Updates-- Short and Sweet

Let's start with the good news. On August 30, our Newport pelagic experienced the calmest sea conditions we are likely to see this year. Waves 1 to 2 feet, and light winds. (For seabirds very lights winds are not actually a positive, but so it goes.) We had two albatross species, and read the band on a Laysan Albatross. We have submitted that information anmd look forward to finding out where it is from. This trip also had South Polar Skua, three shearwater species, Long-tailed and Pomarine Jaegers, and even a couple of Tufted Puffins.

Also in the good news column: Our 9/14, 9/21, and 10/5 trips are full, and the 10/12 trip has only two more spots available. The December trip has decent sign-up, and I am sure we will with fill it, or come close. The only trip lagging behind is 10/25, but we still have time to get enough people to run it.
 
Now for the bad news: our 9/7 Garibaldi trip had to cancel due to engine problems on our boat. We had people coming from out of state, so there were a lot of disappointed people. Hopefully, the issue is resolved and our 9/14 All-Women pelagic will have no problems.

August 30 Newport pelagic is full!

 The 8-hour pelagic out of Newport on August 30 is now full. You may put your name on the waitlist, or better yet, join one of our other scheduled pelagics, all of which have space. 

OPT Updates

Registration for Oregon Pelagic Tours's pelagics is ongoing. 

On the positive side, the All-Women Trip scheduled out of Garibaldi on August 17 only needs four more women to run as planned. 
I am proud to say that our May cruise ship experience did fill all spaces, and should provide all attendees with a special experience. I can assure everyone that doing a repositioning cruise not only offers the chance to see amazing birds, but is also probably the most comfortable pelagic anyone is likely to take. 
Fall trips are starting to pick up. August through October offers Oregon pelagic birders the greatest diversity of birds species. 
On the negative side, two of our specialty trips are not doing so well. We did not achieve the minimum sign-up necessary to run the April 26th Ilwaco pelagic. The high cost of the boat requested by the charter required a trip cost that made this Pacific County pelagic unattractive to pelagic enthusiasts. 
Our introductory, 6-hour pelagic on July 13 is is a little early for maximum bird species diversity, and for that reason, probably not that appealing to OPT regulars. It is nevertheless a great trip for beginning pelagic birders or those who can't tolerate a long day on the ocean. This trip does need a lot more sign-up to be assured of going.