Date: 6/17/26 9:17 am From: Chuck & Barbara Vaughn via groups.io <cevaughn...> Subject: [centralvalleybirds] Fort Bragg pelagic June 26
Greetings Central Valley Birders- I am forwarding the message below from
Peter Pyle.
"June has typically been the most difficult month to fill pelagic trips
which means it is also one of the poorest-known months for marine bird
and mammal occurrence off our shores. To wit, our May 30th and June 14th
trips have turned up many surprises, in addition to lots of Murphy's
Petrels, a couple of Hawaiian Petrels, and on last year's June trip,
many Cook's Petrels (which are over Davidson Seamount now).
Nutrient-rich upwelling and cold water continues off our coast
nearshore, while nutrient-poor and warm El Nino water is moving in
offshore, a situation that could well result in tropical species
(boobies, tropicbirds, Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, any of several
storm-petrels), coming into our zone to forage.
A white-bellied Murphy's Petrel was the talk of the trip, but we also
had many Laysan Albatrosses, a Black Storm-Petrel, South Polar Skua,
Tufted Puffin, surprise Ancient Murrelets headed north, and some great
marine mammal sightings and action.
We are now recruiting for our June 26th trip to make it a go. In summer
our captain makes most of his annual salary fishing, and so we have to
make sure we get enough sign-ups to make it worth his while. As of now,
scholarships for students to go for free are now available (contact Tim
Bray, cc'd above) and Mendocino Coast Audubon has reserved a camp site
at MacKerricher State Park for the night before the trip that all are
welcome to use (contact Roger Adamson, above). Please consider coming up
to enjoy the coast and to see what we can see offshore.
