Date: 10/5/26 8:16 pm From: Jonathan Feenstra via groups.io <feenstra...> Subject: [LACoBirds] LA Birders pelagic trip report, 10/4/26
Birders:
Yesterday, 10/4/26, Los Angeles Birders ran a 5 hour pelagic trip from King Harbor, Redondo Beach that went out Redondo Canyon, across the shipping lanes to the 270 Bank.
Conditions were good in that the seas were gentle, glassy in places, and there was little wind... that said, it was hot as blazes out there, and when the boat stopped, it got real warm on deck.
There was only one sizeable flock of birds: a mix of gulls, pelicans, a Cocos Booby, and some hundreds of Black-vented Shearwaters along the Palos Verdes Escarpment.
The 270 Bank, our target destination, was pretty slow, but there, and in the shipping lanes we saw Black, Ashy, and Least Storm-Petrels, as well as Red and Red-necked Phalaropes, a Cassin's Auklet, a couple of Sooty Shearwaters, and a scattering of Common Murres. An interesting murre, popped by Dave Pereksta on our ride in, was pretty exciting with an overall pattern like Thick-billed Murre. We were able to take a close pass, get lots of photos, and now have something to talk about. It may just be an aberrant Common Murre, but it's not yet settled, so, here a "/". I put some of my photos in the trip report. Way better ones were taken by way better photographers on board, so check back later.
These five hour trips are a good intro trip to our nearshore waters and great for beginning pelagic birders. We'll be running our next one in January, so stay tuned (www.losangelesbirders.org).
