Friday pelagic to 30 Mile Bank 8-24-18

Four of us weathered the bumpy ride to the 30 Mile Bank Friday. The n.w. winds the previous two days stirred up the ocean surface and although winds were mostly light today there was a lot of left over energy in the waves.

Overall a much different day than Sunday's BVAS/Grande Pelagic. Many fewer birds, particularly phalaropes, and terns. No boobies, no Sabine's Gulls, no storm-petrel raft(s).

We picked up more of the offshore types.  Black-footed Albatross, N. Fulmar, Leach's and Townsend's Storm-Petrels, Long-tailed Jaeger.

Due to slow travel to the Thirty Mile Bank only about a third of the bank was covered today.

Very smoky/smoggy air all day.  Left over from recent fires up north?

partial list;

Black-footed Albatross     2-3  photos may separate

Northern Fulmar    2     a dark brown morph, and pale gray morph,  both healthy looking birds.

Pink-footed Shearwater   50

Sooty Shearwater    1

Black-vented Shearwater     240

Leach's Storm-Petrel     10

Townsend's Storm-Petrel    4    San Diego Trough and Thirty Mile Bank

Ashy Storm-Petrel    6

Black Storm-Petrel    115

Least Storm-Petrel    2      One on Thirty Mile Bank, one outside top of Nine Mile Bank

Black Turnstone   1   south Mission Bay Jetty

Surfbird    1    north Mission Bay Jetty

Red-necked Phalarope  15

Red Phalarope   90

Pomarine Jaeger   2

Parasitic Jaeger   1

Long-tailed Jaeger   3     one as close as 8.5 n.m.

Craveri's Murrelet   4     two pairs  both at Thirty Mile Bank

Cassin's Auklet    6

Loggerhead Turtle   1

Dave Povey

Dulzura