Auklet -- Part 2

 

Last night I mentioned that I had seen a couple of Rhinoceros Auklets close to shore.  Those were adults, but today I noticed a different individual that appears to be a juvenile.

Although there have been observations in previous years hinting that Rhinoceros Auklets might have nested on Bodega Head, I don't think there are any definitive records.  

Seeing a juvenile close to shore in July hints at the possibility of nesting locally, although the alternative is that this juvenile originated from a nesting site elsewhere (e.g., the Farallon Islands or a site farther north) and then dispersed to our area.

 

 

I had a large lens today and this bird was quite close to shore, so here's a zoomed in view of the bill with a tiny "horn" (in this case, a bump) just starting to appear at the base of the upper mandible:

 

 

 

P.S.  I came across a fun audio recording of Rhinoceros Auklets — adults and a begging juvenile.  If you want to hear what they sound like, here's the link to the recording.

 

Flybys

  

Not a great photo, but a fun story.  I've been having some trouble with my camera/lens.  Today I noticed some guillemots close to shore, so I started testing my lens by practicing focusing on guillemots flying by.  I would see a bird approaching from a distance, raise my lens, and try to focus.  

I had done this several times when I looked through and noticed not guillemots, but auklets!  I don't see Rhinoceros Auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata) from shore that often, especially during the summer, so it was a nice surprise.  Not sure if they'll stay around, but if you're interested in seeing auklets, it might be worth scanning nearshore areas off Bodega Head.

Velvety brown

 

An immature Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata), photographed offshore during our return trip from Cordell Bank on 6 October 2019.

Three different bills

A few alcids from the offshore boat trip to Bodega Canyon and Cordell Bank on 14 October 2018.  [The Alcidae family includes small seabirds such as auklets, guillemots, murres, murrelets, and puffins.] 

 

Cassin's Auklet (Ptychoramphus aleuticus)

 

Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata)

 

Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata)

 

Out at sea

A few more of the seabirds observed during the boat trip to Bodega Canyon/Cordell Bank on 9 October 2016:

 

Black-vented Shearwater (Puffinus opisthomelas)

 

Red Phalaropes (Phalaropus fulicarius) 

 

South Polar Skua (Stercorarius maccormicki) 

 

Cassin's Auklet (Ptychoramphus aleuticus)

 

Rhinoceros Auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata)

 

Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata)

We saw three different puffins that day — a good number for this area.  Overall numbers of birds were relatively low, but the diversity of species was decent.

Surf zone surprise

An early evening walk on Salmon Creek Beach yielded a surprise in the surf zone: 

 

There were at least 6 Cassin's Auklets (Ptycoramphus aleuticus) very close to shore.  The auklets would drift south with the current, sometimes almost wash up onto the beach, then fly back to deeper water and start the process again.

I'm used to seeing Cassin's Auklets offshore, but watching them in the surf zone raised lots of questions.  

 

What drove them there?  Was it the strong winds yesterday?  Were they looking for a place to rest?  Or was there food attracting them to this location?  If so, what type of food?  Cassin's Auklets eat krill, and there could be krill close to the beach, but is there another possibility?  Fish?  I read later that Cassin's Auklets eat Dungeness Crab larvae.  That seems possible for this location, too, but I don't know if there are many crab larvae around right now.

 

I know that Cassin's Auklets live in the open ocean.  I know they must be used to large waves.  But it was still fascinating to watch them maneuver through the breakers and rough conditions close to the beach. 

 

P.S.  Cassin's Auklets are ~23 cm (9 inches) long.