Date: 7/16/25 5:30 pm From: Peter Pyle via groups.io <ppyle...> Subject: [Mendobirds] Noyo Pelagics trip report, 15-16 July
Greetings Mendo birders,
Things are picking up for our pelagic trips, with summer here and fall around the corner. Around 25 participants went out with captain Richard Thornton of Anchor Charters (https://anchorcharterboats.com/) and Noyo Pelagics (https://noyopelagics.com/) for each of a full-day trip on July 15th and a half-day trip on the 16th. It was a great example of how much difference a day can make when out on the ocean. We had moderate winds inshore and heavy winds offshore on the 15th, and birds everywhere, beginning with albatrosses, shearwaters, Ashy and Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels, Sabine's Gulls and a small jaeger about 2.5 miles from the harbor. This was much closer in for some of these species than we usually get, and some of us called out Parasitic for the jaeger, because Long-tailed is *never* seen this close to shore, yet later review of photos showed it to be a Long-tailed. As we headed out the canyon birds continued hot and heavy, with 2-3 Black Storm-Petrels (only the second time these have been seen in Mendocino) and dozens more shearwaters, gulls, storm-petrels, auklets, and Black-footed Albatrosses, the last including many "bleach-headed" adults that have gotten their fair share of sun while sitting on nests on white-sand Northwestern Hawaiian Island atolls. Some may have been here for their final 6000-mile RT foraging run to feed their chicks, which will be fledging this month.
An important observation today was of a "rafting" flock of 15-20 Ashy Storm-Petrels, not before seen doing this behavior off Mendocino. After breeding, Ashies flock up to sit on the water at select, yet-to-be understood (by us) places in the ocean to molt, in numbers sometimes exceeding 10,000. Fifty years ago these flocks were found in Monterey Bay, but since then they have moved north and are now most frequently found over Cordell Bank, off Bodega Bay. Will they next move on up here? We aim to find out! Heading off shore, we also had many more Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels and Sabine's Gulls, all three species of jaeger, some Arctic Terns, an early Buller's Shearwater, and increasing numbers of Leach's Storm-Petrels.
Cook's Petrel was on several participants' bucket lists so we slogged out to 20-25 miles from shore, well west of the wind shear. It seemed perfect timing and conditions for a Cook's but, despite laying out two slicks, we couldn't draw any in, just dozens more albatrosses and Leach's Storm-Petrels. It was otherwise a "birding desert," including nary a gull! So we decided to go back to where the variety was and this paid off, with all of the above-mentioned suspects, a count of 98 albatrosses at one of our slicks, and 2-3 South Polar Skuas. The highlight of the trip came when MCAS student scholarship recipient Ethan Monk, who will be starting law school at Davis this fall, spotted a small dark storm-petrel that was not flying like an Ashy. We were barely able to get a few participants on it and, luckily, got some diagnostic photos to document the first record of a Least Storm-Petrel in Mendocino County, and the northernmost record...ever. This species either seems to be moving north more and more, or we are just getting better at documenting them, as the first records for San Francisco and the second or so records for Marin have all occurred in the last three years (there is as yet a record for Sonoma).
We had a more relaxed crowd and weather on the 16th, with a greater focus on seeing whales. We had had Humpback, Fin, and Blue whales on the 15th, as well as Risso's and Pacific White-sided dolphins, but as we were after birds we did not spend too much time with these (except of course when the birds and cetaceans combine, as they usually do). On the 16th we immediately found ourselves surrounded with Humpbacks and Fins, and decided to hang around these for about half the trip to make sure everyone got their fill of great looks, which they did. One Fin Whale came right up to the boat! NCMS biologist Sara Sundberg was aboard to fill us all in on marine mammal haps and take photos of the whales for ID catalogues. Also in the marine science department, 2-3 salmon sharks, our first Mola of the year, and dozens of large by-the-wind-sailors (/Vellella vellella/) were about.
