Two local pelagic scouting trips. 1- 19, and 2- 01, 2020
We've run two local offshore scouting trips and found conditions and bird life changing.
The two trips were on Saturday Jan 19, 2020 out of Mission Bay and covering the area from the north end of the Nine Mile Bank to La Jolla Canyon, including La Jolla Cove.
Then Sat. Feb. 1st. out of San Diego Bay and covering the border north up the Nine Mile Bank to the 178 Fathom spot .
We found the majority of birds on both trips, associated with feeding dolphins pods.
The feeding dolphin were southwest of Mission Bay and inside the Nine Mile Bank on the Jan. 19th. La Jolla was very quiet on the that date.
The area with the most dolphin and birds on Feb, 1st. was along the border inside and outside the Nine Mile Bank ( except murrelets further up the bank).
So the following is a list of species seen offshore (except the surfbirds, & the turnstone on the jetties).
The first number from the northern portion on 1-19-20, the second from the southern area on 2-1-20.
Brant 31, 30
Surf Scoter 25, 11
Western Grebe 2, 0
Black Turnstone 0, 1
Surfbird 2, 5
Red Phalarope 0, 3
Pomarine Jaeger 1, 0
Parasitic Jaeger 1, 1
jaeger sp. 0, 2
Scripps's Murrelet 0, 4 (posssibly. a third pair)
Cassin's Auklet 1, 0
Bonaparte's Gull 63, 0
Heermann's Gull 21, 36
California Gull 250, 40
Herring Gull 2, 0
Western Gull 400, 160
Forster's Tern 1 (north end of Nine M. B.), 0
Royal Tern 2, 16
Pacific Loon 4, 2
Common Loon 0, 1
Northern Fulmar 1, 8 (including one white morph).
dark bellied shearwater sp. 0, 1
Black-vented Shearwater 1800, 200
Brown Booby 0, 6
Brandt's Cormorant 55, 165
Double-crested Cormorant 2, 0
Pelagic Cormorant 0, 2
Brown Pelican 35, 30
Mammals seen;
Gray Whale 3, 4
Common Dolphin yes, yes (Tons both days)
Risso's Dolphin no, yes
Pacific White-sided Dolphin yes, yes
California Sea Lion yes, yes
There are a limited number of spaces on the San Diego Audubon Bird Festival pelagic trips, Feb. 28,29, Mar. 1st. and 2nd.
Rumor is more spaces may have opened for the Coronado Is. trip!
I suggest you contact them as soon as possible if you are interested in joining us.
Dave Povey
Dulzura
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports