Tuesday, May 22, 2018

May 19 6 Hour Pelagic Trip Successful

29 passengers and three guides enjoyed very decent ocean conditions on our short pelagic last Saturday. Leaving Newport on board the Sea Venture, a new boat for us, we had low swells and light winds most of the day.  The flat ocean allowed us to quickly find one of our targets, MARBLED MURRELET, with good sightings had by the entire boat. Harbor porpoises occasionally allowed a view of their back and dorsal fin if you were looking in the right direction at the right moment. A lucky few saw a spout and the flukes of a distant gray whale. We traveled to the lighthouse, and scanned the huge flocks of COMMON MURRES, containing some PIGEON GUILLEMOTS and cormorants, then headed out toward Nelson Island, an undersea island.  A male WILSON'S WARBLER followed the boat for a while, and even landed on a passenger for a moment. Highlights were good views of RED-NECKED and some RED PHALAROPES, BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS, SOOTY and PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATERS, FORK-TAILED STORM-PETRELS, SABINE'S GULLS, RHINOCEROS AUKLET, and one each POMARINE and PARASITIC JAEGER.  David Mandell was able to pick out a GLAUCOUS GULL in the bay as we returned home.  An enjoyable day on the ocean, to be sure. 

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