Bird-wise it was very different from the 15th, with only a scattering of shearwaters and albatrosses over the same track-line in which we'd seen hundreds the day before. The ocean can be quite fickle like this, which is what adds so much to the fun and intrigue. The reduced winds likely caused these birds not to move around as much, but it seemed more than just this, perhaps a different water mass had moved in. The birders were not disappointed, however, as a Manx Shearwater flew under the bow and close down the starboard side for all to enjoy, though briefly. This Atlantic species was absent from California waters until, pushed by wrong-way winds during the El Niño of 1992-1993, 100s were observed being blown around Cape Horn and into the Pacific. Since then they have been seen rarely but yearly off the West Coast, and breeding has recently more-or-less been confirmed on islands of British Columbia. Range expansion in action! We also had more Buller's Shearwaters and an egoistic South Polar Skua most interested in posing for close photos. On our way back in we spotted the trawler Dana J of Fort Bragg, working the edge of the canyon. As we approached, suddenly, dozens of Pink-footed Shearwaters and albatrosses sallied in behind us, and 100s of these and gulls were behind the trawler. It seemed perfect for a Short-tailed Albatross but, alas, among the 115 or so Black-footeds we could not spot that large neon-pink bill. Those who still need Cook's Petrel and Short-tailed Albatross will just need to try again.
The next Noyo Pelagics trips are scheduled for August 15th (Friday full-day) and 17th (Sunday half-day). Mid-August is now generally regarded as the best time for pelagic trips off California, both weather-wise and rarity-wise. You can sign up at our calendar at https://noyopelagics.com/#calendar <https://noyopelagics.com/%23calendar>.
Date: 7/14/25 5:02 pm From: Rain Tenaqiya 4001 Parducci Rd Ukiah, CA 95482 via groups.io <raincascadia...> Subject: [Mendobirds] Shorebirds at Lake Mendocino
I was birding on the dam at Lake Mendocino today (7/14) and saw a flock of five least sandpipers, one Western sandpiper, and one semipalmated plover. Last week, I had a spotted sandpiper at my pond on Parducci Road. Shorebirds are on the move!
Date: 7/14/25 10:34 am From: Tim Bray via groups.io <tbray...> Subject: [Mendobirds] Pelagics next two days
Tomorrow's all-day trip is nearly full but we could fit in a couple more
people. Conditions look good for a repeat of the June trip with the
spectacular flight of Pterodroma petrels, so sign up at noyopelagics.com
if you'd like to go.
Wednesday's half-day trip still has plenty of room. The forecast looks
nice, light southerly winds and 5-foot seas. Humpback Whales have been
seen fairly close in recently, and there was a large pod of Risso's
Dolphins less than a mile offshore last week. We should have a pleasant
morning. If you can join us for that one, be at the Anchor Charters dock
by 7:15 AM. Cost is $120 and they can take credit cards now. We should
return around 12:30-1:00.
Date: 7/7/25 9:35 am From: Dave Bengston via groups.io <davebengston...> Subject: [Mendobirds] Rare feeding behavior - BH Grosbeak and Amer Goldfinch
This morning I was watching my feeders. There were a number of American Goldfinches on them and then a young BH Grosbeak landed on the top bar above the feeders. A female Goldfinch landed next to it. I was watching the Grosbeak with binoculars at the time. They leaned towards each other and I was waiting expectantly to see pecking and aggressive behavior and then one get driven away. Instead, the Goldfinch fed some seed to the Grosbeak! I was stunned. The Grosbeak remained there, so I ran and got my camera and waited hoping to see if it would be repeated and catch it on camera. The Grosbeak stayed for a couple of minutes and finally flew away. The Grosbeak did not appear to be begging for food at the time (at least nothing I could see). Most of the young Grosbeaks are feeding themselves at the feeders by now. Other species present included WB Nuthatch, Acorn Woodpecker. Stellar's Jay and Oak Titmouse.
I have witnessed swallows feeding bluebirds and Oak Timouses and possibly CB Chickadees in nests; and of course other species feeding BH Cowbirds; but I have never seen interspecie feeding at a feeder.
