Date: 3/25/25 1:58 pm From: Peter Pyle via groups.io <ppyle...> Subject: [Mendobirds] Noyo Pelagics trip report, March 24th
Greetings Mendobirders,
About 30 birders and marine mammal enthusiasts went out of Noyo Harbor
on 3/24, on the Kraken with Captain Richard Thornton of Anchor Charters
(https://anchorcharterboats.com/), for a half-day trip. We set up the
trip on Thursday and had this many eager participants by Monday! It was
a bit choppy at first, slop left over from the previous day's NW winds,
but the winds calmed down and the seas smoothed out throughout the day.
After spending some quality time with 3-4 Gray Whales, a mile or so
offshore, we headed out to Noyo Canyon and made it as far as "The
Junction" about 15 miles from the coast. Throughout the day the ocean
sparkled with (literally) millions of "by the wind sailors" (/Velella
velella/) a jellyfish in which the sailor part that dots the seas
represents the polyp stage. Our deckhand Corinne bucketed one up to
observed in the slime. It had a backwards-S shaped sail, representing
about 50% of the population, which had sailed off in a different
direction than those with frontwards-S shaped sails.
Birds were sparse at first, though Black-footed Albatrosses soon began
to sniff about, wondering if we had some fish parts to toss. A Laysan
Albatross joined in and afforded great views for all. Otherwise "just"
gulls, Red Phalaropes, Cassin's Auklets, Rhinoceros Auklets, all three
loons, etc. We got out to the Junction, put down a slick, and finally
obliged the albatrosses and gulls by tossing out some rockfish carcasses
and parts that the Kraken crew had generously saved for the occasion. A
few albatrosses including a Laysan came in but it seemed pretty quiet so
we headed back to "The Dogleg," about 10 miles offshore, where we had
noticed some foraging birds on the way out. As we left the Junction we
continued tossing chum, and this did the trick, as an eager gaggle of
gulls and albatrosses increased in number until we reached the Dogleg,
where we stopped for our second slick. Black-footed Albatrosses
continued to arrive, up to 15-20 at once, and we had the usual 50+ gulls
of five species and multiple ages to study. What seemed like a couple of
additional Laysans kept circling afar, and a few Sooty Shearwaters
joined the party.
We had soaked the Dogleg for about 40 minutes when Captain Richard
noticed a big group of dolphins to the north and we headed up to see if
they would ride the bow. Richard said they looked like Risso's Dolphins
and sure enough they were, some 300 of them! For the next hour or so we
cruised along, getting photos of their large dorsal fins, bulbous heads,
and smiley faces during surfaces and partial leaps. Katerina Audrey, our
NCMS marine mammal expert aboard, called out that there was a leucistic
dolphin in with the procession and to get photos, as it may be Casper,
the famous white Risso's from Monterey Bay. After the trip she
coordinated with the Monterey Bay marine mammalogists and it was not
Casper, but another leucistic one to keep track of on our future trips.
It was washed yellowish all over, the result of a diatom film.
We noticed some different looking splashes to the north and these turned
out to be about 120 Pacific White-sided and 80 Northern Right Whale
Dolphins that came in to join the Risso's. Unlike the Risso's these
species do ride the bow, and Richard expertly guided the boat at the
right speed to affect this. We super enjoyed both species, cruising
along just below the bow, in close proximity, and in crystal clear blue
waters. Having all three species in one group is something I hadn't seen
before. One or more Laysan Albatrosses kept circling around as we headed
back to shore, and we debated if the day's total should be 2, 3, 4, or
more. But upon reviewing photos of their distinctive underwing patterns,
we could not confirm more than just one bird, that appeared to follow us
along throughout the day. Whatever the count, the sight of a Laysan
Albatross sallying along over deep blue seas will never get old!
We are gearing up for a full schedule of pelagic trips from April
through November and our website announcing the dates and including
sign-up buttons is coming soon. Our first few trips are on April 26th
(half day), April 27th (full day), May 9th (full day). May 11th (full
day), and May 12th (half day), should you like to mark your calendars.
We will be running some back-to-back trips this year for our out-of-town
friends who may want to double up on pelagics during a long-weekend
journey to our bountiful coast for birding and other local amenities.
