Date: 10/3/25 9:49 pm From: Peter Pyle via groups.io <ppyle...> Subject: [Mendobirds] Today's Pelagic trip (Oct 3)
Greetings Mendo birders and pelagic enthusiasts-
It was an exhilarating full day on the ocean for about 16 participants. Wind was fairly brisk and picked up on us out at about 20 miles in Noyo Canyon but birds were everywhere all day. Highlights were an adult female Cocos Booby (technically Cocos/Brown Booby) that flew past us half an hour out of the gate, at least 4-5 for-sure Short-tailed Shearwaters and probably up to 5-6 more possible/probables, the skua slam in two ways, multiples of all four species but also a Mendo record 20 or so South Polar Skuas, including some nice blond-headed adults, thousands of shearwaters including >100 Buller's, multiple breaching Humpback Whales, Sabines Gulls, Ashy Storm-Petrels, etc. At one point we were scoping a raft of >1000 shearwaters when three skuas started fighting, slammed into the flock, and sent the entire crowd over the southern horizon. We will be busy sorting through our scattershot photos of this and other shearwater flocks for anything more interesting.
We have half day trips on both days this weekend with some spaces left if anyone would like to witness this spectacle. Sunday's trip (Oct 5th) at least will include much calmer weather. Our normal full trip report with photos, for all three trips, will be posted after the 5th.