Date: 7/6/25 5:59 pm From: jackson_us via groups.io <jackson2...> Subject: [Mendobirds] Osprey update plus a few other observations from the south coast
7/6/25 Anchor Bay/Gualala
Hi All,
The Osprey nest I watch from my place in Anchor Bay has two very
healthy-looking chicks. The mother Osprey is finally leaving them to go
fish. This morning when I looked through my scope both adult birds were at
the nest. This nest has been successful for twenty some years now.
A friend sent me a photo of an occupied Osprey nest just north of Gualala.
She said photographer Craig Tooley is going to come over and take photos.
She said she has found two nests and can hear a third one.
A pair of Ospreys tried to build a nest in the trees behind GBS Hardware
and ARFF in Gualala. It was obviously their first time. There was nest
building and perhaps mating but no nesting. We will be watching next year to
see if they do a better job. This nest would be pretty visible for watching
and photographing.
I am also enjoying a very active Violet-green Swallow nest on the west
side of my house.
Very few sightings/hearings of Pygmy Nuthatches this year. You might
remember I've had them nesting near my home, and roosting over the summer. I
really miss them this year.
Date: 7/5/25 6:29 pm From: Lisa D. Walker, (Feather Forestwalker) via groups.io <feather...> Subject: [Mendobirds] CA Towhee Continues at MCBG
Hi all,
This morning's MCBG Beginner's Bird Walk revealed that the California
Towhee continues in the Vegetable Garden area. The two Hooded Orioles
also continue.
Date: 6/28/25 10:08 am From: Tim Bray via groups.io <tbray...> Subject: [Mendobirds] Noyo Pelagics July 15 and 16
From Peter Pyle:
There are still some spaces open on both of these trips out of Fort
Bragg. July 15th is a 10-hour trip with Rob Fowler co-leading, and the
16th is a 5-hour trip. If you are coming out for one, you might as well
do both!
Due to deep water being close to shore we do get plenty of good birds on
the 5-hour trips. This spring, we had Short-tailed Albatross, Murphy's
Petrels, Hawaiian Petrels, the Heraldish Petrel, Laysan Albatross, and
all the pelagic regulars. If weather is good enough (as is usually the
case mid-July) we can get out past 15 miles where we had some 18 Cook's
Petrels on our June 15th trip. See our trip report for some nice photos
of these:
https://noyopelagics.com/pelagic_calendar/sunday-6-15-25-full-day-deepwater-birds-and-mammals/
Given dozens (and up to 600+) Black-footed Albatross on all of our trips
to Noyo Canyon, we're anticipating one of the Southern Hemisphere
species of albatross out there one of these days, and summer is as good
a time as any.
Whales are also starting to show up and we regularly get Humpbacks,
Fins, and Blues on the half-day trips, and Sperm Whales have been seen
over the years out there in summer. (Note from Tim: I heard from
fishermen that Orca were recently seen.)
Date: 6/17/25 6:29 pm From: Sarah Grimes via groups.io <zewa...> Subject: Re: [Mendobirds] Trip report, June 15th, Noyo Pelagics
Feels as if I had been aboard!
Peter and Tim, the trip reports are just so good!
Thank you
✨
Sarah
> On Jun 17, 2025, at 5:22 PM, Peter Pyle via groups.io <ppyle...> wrote:
>
> Greetings - Here is a slightly expanded version of the report that Tim sent out earlier. We'll have this report with photos up later this week (along with our schedule for future trips), here:
> https://noyopelagics.com/ >
> Be sure also to check out the previous reports there if you haven't already. And hope to see you out there soon!
>
> Peter
>
> *Trip Report. Noyo Pelagics, 15 June 2025 *
>
> It is great to get out in June, a month in which California offshore pelagic trips have been sparse. On Sunday's Noyo Pelagic trip we made it fifteen miles offshore in very heavy seas. Captain Richard Thornton of Anchor Charters (https://anchorcharterboats.com/) and Noyo Pelagics (https://noyopelagics.com/) was able to skillfully negotiate the conditions, frequently adjusting the speed and direction of the Kraken as the waves came at us. The going was slow but, as we've learned, there is plenty of time to get where we need to be going on a full-day trip out of Noyo Harbor. And as we've also known, higher winds are favorable for seeing all tubenoses, which are built to zoom around in such conditions.
