copyright 2003 Shearwater Journeys

The October 8th Santa Cruz trip was our fourth and final trip of the Columbus Day Weekend, and once again we had spectacular weather. The calm seas were accompanied by mixed clouds and sun, and at several points in the trip, I shed layers down to my T-shirt. Not many days off the central CA coast give you that opportunity.

We started the trip as always with a search along the Santa Cruz shoreline for Marbled Murrelet. The looks we get from the boat are usually far superior than can be obtained from shore, and it is always exciting to see these endangered alcids up close. Over a few minutes, we spotted 5, and then turned our attention to points offshore.

We proceeded northwest, up past Davenport, searching the various canyons and edges for birds. Overall bird numbers were down, but species diversity was still quite good. We encountered both Blue and Humpback whales, and several friendly humpbacks swam right across the bow, giving us excellent looks. A trawler produced a few more shearwaters and a Fulmar, and as we left the trawler, a Black-footed Albatross crossed our path, making its way towards the flock of wheeling birds behind the trawler.

Out along the canyons, we began to see mixed groups of storm-petrels. Both Ashy and Black were represented, but Ashy's outnumbered Blacks about 9:1. Eventually, we were able to approach some small flocks on the water quite closely, and everyone got good looks at the different shapes and flight styles. After getting good looks at the storm-petrels, we headed south towards one of the canyons. The birding slowed down a bit, and I was in the stern chatting with some of the participants, when I noticed a single shearwater approaching from the stern. I picked up my bins (still in mid conversations) and screamed "Greater Shearwater"! A beautiful Greater Shearwater approached from the stern and flew up the left side of the boat, and across the bow. There are only a handful of records for this bird in the North Pacific, and most of those records are from Shearwater Journeys trips. Everyone was able to see the bird, and a few photos were snapped. Sabine's Gulls and a distant Skua were the highlights after the Greater, and we enjoyed a lovely ride back to the harbor.

Unlike Petrels, rare shearwaters can sometimes be relocated on subsequent trips. The first Greater Shearwater was seen 2 days, and the 1998 Wedge-tailed Shearwater was seen 3 times over a 10 day period, so those of you looking for Streaked and Greater Shearwaters should think about the upcoming trips in Monterey Bay this weekend.

Upcoming trips:
Shearwater Triangle – Moss Landing Oct 13, 20, 27
Santa Cruz – Marbled Murrelet and Storm-Petrels Oct 14
Cordell Bank – Bodega Bay Oct 15

Call Debi Shearwater at 831-637-8527 or click here to send email.
Visit the Shearwater Journeys website at www.shearwaterjourneys.com.

Species list:
All birds in Santa Cruz County

Common Loon 12
Pacific Loon 5
Red-throated Loon 1
Western Grebe 18
Black-footed Albatross 2
Sooty Shearwater 20
Pink-footed Shearwater 60
GREATER SHEARWATER 1
Northern Fulmar 5
Ashy Storm-petrel 450
Black-storm-petrel 50
Pomarine Jaeger 6
Parasitic Jaeger 3
South Polar Skua 1
Western Gull +++
California Gull +++
Heerman's Gull +++
Sabine's Gull 4
Elegant Tern 7
Rhinoceros Auklet 10
Cassin's Auklet 8
Red-necked Phalarope 55
Surfbird 2
Black Turnstone 2

Whales and Other Marine Life

Humpback Whale 4-6
Blue Whale 2
Pacific White-sided Dolphin 40
Harbor Porpoise 2
Harbor Seal ++
California Sea lion ++
Sea otter ++
Blue Shark 1
Mola Mola 7

For Shearwater Journeys
Todd McGrath
Marina del Rey CA
To send e-mail to Todd click on his address: skua@msn.com

Click on the Murrelet to find out how to reserve a trip.