<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>Hello Jim,</div><div>I always appreciate and look forward to receiving these Westport seabird trip reports from all that write them.</div><div><br></div><div>I am an author and believe you have a real gift for report writing.</div><div>I enjoy the way you “paint the scenes“ from beginning to end, integrating: environment, weather, wonder and excitement of the group’s discoveries of species of birds, fish and mammals.</div><div><br></div><div>Very neat that you also include countries of origin or destinations for some of the bird species.</div><div><br></div><div>Thank you and the other reporters for sharing your great trip reports!</div><div><br></div><div>Dan Reiff</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br id="lineBreakAtBeginningOfSignature"><div dir="ltr">Sent from my iPhone</div><div dir="ltr"><br><blockquote type="cite">On Sep 18, 2024, at 4:14 PM, Jim Danzenbaker via Tweeters <tweeters@u.washington.edu> wrote:<br><br></blockquote></div><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr">Hi Tweeters,<div><br></div><div><div>Ordinarily, when you hear somebody say at the end of a birding day "its quality over quantity", you can take it in two ways: they are trying to put a silver lining on an otherwise lackluster day or you saw some really great birds and it didn't matter if the total species number was less than average. We went with option B on last Saturday's trip. In addition to the surprisingly good conditions (with a brief shower or two), we enjoyed fairly calm seas and a parade of new birds throughout the entire day. No sleeping without fear of missing something on this trip!</div><div><br></div><div>After clearing the mouth of the jetties, we soon encountered the commoner species of the inshore waters including Sooty Shearwater (647), Common Murre (276 with 37 chicks), Rhinoceros Auklet (18), and Red-necked Phalarope (59). As with other trips, emphasis on knowing the behavior, flight style, and plumage of the more abundant birds makes picking out the more sought after species easier for everyone. Soon, Sooty Shearwaters from Australia and New Zealand were joined by their slightly heavier flying cousins, the Pink-footed Shearwaters (147) from Chile. Nothing like a side by side comparison to drive home the detailed differences! A few striking Buller's Shearwaters (6), also from New Zealand, soared by to the cheering of those on board. I've never met anybody who doesn't appreciate them!</div><div><br></div><div>It wasn't long after the Buller's flyby that we encountered the age old question of .... what do you do when the day's first perfectly plumaged Short-tailed Shearwater (11) wings by, the first Tufted Puffin (1) pops up, and a Humpback Whale (15) is spouting not far off all at the same time? Answer, concentrate on the shearwater as it won't be in view for long, relocate the Tufted Puffin and marvel at the size and color of its bill, and then soak in the whale experience! After this wonderful trifecta, it didn't take long before we saw a Long-tailed Jaeger (2) fly over (surprisingly our first jaeger of the day). Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels (96) became more common in all directions so all on board were able to get soul satisfying views. Cassin's Auklet (25) balls bounced away upon the <i>Monte Carlo</i>'s approach, showing that they had very successful feeding forays. A Sabine's Gull (23) or two drifted by on their way to the Humboldt Current and a few Pomarine Jaegers (5) kept the building number of California Gulls on high alert. </div><div><br></div><div>We approached a shrimp boat close to the edge of the continental shelf but, much to our chagrin, this boat wasn't doing anything so no clouds of birds and, unfortunately, no albatrosses! A bit concerned, our next plan was to chum over deep water and hope for the best. This was a good plan as the birds started to respond almost immediately. California Gulls were joined by several Northern Fulmars (11), Pink-footed Shearwaters (147), the most cooperative, pristine Short-tailed Shearwaters (11) that have ever existed, more Fork-tailed Stormies and Sabine's Gulls, a Red Phalarope (7) or two, a flyby Arctic Tern (7), and an uncooperative distant jaeger. And Black-footed Albatrosses (15) too! They sailed in on their massive 7 foot wingspan much to the delight of all on board. I always appreciate every albatross I see and today was no different.</div><div><br></div><div>On all pelagic trips, surprises often come in the way of non pelagic birds. Although not graced with lost passerines, we were treated to at least 6-8 flocks of southbound dabbling ducks and two large goose flocks. Photos showed that the ducks were the expected Northern Pintails (270) with a few Green-winged Teal (6) thrown in for size comparison and two large flocks of geese (140 - so distant that even the best photos couldn't identify them for sure) which were probably Greater White-fronted Geese. We surmised that these birds <i>may</i> have been making the Alaska to southern Oregon run, a long way for us but probably nothing to them.</div><div><br></div><div>Humpback Whales (15) were scattered throughout the trip including a few pectoral flipper flapping individuals. Some were definitely giving off the vibes of a happy whale (see <a href="https://happywhale.com/home" target="_blank">https://happywhale.com/home</a> for a library of whale photos and useful facts). Only one Dall's Porpoise (1) today along with a few Harbor Porpoise (3). A fur seal looked on nonchalantly as we motored by and Mola Molas (10) were in evidence with some very large individuals as well as little dinner plate sized ones. We saw several jumping dinner plates (a site not often seen). The question of why mola molas jump out of the water was never sufficiently addressed. </div><div><br></div><div>Just as we thought we wouldn't get our coveted skua slam (all three jaegers and South Polar Skua), the call of SKUA (2) came from the bow and everyone looked up to see a South Polar Skua fly overhead before veering away in search of a gull/shearwater to harass for a quick meal. Every day with a skua is a good day! With the Parasitic Jaeger (2) that we had recorded about 40 minutes before, we had our skua slam and another round of happy faces!</div><div><br></div><div>Brown Pelicans, the trifecta of cormorants and numerous gulls from Heermann's to Western and 2 Surfbirds greeted us as we motored between the jetties. Our mooring in the Westport marina was under the watchful eyes of bobbing Harbor Seal heads and the Marbled Godwit (600) flock. </div><div><div><div><div><br></div><div>Westport Seabirds thanks all of the enthusiastic participants who make these trips a success. Also, thanks to Captain Phil and first mate Chris for their consummate professionalism, natural history knowledge, bright smiles, and ginger cookies! Also, a big thanks to our guides Scott Mills, Gene Revelas, and your trip reporter. </div><div><div><br></div><div>Even though the Westport Seabirds schedule (<a href="http://westportseabirds.com/2023-schedule/" target="_blank">http://westportseabirds.com/2023-schedule/</a>) shows all trips as full, it's always a good idea to think of pelagic opportunities for this year (last minute openings happen) and next year!</div><div><br></div><div>I hope to see you onboard!</div><div><br></div><div>Jim Danzenbaker for Westport Seabirds.</div></div></div></div></div></div><span class="gmail_signature_prefix">-- </span><br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr">Jim Danzenbaker<br>Battle Ground, WA<br>360-702-9395<br><a href="mailto:jdanzenbaker@gmail.com" target="_blank">jdanzenbaker@gmail.com</a></div></div></div>
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