Pelagic trip report:
Saturday, August 29, 2009
8 hours
From Charleston, Oregon, 25 miles W.

Seas moderate, winds 15-20 knots.

Boat: Betty Kay
Captain Kathi
Betty Kay Charter

The Bird Guide, Inc.
http://thebirdguide.com/

Guides: Greg Gillson, Tim Shelmerdine, Tom Snetsinger, Russ Namitz



Long-tailed Jaegers were the highlight of this trip. Photo by Greg Gillson.

This special 8-hour trip for the joint Oregon Shorebird Festival and Oregon Field Ornithologists' Annual Meeting was a great success.

Warm waters 59-60 degrees were present from 8-25 miles offshore where we chummed in 600 fathoms of water. A bit of fog nearshore gave way to sunny skies. Birds were rather sparse offshore, but JAEGERS were visible nearly continuously. We came across one HUMPBACK WHALE to the delight of all. A couple of not-very-close SOUTH POLAR SKUAS made fly-bys--a dark juvenile and a pale adult.

At our chum stop a few GULLS and NORTHERN FULMARS attracted all three jaegers, with most being Long-tailed Jaegers. Eventually, our chum pulled in some BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES, but not many. The jaegers made the show, with over 30 LONG-TAILED JAEGERS, a half-dozen POMARINE JAEGERS, and 2 or 3 PARASITIC JAEGERS at the chum stop.

A few BULLER'S SHEARWATERS glided past. We finally found CASSIN'S AUKLETS and RHINOCEROS AUKLETS in low numbers back near shore.


Pomarine Jaeger. Photo by Greg Gillson.

Black-footed Albatross 15
Northern Fulmar 15
Pink-footed Shearwater 85
Sooty Shearwater 35
Buller's Shearwater 4
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel 2
Brown Pelican 50
Double-crested Cormorant 5
Brandt's Cormorant 50
Pelagic Cormorant 10
Black Turnstone 2
Red-necked Phalarope 12
Mew Gull 2
California Gull 25
Western Gull 35
Heermann's Gull 25
Sabine's Gull 15
South Polar Skua 2
Pomarine Jaeger 10
Parasitic Jaeger 6
Long-tailed Jaeger 60
jaeger (sp.) 30
Common Murre 120
Pigeon Guillemot 10
Cassin's Auklet 5
Rhinoceros Auklet 12

Blue Shark 2
California Sea Lion 1
Steller's Sea Lion 4
Harbor Seal 4
Humpback Whale 1
River Otter 1