San Diego pelagic: Guadalupe Murrelet, Red-footed Booby, Townsend’s S-P, 77 Craveri’s, 2 Long-taileds, Black Tern

By – 5:04 am

The 16 July San Diego pelagic trip out to the 30-Mile Bank/The Corner area, aboard “Legacy” and sponsored by Buena Vista Audubon Society, was blessed with light seas and some good birds. The star of the show was the extremely cooperative Guadalupe Murrelet halfway across the San Diego Trough (32.626, -117.584; 19.9 miles W of tip Point Loma)–a species that is only casual within San Diego County waters. Only brief or distant views were had of a Red-footed Booby only a mile off Ocean Beach, of a Townsend’s Storm-Petrel along the outer edge of the 9-Mile Bank, and of a Black Tern in the San Diego Trough. The smooth seas were great for alcids, and we also had a super total of 77 Craveri’s Murrelets which is possibly a new one-day record for the county (previous high 68?), 35 Cassin’s Auklets, and 2 Common Murres. Other highlights included two immature Long-tailed Jaegers at the 30-Mile Bank/The Corner, a falling-apart Northern Fulmar, two Sabine’s Gulls, and small numbers of both Leach’s (dark-rumped) and Ashy Storm-Petrels. Lots of photos will be posted with the many eBird reports in a couple days. Offshore totals for the day were:

Whimbrel 3

Western Sandpiper 17

Red-necked Phalarope 7

LONG-TAILED JAEGER 2

COMMON MURRE 2

GUADALUPE MURRELET 1

Craveri’s Murrelet 77

Cassin’s Auklet 35

Sabine’s Gull 2

Heermann’s Gull 1

Western Gull 120

BLACK TERN 1

Least Tern 2

Elegant Tern 275

Leach’s Storm-Petrel 7

TOWNSEND’S STORM-PETREL 1

Ashy Storm-Petrel 5

Black Storm-Petrel 250

NORTHERN FULMAR 1

Pink-footed Shearwater 40

Sooty Shearwater 130

Black-vented Shearwater 1500

RED-FOOTED BOOBY 1

Double-crested Cormorant 3

Brown Pelican 50

–Paul Lehman, Dave Povey, Nancy Christensen, Jimmy McMorran, Gary Nunn, San Diego