Paul Lehman posted on WhatsApp that an adult female Lesser Frigatebird was
photographed near the intersection of Guizot and Devonshire along Sunset
Cliffs in Point Loma sometime early this morning. It was incorrectly
reported as a Magnificent Frigatebird:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/383052980
On the topic of misidentified frigatebirds, the La Jolla seawatch
individual seen Friday at dusk could speculatively be a juvenile Great
Frigatebird, although the photos are poor and it is probably best left
unidentified:
https://ebird.org/checklist/S372947621
Juvenile Great Frigatebirds are slightly smaller, with a black breast band
and a golden hue to the head, so be sure to document any frigatebird
carefully.
Another Magnificent Frigatebird reported around Moonlight Beach on
Wednesday was not documented beyond frigatebird sp.
El Niño conditions in Costa Rica and Panama are already producing expected
vagrants, including Inca Tern, Peruvian Booby, and Guanay Cormorant. It may
therefore be a good summer and fall for Southern California vagrants from
Mexican waters, perhaps including Blue-footed Booby or Wedge-tailed
Shearwater, especially since current conditions rival those associated with
the legendary ’98 big-year event:
https://www.integratedecosystemassessment.noaa.gov/regions/california-current/california-current-marine-heatwave-tracker-blobtracker
For those wishing to roll the dice, the full schedule of August and
September pelagic trips departing from San Diego is available here:
https://sandiegopelagics.com/
Tom Ford-Hutchinson
San Diego, CA
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