The Mendocino Coast Audubon Society’s pelagic birding trip from Noyo Harbor had great sea conditions - just a light wind and small swell, plus fog of course. Here’s their sighting report, with thanks to Kerry Ross and Ron LaValley for their Mendobirds report. Number of species: 22

Ocean Sunfish - Mola mola 1 very large one! (photo is of an Ocean Sunfish as seen in Montery Bay Aquarium)

Surf Scoter - Melanitta perspicillata 14

Pacific Loon - Gavia pacifica 3

Common Loon - Gavia immer 1

Western Grebe - Aechmophorus occidentalis 12

Black-footed Albatross - Phoebastria nigripes 57

Northern Fulmar - Fulmarus glacialis 3

Pink-footed Shearwater - Puffinus creatopus 15

Sooty Shearwater - Puffinus griseus 88

Brandt’s Cormorant - Phalacrocorax penicillatus 6

Double-crested Cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus 1

Pelagic Cormorant - Phalacrocorax pelagicus 9 (including two nests with chicks)

Red-necked Phalarope - Phalaropus lobatus 161

Red Phalarope - Phalaropus fulicarius 78

Brown Pelican - Pelecanus occidentalis 3

Western Gull - Larus occidentalis 98

Parasitic Jaeger - Stercorarius parasiticus 1

Sabine’s Gull - Xema sabini 4

Common Tern - Sterna hirundo 5

California Gull - Larus californicus 11

Common Murre - Uria aalge 142

Pigeon Guillemot - Cepphus columba 7

Cassin’s Auklet - Ptychoramphus aleuticus 8

Rhinoceros Auklet - Cerorhinca monocerata 26

Harbor Seal - Phoca vitulina 1

California Sea Lion - Zalophus californianus 1 on the dock

Notably absent were all cetaceans, including dolphin and porpoises, and absolutely no By the Wind Sailors (Velella velella), usually quite prevalent in the spring.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 21st, 2008 at 12:40 pm and is filed under Birding, Boating/Fishing, Fort Bragg Attractions, Going Green, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.