Earning My Sea Legs

By the time 11:30am rolled around on Friday, September 22, 2017 I was finished with classes for the week and headed west on I-10 bound for Tucson. Ultimately I was bound for the West Coast and my very first pelagic birding trip on Sunday, but until then I was watching the Sonoran desert dry out and give way to the Mojave as I headed west.

One of hundreds of Black-vented Shearwaters (Puffinus opisthomelas) seen flitting over the Pacific about 10 miles off of Point Loma, San Diego County, California

Sep. 24, 2017 

After getting an obligatory date shake at Dateland, I headed for Yuma, turning off the interstate and heading for Mittry Lake. As I headed north into the desolate Mojave desert in the golden evening light several dozen Lesser Nighthawks (Chordeiles acutipennis) flitted buoyantly over the road. I couldn't help but flash back to nine months earlier when I had visited Mittry Lake on a similar mission. I had been lucky enough to hear a Ridgway's Rail (Rallus obsoletus) "keking" several times in the dark. This time however I was after a much more elusive species, the Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicensis). This species has been experiencing population declines throughout its eastern range, and is very sporadically distributed in the West.
An hour and a half of listening after dark yielded several satisfactory grunts and "brrr" notes. From here I continued my track West, following the signs along I-8 for San Diego well into the night.

After a few hours of sleep, I continued the final 45 minutes into San Diego hoping to get to the first spot on my itinerary in the Golden State.
Lake Murray is a residential park that includes the eponymous lake as well as a few acres of undeveloped chaparral habitat surrounding it. My hope was this would prove to be enough acreage to support a few of California's specialty species. As the gray light of dawn played across the lake and the hum of Saturday morning traffic began, I managed to find a small flock of nutmeg-colored birds feeding on grass seed heads around the shore of the lake.

A sharp male Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata) feeding around the edge of Lake Murray, San Diego County, California 

September 23, 2017

These Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura puntulata) (formerly Nutmeg Mannikin) are an introduced species from Southeast Asia that have spread throughout the greater Los Angeles/San Diego areas. This is just one of several introduced species that have managed to establish populations in southern California.
Meanwhile, as the sun began to rise above the horizon I managed to find several other species I had hoped to detect. A male Allen's Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin) landed in a bush near me, giving me great looks at its tail feathers (and fortunately allowing me to see the narrower outer retrices). Amid the many Blue-gray Gnatcatchers (Polioptila caerulea) present I also found a California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica). This species' population has suffered declines due to the increased development of the southern California coastal chaparral habitat as more people move to the already crowded suburbs of San Diego and Los Angeles. Watching one of these birds flitting agitatedly in a bush, it was difficult to shake the foreboding claustrophobia of the infringing houses surrounding this shred of scrub habitat. Crowding the hills like jackals waiting to scavenge the last shreds of unravelling chaparral habitat in this unique corner of the United States.

Next I headed south to the Tijuana River Valley Regional Park Bird and Butterfly Gardens in the hopes of finding a species that had thus far eluded me on my previous West Coast trip: the Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata). While trying to track down this peculiar species I was able to spend some time watching a sub-adult male Allen's Hummingbird feeding on a bright red flower.

Sub-adult Allen's Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin) sporting a solid green back and much of an iridescent red gorget

Tijuana River Valley Regional Park- Bird and Butterfly Gardens, San Diego County, California

Sep. 23, 2017

Splayed tail of the sub-adult male Allen's Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin) showing the narrower outer retrices (R5)

Tijuana River Valley Regional Park- Bird and Butterfly Gardens, San Diego County, California

Sep. 23, 2017

A Wrentit finally piped up after about an hour of searching and I was able to enjoy the unique piercing accelerated hollow song. This prompted me to head further south to Border Field State Park beach and do some seawatching. A few weeks before this location had hosted a Red-footed Booby (Sula sula).

US/Mexico border at Border Field SP beach looking south into Tijuana, MX

San Diego County, California

Sep. 23, 2017

I was relieved to find several Elegant Terns (Thalasseus elegans) (a life bird), roosting with several Royal Terns (Thalasseus maximus) and Heerman's Gulls (Larus heermanni). While scanning the ocean I was lucky enough to see an adult Pomarine Jaeger (Stercorarius pomarinus) zoom north from Mexico into the United States. While all three North American Jaeger species were a regular sight on the tundra surrounding Barrow, Alaska where I spent the last two summers volunteering for the USFWS, Pomarine was the last Jaeger I hadn't observed in the Lower 48. A short while later I watched as a Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) fly into US waters and leisurely plunge-dive before working its way back into Mexican waters. I had seen this species several years before when a young bird wandered to Lake Havasu, Arizona, but it was nice to see one in its natural habitat rather than lethargically standing on a buoy amid speedboaters.
After getting some lunch and recombobulating in Point Loma, I was investigating reports of Red-masked Parakeet (Psittacara opisthomelas) at the Point Loma Nazarene University when I stumbled upon reports of a continuing Kentucky Warbler (Geothlypis formosa) at the University.

Red-masked Parakeet (Psittacara opisthomelas) a native of Ecuador and northwestern Peru has established a population in the suburbs of Point Loma and a larger population in the Los Angeles area.

Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego County, California

Sep. 23, 2017

Excited by the prospects of an unexpected life bird I quickly headed over and tried to find the spot. I ran into some other birders who helped me to get on the bird. It appeared to be a young bird, and was quietly feeding in the undergrowth close to the trail. Unfortunately, I underestimated the lighting and had my camera settings incorrectly set. This led to a much slower-than-needed shutter speed and very poor photos. The bird was difficult to see at times, and getting better photos was made impossible by several other birders who showed up and insisted on crawling into the undergrowth, crowding the bird, and snapping photos. I made a few comments, but these birders clearly didn't care what I thought, or about the well-being of the bird.