>
> This day, 15 miles was far enough to get us into the /Pterodroma/ zone. Our second chum slick drew an estimated fifteen Murphy's and at least ten Cook's Petrels, whizzing around in 20-knot winds and repeatedly investigating our fish-oil slick, giving everyone great views of these remarkable birds. We ended up with 37 Murphy's and 18 Cook's for the day, the latter a species new for Mendocino on one-day pelagic trips and a new bird for many veteran county birders. Seeing them with land (the Mendocino Ridge) in the background is also something not normally seen off California, if ever!
>
> Perhaps even more remarkably, sharp-eyed birders photographed some dark shearwaters that were following the boat at times, and at least one has been verified as a Short-tailed Shearwater. Chuck Vaughn says there are no previous summer records for this species off Mendocino. We think they may be rare but regular in summer, easily missed among the hundreds or thousands of Sooty Shearwaters which they closely resemble. Now that we have more skilled photographers on the boats, we are getting IDs on birds that might have been missed.
>
> Other notable bird species for this time of year included Red-necked Phalaropes, adult Sabine's Gull, and a breeding-plumaged Tufted Puffin that circled the boat several times for all to enjoy. Jaegers have been vary sparse on our spring trips, so it was nice to see a third-year Pomarine come into our last slick and circle around for several minutes. This age group is still too young to breed so it (and second-year) birds are what we typically encounter off California in June-July, until the breeding adults begin to head south in August.
>
> Cetaceans are also finally beginning to return (more than a month later than last year), with at least one Humpback and two other larger blows that may have been Blue or Fin Whales. A pod of 15-20 Pacific White-sided Dolphins also rode the bow and wake for a spell.
>
> We spent a lot of time identifying (or attempting to identify anyway) dots on the horizon. /Pterodroma/ petrels are known for their incredible flying style, arcing high while barely moving a muscle. Their wing shape is a bit more angled than that of the shearwaters, and so is their angle relative to the water. Once this latter angle hits about 45° it's a good bet you have a /Pterodroma/, and once it gets to 60-90° you know you have one! They will often flip over at the top of their arc, with their backs to the surface at times, and we saw many Cook's Petrels do this today. So quickly did the Cook's dart over and back and up and down in the winds that it was difficult to get sharp photos. By contrast, shearwaters typically reach a 45° or so angle at most, and often give us a flap or two at the top of their arc, something unrequired by the /Pterodroma/ petrels. Speaking of /Pterodroma/, we still await final expert opinion on the Herald Petrel or hybrid thereof from our May 24th trip (see that report here <https://noyopelagics.com/pelagic_calendar/saturday-5-24-25-half-day-noyo-canyon-mammal-dedicated/>). We'll of course keep you posted on this.
>
> The eBird Trip Report with checklists and photos is here: https://ebird.org/tripreport/385981. The next Noyo Pelagics trip is scheduled for July 15 (Tuesday), and you can sign up at Home - Noyo Pelagics <https://noyopelagics.com/>. Mid July is also a time of year where few trips have been scheduled and anything we find may provide significant records.
>
> Cheers,
> Tim and Peter
>
>
>
>
>> On 6/17/2025 9:37 AM, Tim Bray via groups.io wrote:
>>
>> 15 June 2025 - On Sunday's Noyo Pelagic trip we made it fifteen miles offshore in very heavy seas. That was far enough to get us into the Pterodroma zone and our chum drew an estimated fifteen Murphy's and at least ten Cook's Petrels, whizzing around in 20-knot winds and repeatedly investigating our fish-oil slick, giving everyone great views of these remarkable birds.
