offshore San Diego: 10 Craveri's Murrelets, 140 Ashies

On Sunday, July 1, several folks ventured offshore, out as far as the 30-Mile Bank, with calm seas. Highlights were 10 CRAVERI'S MURRELETS, between 16 mi. W of La Jolla and 26 mi. W of Pt. Loma. This is now the fourth or fifth year in a row with "early arriving" Craveri's in numbers off San Diego, as before that it was generally thought the species arrived no earlier than mid-July, or later. The other highlight of today's trip was the very high (near-record) count of 140 ASHY-STORM-PETRELS, many associated with several rafts of birds over the San Diego Trough just a little shy of the 30-Mile Bank, near several large rafts of Black Storm-Petrels.  Offshore totals for the trip included:

Pink-footed Shearwater:  9

Sooty Shearwater:  70

Black-vented Shearwater:  550  (mostly in one large aggregation a few miles off La Jolla)

ASHY STORM-PETREL:  140

Black Storm-Petrel:  1700

Red-necked Phalarope:  17

CRAVERI'S MURRELET:  10

Cassin's Auklet:  10

Blue Whale:  1

Loggerhead Turtle:  1

The next scheduled pelagic trip out of San Diego is on August 19th aboard "Grande." There will also be single trips in both September and October.  See sandiegopelagics.com for details.

–Paul Lehman,  San Diego
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports