Date: 10/3/26 7:50 pm From: Tom Benson via groups.io <thomasabenson...> Subject: [OrangeCountyBirding] Sea & Sage fall pelagic trip, Oct 3
Sea & Sage Audubon held their annual fall pelagic trip today, October 3, aboard the Ocean Institute's R/V Sea Explorer. Despite being a little warm, we had good conditions with minimal swell, minimal wind, and great visibility. Overall bird numbers were relatively low, but we encountered a good diversity and a steady stream of birds throughout the day. From Dana Point, we visited the 279 Bank, Crespi Knoll, and Lausen Sea Mount before returning to Dana Point.
The only Sterna terns we encountered today were two Common Terns right at the mouth of the harbor as we were departing. Storm-petrels were seen scattered about most of the day, with Leasts outnumbering Blacks 3 to 1; there was a large concentration at Lausen Sea Mount with about 40 Leasts and 15 Blacks. There was also a good showing of Sabine's Gulls throughout the day with about 15 seen, as well as four Cocos Boobies on the day. Other pelagic species encountered included Red Phalarope (7), Pomarine Jaeger (2), Common Murre (2), Craveri's Murrelet (2), Pink-footed Shearwater (2), Sooty Shearwater (2), Black-vented Shearwater (18), and an unidentified white-rumped storm-petrel. A few landbirds were also seen offshore, including an unidentified passerine, a Rufous/Allen's Hummingbird, about 10 Barn Swallows, and a Belted Kingfisher about 2 km from Dana Point.
There was also a good showing of non-bird marine animals, with multiple California Flying Fish, several Striped Marlin (one repeatedly breaching), an unidentified ray, a Loggerhead Sea Turtle, and a pod of Bottlenose Dolphin just off Dana Point.
A preliminary eBird trip report is available here: https://ebird.org/tripreport/578779 Tom BensonRedlands, CA
