In the bay

These are somewhat distant shots, but I haven't shown photos of these species before.  Both were taken in Bodega Bay (in the water off Pinnacle Gulch) on 7 October 2018. [You can click on the images for slightly larger versions.]

 

Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus)

 

Clark's Grebe (Aechmophorus clarkii) 

 

Birds at the Bank

A few bird photos from the boat trip to Bodega Canyon and Cordell Bank on 30 July 2016:

 

Sooty Shearwaters (Puffinus griseus) and Pink-footed Shearwaters (Puffinus creatopus)

 

Black-footed Albatross (Phoebastria nigripes) preening

Sightings that day also included Northern Fulmar, Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel, Ashy Storm-Petrel, Red-necked Phalarope, Red Phalarope, Sabine's Gull, Long-tailed Jaeger, Common Murre, Pigeon Guillemot, Cassin's Auklet, and Rhinoceros Auklet.  The best birds of the day were probably these murrelets:

 

Although I don't have a lot of experience with murrelets, I identified these as Scripps's Murrelets (Synthliboramphus scrippsi) based primarily on the amount of black on the face and the amount of white  under the wings (hard to see here).  Let me know if you agree or disagree!

 

 This was a nice start to the fall seabird season!

 

P.S.  For previous photos of Scripps's Murrelet (from Monterey Bay), see the post from 27 August 2014.  And for previous photos of Guadalupe Murrelet (from Cordell Bank), see the post from 21 September 2014.

 

Offshore neighbors

During late summer and fall, I try to get out on at least one or two pelagic trips to Bodega Canyon and Cordell Bank.  I went out on September 19th with Shearwater Journeys aboard the New Sea Angler.  Here are a few trip highlights:

 

Guadalupe Murrelet (Synthliboramphus hypoleucus) — (in 2012, Xantus's Murrelet was split into two different species, Scripps's Murrelet and Guadalupe Murrelet).  Guadalupe Murrelet is one of the southernmost breeding alcids (a group that includes auks, auklets, guillemots, murres, murrelets, and puffins).  They nest on islands off the west coast of Baja California and then disperse northward after the breeding season. However, it's rare to see them in central/northern California.  

Note the amount of white on the face and how it arches up and over the eye.  Also look for the white wing linings in the last picture (below).

 

 

 

We also had great looks at an adult Tufted Puffin (in non-breeding plumage): 

 

And although challenging to photograph, there was a good number of Arctic Terns (Sterna paradisaea), ~180 during the entire trip.

 

The mammal highlight was a lone male Orca (Orcinus orca) — a different individual than the Orcas we observed on 7 September:

 

This Orca wasn't rising very far above the surface, but here's another image in case it's useful for identification purposes: 

 

Every trip out to sea is different, and I'm thankful for every opportunity to become more aware of our "offshore neighbors."  Spending time on a boat changes how I look at the ocean from land.  When I scan the western horizon from Bodega Head, I visualize these amazing animals and wonder about their lives in the open ocean.  It's helpful and inspiring to know who lives out there!

On smooth gray seas

 

Scripps's Murrelet (Synthliboramphus scrippsi, formerly a subspecies of Xantus's Murrelet), photographed in Monterey Bay on 22 August 2014.

Scripps's Murrelets breed on islands and offshore rocks from southern California to central Baja California, then disperse northward after the nesting season.

During the non-breeding season, the highest numbers are observed between Point Conception and Monterey Bay/Point Año Nuevo, and from about 20-100 km offshore.

Here's a slightly different angle of this handsome alcid:

 

Eric asked me if the name had anything to do with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO).  This was a bit of an etymological adventure.  First I had to find the paper in which the scrippsi subspecies of Xantus's Murrelet was originally described in 1939 to see if it mentioned how they came up with the name.  Here's what it said: 

"This bird and two others were secured while the authors were on a collecting trip on the yacht of the late Robert P. Scripps of San Diego. It seems fitting that we should name the new form in honor of this man who did so much to further interest in Pacific coast science..."

Okay, so was Robert P. Scripps the same person that the SIO is named after?  I did an Internet search for his name and came up with this story about a Robert P. Scripps who died in 2012 (see link below).  He was the grandson of E.W. Scripps who was the co-founder of the Institution.

https://scripps.ucsd.edu/news/2833

But note that the article describing the scrippsi subspecies of Xantus's Murrelet published in 1939 said "the late" Robert P. Scripps.  So I think that this murrelet was named after E.W. Scripps's son, the father of the Robert P. Scripps highlighted in this recent story.  Whew!

Now that that's settled, I'm including two more pictures, just for fun.  I was drawn to the views of this small seabird on such smooth gray seas.

 

And how the murrelet would disappear below the surface with a flick of the wings:

 

P.S.  References used for facts above included (1) The Birds of North America account for Scripps's Murrelet by Drost and Lewis (1995) and (2) Green, J.E. and L.W. Arnold.  1939.  An unrecognized race of murrelet on the Pacific coast of North America.  Condor 41: 25-29.