La Jolla Short-tailed Shearwater, Black Scoter, Murre

La Jolla Short-tailed Shearwater, Black Scoter, Murre
By – 11:43 am

A morning seawatch at La Jolla for three hours, in decreasing showers and increasing winds, starting at dawn on Weds produced a few birds of interest and a reasonable southbound flight of Brant and Surf Scoters, with smaller numbers of loons. The clear highlights were a single Short-tailed Shearwater out near the line of Black-venteds and a female Black Scoter in a flock of Surfs. Also one southbound Common Murre. A total of ca. 18 dark-morph Northern Fulmars suggests it’s going to be another “good” season for them locally. Four Black Oystercatchers and one Red-necked Phalarope, 3 each Pomarine and Parasitic Jaegers, a clear southward flight of California Gulls, and 18 Elegant Terns, which is typical to have southbound groups in early November.

If the weather forecast is correct re: winds late today and overnight, it might be reasonably interesting there tomorrow morning.

–Paul Lehman, San Diego