Leaning forward

 

 

The distinctive forward-leaning splash (often called a "rooster tail") of a Dall's Porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli).  I felt lucky to capture one image with the porpoise somewhat visible (the dark body and the triangular dorsal fin).  A small group of porpoises approached the boat during the pelagic trip on 23 May 2021, but they didn't stay around very long.

Dall's Porpoises are very fast swimmers and create an explosive splash upon surfacing.  The splashes can look like white caps from a distance, but note there's a little more going on there:

 

 

 

Often you don't see much more than the splash itself:

 

 

 

 

But sometimes you catch a glimpse of the black bodies with contrasting white side panels:

 

 

 

 

P.S.  For a few more examples of Dall's Porpoises, you can check out the post from 12 September 2017. 

Side by side

  

Two species of storm-petrels — Ashy Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma homochroa) on the left and a Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma furcata) on the right. 

We didn't see many storm-petrels during the boat trip on 23 May 2021, but here's a fun silhouette view of two Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels:

 

 

If you're not familiar with them, storm-petrels are small seabirds.  These two species have a wingspan of ~16" — similar to that of an American Robin.

Gliding and arcing

  

Black-footed Albatross (Phoebastria nigripes) were in view for most of the day during the pelagic trip on 23 May 2021.  Sometimes they were in the distance, other times very close to the boat, often there were more than 15 in view at one time.  Here are a few different perspectives:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I like knowing that albatross are gliding and arcing over the waves around the globe.

 

On and over the waves

 

We encountered a few nice flocks of Sabine's Gulls (Xema sabini) during the pelagic trip to Bodega Canyon and beyond on 23 May 2021.

Here are a few shots on the water, and a few shots in flight.  Be sure to look for the nice black edge to the dark gray hood, and the yellow tip on the bill.  Some birds haven't molted into breeding plumage yet, so have smudgy gray heads and dark bills.  [You can click on the images for larger versions.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are such pretty gulls, especially in flight when their striking upperwing pattern is visible against the waves :

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S.  For a little more information about Sabine's Gulls, you can check out the post from 3 September 2013.

Jaeger silhouettes

  

A few Parasitic Jaeger (Stercorarius parasiticus) shots from the offshore boat trip on 23 May 2021.   

Jaegers are impressive aerialists — they're kleptoparasites, chasing other birds like terns and gulls to force them to drop their fish.  

The lighting was a little tough, dark birds against an overcast sky, but I love their silhouettes.  Enjoy!  [You can click on the images for larger versions.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Early morning bonus

  

This morning we had to get up at ~4 a.m. for low tide field work, but what a bonus that there was a lunar eclipse at that time!  Here's a quick shot from Cotati at a little after 4 a.m., just before the eclipse reached its maximum.

P.S.  Pelagic week will continue tomorrow!

With aloha

  

Another special bird from our offshore pelagic trip on 23 May 2021.  This one is a Hawaiian Petrel (Pterodroma sandwichensis).  

Hawaiian Petrels, or 'Ua'u in Hawaiian, nest in burrows along the slopes of volcanoes in Hawaii.  They spend most of their time in the tropics (below 20°), but after the breeding season, some disperse northward to higher latitudes when we have a chance to see them offshore.

The genus "Pterodroma" means "fast flyer" or "wings for racing," an appropriate name for this group of seabirds that seem to rocket by, arcing above and below the horizon.  The photo above was taken by Dan Nelson, who managed a wonderful picture given the distance and speed of this bird.  I didn't get a close-up, but here's one I like, showing a Hawaiian Petrel in its open ocean habitat:

 

 P.S.  Many thanks to Dan for sharing his wonderful photo!

Murphy's, Part 2

  

Here are a few more photos of the Murphy's Petrel (Pterodroma ultima) observed ~30 miles offshore yesterday (24 May 2021).  This species nests in the south-central Pacific Ocean (e.g., Pitcairn Islands, Tuamotu Islands, Austral Islands) and then shifts north to the subtropical areas of the NE Pacific during the non-breeding season.  They're visitors to offshore waters as far north as British Columbia.  

According to the Rare Birds of California, Murphy's Petrel is a routine visitor to California, but generally occurs "offshore near the interface between warm waters of the North Pacific Gyre and cold waters of the California Current."  

Note the overall dark gray coloration, paler color around the face (especially chin/throat area), and extensive white on underside of the primaries (outer wing feathers).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a treat to see this species while aboard the New Sea Angler!  Thanks, Rick! 

Ultima!

  

I joined an offshore pelagic trip today (23 May 2021), going out beyond Bodega Canyon and crossing Cordell Bank.  It was breezy (!), but we were rewarded with an amazing sighting of Murphy's Petrel (Pterodroma ultima) — a life bird for many people on the boat, including me.  There were some other very nice sightings, so I'll be sharing some views of our offshore neighbors this week.  Stay tuned!

Waiting out the wind

  

Well, when it comes to phalaropes, I just can't help myself.  I caught up with a few more Red-necked Phalaropes (Phalaropus lobatus) in the early evening (20 May 2021).  So here's another selection of these beautiful sea-shorebirds that spend nine months out of the year at sea, but that we're lucky to observe at the coast every now and then.

Hunkered down in the wind:

 

 

Female preening:

 

 

 

 Male walking along the shoreline and then preening:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And one more.  I was hoping for a nice flight shot.  I didn't have much luck tonight, but here's the best so far:

 

 

 

Stopping by on the way to the Arctic

 

 

Shorebird week continues!  I recently came across several Red-necked Phalaropes (Phalaropus lobatus).  They were busy feeding, so I just sat quietly and watched for a few minutes.  Luckily I had my camera and larger lens at the time.  Here are a couple of photos of the brighter female:

 

 

 

 

And several of a browner/grayer male:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've heard of a few other phalarope reports recently — they're migrating through this region on their way to breeding areas in the Arctic.  Although they're usually farther offshore, with the windy conditions of today/tomorrow, more might be pushed towards the coast.  Sometimes phalaropes show up in the marsh/entrance pond at Doran Beach, or near the mouth of Salmon Creek, so if you're in those areas, keep your eyes open!

 

 

 

Knot variations

 

 

Well, I had some trouble deciding which Red Knot photos to share, so here's a selection:

Feather details and variations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Actively feeding:

 

 

 

 

A small flock, with a few dowitchers.  The dowitchers are on the left and right sides of the photo, and there's also one dowitcher mixed in with the knots (in the back row, with a browner head and back):

 

 

 

 

One more photo, showing a banded bird.  I've reported it and made some inquiries, so perhaps we'll find out where this knot was banded (Alaska?  Washington?).  Banded birds can help identify migration routes, which in the case of Red Knots can include ~8,000 km (~5,000 mile) non-stop flights!

 

 

 

ADDENDUM (22 May 2021):  I submitted this record of a banded Red Knot to the Bird Banding Lab and a few people who might have connections to knot researchers.  Nils Warnock (from Audubon Canyon Ranch) wrote back that Jim Johnson (from USFWS) responded that this bird had been banded on the Seward Peninsula near Nome, Alaska!