Its terrible, but *technically* it is identifiable as a Kentucky Warbler (Geothlypis formosa). While my photos suck, I was able to get good views of the bird, which was enough.

Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego County, California

Sep. 23, 2017 

I awoke just after 5:00am on September 24 with great excitement. After a short drive and a brief moment of confusion, I managed to get my car parked and found the group of birders gathered on the dock awaiting the Grande to be prepped for 12 hours out at sea. This was my first Pelagic trip, first time on a boat, and ultimately a test. I wanted to see if I could hack it on the ocean. I didn't expect to get seasick, but I also didn't want to begin taking the steps to pursue a career working with seabirds without knowing whether I enjoyed being on the ocean.

I loved it.

The Pacific is known for its calm seas. I found the snappy roll of the boat to be relaxing and fun to maneuver. Anticipating the amplitude of each roll became a game, and holding binoculars or cameras steady to observe birds had the added challenge of a world in motion. It was certainly no Bering Sea in fall or North Atlantic in winter, but there were several people who clearly weren't having as much fun as I was, which the gulls investigating our chum throughout the day can attest.

Pacific Ocean approx. 25 miles West of San Diego Bay, San Diego County, California

Sep. 24, 2017

In general (aside for the return adjacent to Point Loma) the numbers of tubenoses wasn't particularly high and the individuals were rather dispersed. However, there was amble opportunity to study the petite size and hurried flight of the Black-vented Shearwaters (Puffinus opisthomelas) compared to the burly form and stronger flight of the Pink-footed Shearwaters (Ardenna creatopus). I personally derived a lot of joy from seeing a handful of Sooty Shearwaters (Ardenna melania) and making mental comparisons of color and structure to the thousands of Short-tailed Shearwaters (Ardenna tenuirostris). I had gotten to observe this past July during a storm in Barrow, Alaska.

Several Short-tailed Shearwaters dodging waves during a summer storm in Barrow, Alaska. The spectacle of seeing several thousand Shearwaters stream by over the course of the day during this storm is what really sparked my interest pursuing a career in tubenose study and conservation.

Utqiagvik (Barrow), North Slope, Alaska

July 22, 2017

Watching diffuse groups of Storm-Petrels was also quite exciting. Noting the differences between the Nighthawk-esque flight of the Black Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma melania) versus the more direct persistent flapping of the Ashy Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma homochroa).
Around noon the enthusiasm from many of the participants was at an apparent lull. The relatively distant and patchily distributed Storm-Petrel flocks didn't appeal to those who were interested in easily identifiable species. I took advantage of the vacated bow to wedge myself into a position and continued scanning, eventually striking up a conversation with one of the leaders, Gary Nunn. I had met Gary several months before when he and some friends spent a week birding in Barrow. While we were catching up and reminiscing on the particularly cold June the North Slope had experienced this year, we noticed two birds flying high over the bow of a large cargo ship. Upon further investigation I muttered that one of the birds appeared to be a Sulid. The glare from the sun was bad and I couldn't tell for sure, but my heart began to quicken as it appeared to be a black-and-white colored booby. Gary was quick to get word out and soon everyone on the boat was scrutinizing this bird. It didn't take long before it became apparent this bird had an orangey-pink tinge to the bill which suggested it was a Nazca Booby (Sula granti). This realization caused the excitement on the boat to increase to 11.

Nazca Booby (Sula granti) approx. 30 miles west of San Diego Bay, San Diego County, California

Sep. 24, 2017

Lucky for us the bird eventually peeled off and investigated our chum allowing for close study and photos. Nazca Booby was formerly considered a subspecies of the more widespread Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra). Nazca is regularly encountered near the Galapagos Islands and off the coast of Central America northward to Mexico, though it has only been documented in US waters a handful of times (with at least one breeding attempt in Hawaii in which an individual paired with a Masked Booby). The past two years have seen an apparent increase in the detection of this species off the coast of southern California. Its hard to tell if this is due to a true increase in the northern population of this species, or if it is simply owed to an increase in detection and photographs by observers. However, when considering the Swallow-tailed Gull (Creagrus furcatus) that made an appearance in Washington state this year (which is also a species favoring the Humboldt Current and localized in the Galapagos) it seems there may be some oceanographic factor aiding in the dispersal of these species across the equator and north into the California Current (perhaps squid abundance?)

Nazca Booby (Sula granti) approx. 30 miles west of San Diego Bay, San Diego County, California

Sep. 24, 2017

Things slowed down considerably after the excitement over the Nazca and aside for a spectacle of several hundred lovely Black-vented Shearwaters cruising north in the golden glow of the lengthening afternoon there was little to be found. Talking with some of the leaders it seems the Storm-Petrels haven't been rafting in the traditional spots the two years. It is unknown whether they have found another "sweet spot" to raft and find food or if there isn't enough concentrated food and they aren't rafting at all. The water temperature at the "traditional" spot was between 68 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit which (to me) seems quite warm for an area that was supposed to be a site of upwelling.
Ultimately it was a wonderful day out on the Pacific and it undoubtedly won't be my last.

Possible Least Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma microsoma) based on the short tail and differing flight style from Ashy and Black Storm-Petrels seen nearby. When it landed on the water near a flock of Red-necked Phalaropes (Phalaropus lobatus) it was clearly smaller.  

Seen approx. 30 miles west of San Diego Bay, San Diego County, California

Sep. 24, 2017