>>
>> Perhaps even more remarkably, sharp-eyed birders photographed some dark Shearwaters that were following the boat at times, and at least one has been verified as a Short-tailed Shearwater. Chuck Vaughn says there are no previous summer records for this species off Mendocino. Peter Pyle thinks they may be rare but regular in summer, easily missed among the hundreds of Sooty Shearwaters which they closely resemble. Now that we have more skilled photographers on the boats, we are getting IDs on birds that might have been missed.
>>
>> Trip Report with checklists and photos here: https://ebird.org/tripreport/385981 >>
>> The next Noyo Pelagics trip is scheduled for July 15 (Tuesday) and you can sign up here: Home - Noyo Pelagics <https://noyopelagics.com/> >>
>> --
>> Cheers,
>> Tim
>> “I now belong to a higher cult of mortals for I have seen the albatross.” Robert Cushman Murphy, 1912
>> Mendocino Coast Audubon Society <http://mendocinocoastaudubon.org/> >> Ecology Hour <https://ecologyhour.wordpress.com/> >> Oak & Thorn <http://oakandthorn.wordpress.com> >> Facebook: Oak and Thorn <https://www.facebook.com/oakandthorn> >
>
>
>
>
>
Date: 6/17/25 5:22 pm From: Peter Pyle via groups.io <ppyle...> Subject: [Mendobirds] Trip report, June 15th, Noyo Pelagics
Greetings - Here is a slightly expanded version of the report that Tim sent out earlier. We'll have this report with photos up later this week (along with our schedule for future trips), here: https://noyopelagics.com/
Be sure also to check out the previous reports there if you haven't already. And hope to see you out there soon!
Peter
*Trip Report. Noyo Pelagics, 15 June 2025 *
It is great to get out in June, a month in which California offshore pelagic trips have been sparse. On Sunday's Noyo Pelagic trip we made it fifteen miles offshore in very heavy seas. Captain Richard Thornton of Anchor Charters (https://anchorcharterboats.com/) and Noyo Pelagics (https://noyopelagics.com/) was able to skillfully negotiate the conditions, frequently adjusting the speed and direction of the Kraken as the waves came at us. The going was slow but, as we've learned, there is plenty of time to get where we need to be going on a full-day trip out of Noyo Harbor. And as we've also known, higher winds are favorable for seeing all tubenoses, which are built to zoom around in such conditions.
This day, 15 miles was far enough to get us into the /Pterodroma/ zone. Our second chum slick drew an estimated fifteen Murphy's and at least ten Cook's Petrels, whizzing around in 20-knot winds and repeatedly investigating our fish-oil slick, giving everyone great views of these remarkable birds. We ended up with 37 Murphy's and 18 Cook's for the day, the latter a species new for Mendocino on one-day pelagic trips and a new bird for many veteran county birders. Seeing them with land (the Mendocino Ridge) in the background is also something not normally seen off California, if ever!
Perhaps even more remarkably, sharp-eyed birders photographed some dark shearwaters that were following the boat at times, and at least one has been verified as a Short-tailed Shearwater. Chuck Vaughn says there are no previous summer records for this species off Mendocino. We think they may be rare but regular in summer, easily missed among the hundreds or thousands of Sooty Shearwaters which they closely resemble. Now that we have more skilled photographers on the boats, we are getting IDs on birds that might have been missed.
Other notable bird species for this time of year included Red-necked Phalaropes, adult Sabine's Gull, and a breeding-plumaged Tufted Puffin that circled the boat several times for all to enjoy. Jaegers have been vary sparse on our spring trips, so it was nice to see a third-year Pomarine come into our last slick and circle around for several minutes. This age group is still too young to breed so it (and second-year) birds are what we typically encounter off California in June-July, until the breeding adults begin to head south in August.
Cetaceans are also finally beginning to return (more than a month later than last year), with at least one Humpback and two other larger blows that may have been Blue or Fin Whales. A pod of 15-20 Pacific White-sided Dolphins also rode the bow and wake for a spell.
