tern dove, came up with a fish, and was immediately pirated by an alert Heermann’s Gull.
Just past the jetty mouth we crossed paths with a Pelagic Cormorant. Our popcorn chum attracted a flock of Western, California and Heermann’s Gulls, joined by one each of Glaucous-winged, Bonaparte and Herring throughout the day. 93 Black-vented Shearwaters were the only tubenoses seen on the trip.
Alcids were plentiful, especially on the inside of the Nine Mile Bank at the Mexican / U.S. Border. We totaled 175 Cassin’s Auklets and 47 Rhinoceros Auklets. 2 Xantus’s Murrelets were 17.6 km wsw of Point Loma. Along the way we enjoyed the antics of Pacific White-sided Dolphins, Common Dolphins and California Sea Lions.
We watched a couple of distant whales produce big blows, at least several seemingly higher and narrower than Gray Whale spouts, but were unable to get a look at the animals.
At the Coronados Islands in Mexico we found 5 Black Oystercatchers and counted 14 Brown Boobies on Middle Rock, including one downy chick. We observed nest-building behavior with an adult male carrying nesting material to a female on a nest (phenomenal photo by Tom Blackman at the bottom of this page).
On our return a Parasitic Jaeger crossed our path. At the Zuniga jetty we found 10 Black Turnstones, a Spotted Sandpiper, two Surfbirds and a Black Oystercatcher.
Location: San Diego County Pelagic
Observation date: 1/28/09
Notes: Shelter Island to the Nine Mile Bank, then south over Coronado Canyon to the Los Coronados Islands.
Brant 8
Mallard 1
Surf Scoter 15
Pacific Loon 2
Common Loon 11
Eared Grebe 2
Western Grebe 15
Black-vented Shearwater 93
Brown Pelican 35
Brandt's Cormorant 1000
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Pelagic Cormorant 2
Great Blue Heron 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron 3
Black-bellied Plover 2
Black Oystercatcher 1
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Whimbrel 1
Black Turnstone 10
Surfbird 2
Bonaparte's Gull 1
Heermann's Gull 85
Western Gull 150
California Gull 200
Herring Gull 2
Glaucous-winged Gull 1
Caspian Tern 1
Forster's Tern 2
Royal Tern 6
Parasitic Jaeger 1
Xantus's Murrelet 2 scrippsi
Cassin's Auklet 175
Rhinoceros Auklet 47
Location: Islas Los Coronados
Observation date: 1/28/09
Brown Booby 14
Brown Pelican 200
Brandt's Cormorant 500
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Pelagic Cormorant 2
Black Oystercatcher 5
Western Gull 500
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