We spent a lot of time identifying (or attempting to identify anyway) dots on the horizon. /Pterodroma/ petrels are known for their incredible flying style, arcing high while barely moving a muscle. Their wing shape is a bit more angled than that of the shearwaters, and so is their angle relative to the water. Once this latter angle hits about 45° it's a good bet you have a /Pterodroma/, and once it gets to 60-90° you know you have one! They will often flip over at the top of their arc, with their backs to the surface at times, and we saw many Cook's Petrels do this today. So quickly did the Cook's dart over and back and up and down in the winds that it was difficult to get sharp photos. By contrast, shearwaters typically reach a 45° or so angle at most, and often give us a flap or two at the top of their arc, something unrequired by the /Pterodroma/ petrels. Speaking of /Pterodroma/, we still await final expert opinion on the Herald Petrel or hybrid thereof from our May 24th trip (see that report here <https://noyopelagics.com/pelagic_calendar/saturday-5-24-25-half-day-noyo-canyon-mammal-dedicated/>). We'll of course keep you posted on this.
The eBird Trip Report with checklists and photos is here: https://ebird.org/tripreport/385981. The next Noyo Pelagics trip is scheduled for July 15 (Tuesday), and you can sign up at Home - Noyo Pelagics <https://noyopelagics.com/>. Mid July is also a time of year where few trips have been scheduled and anything we find may provide significant records.
Cheers, Tim and Peter
On 6/17/2025 9:37 AM, Tim Bray via groups.io wrote: > > 15 June 2025 - On Sunday's Noyo Pelagic trip we made it fifteen miles > offshore in very heavy seas. That was far enough to get us into the > Pterodroma zone and our chum drew an estimated fifteen Murphy's and at > least ten Cook's Petrels, whizzing around in 20-knot winds and > repeatedly investigating our fish-oil slick, giving everyone great > views of these remarkable birds. > > Perhaps even more remarkably, sharp-eyed birders photographed some > dark Shearwaters that were following the boat at times, and at least > one has been verified as a Short-tailed Shearwater. Chuck Vaughn says > there are no previous summer records for this species off Mendocino. > Peter Pyle thinks they may be rare but regular in summer, easily > missed among the hundreds of Sooty Shearwaters which they closely > resemble. Now that we have more skilled photographers on the boats, > we are getting IDs on birds that might have been missed. > > Trip Report with checklists and photos here: > https://ebird.org/tripreport/385981 > > The next Noyo Pelagics trip is scheduled for July 15 (Tuesday) and you > can sign up here: Home - Noyo Pelagics <https://noyopelagics.com/> > > -- > Cheers, > Tim > “I now belong to a higher cult of mortals for I have seen the > albatross.” Robert Cushman Murphy, 1912 > Mendocino Coast Audubon Society <http://mendocinocoastaudubon.org/> > Ecology Hour <https://ecologyhour.wordpress.com/> > Oak & Thorn <http://oakandthorn.wordpress.com> > Facebook: Oak and Thorn <https://www.facebook.com/oakandthorn> >
Date: 6/17/25 9:37 am From: Tim Bray via groups.io <tbray...> Subject: [Mendobirds] Cook's Petrels and Short-tailed Shearwaters
15 June 2025 - On Sunday's Noyo Pelagic trip we made it fifteen miles
offshore in very heavy seas. That was far enough to get us into the
Pterodroma zone and our chum drew an estimated fifteen Murphy's and at
least ten Cook's Petrels, whizzing around in 20-knot winds and
repeatedly investigating our fish-oil slick, giving everyone great views
of these remarkable birds.
Perhaps even more remarkably, sharp-eyed birders photographed some dark
Shearwaters that were following the boat at times, and at least one has
been verified as a Short-tailed Shearwater. Chuck Vaughn says there are
no previous summer records for this species off Mendocino. Peter Pyle
thinks they may be rare but regular in summer, easily missed among the
hundreds of Sooty Shearwaters which they closely resemble. Now that we
have more skilled photographers on the boats, we are getting IDs on
birds that might have been missed.
