Date: 10/18/26 5:18 am From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Oct 17th San Diego pelagic trip: Orcas, Nazca & Cocos Boobies, lots of Leasts and Sabine's
The San Diego pelagic trip on Saturday, October 17, aboard "Legacy" out of Seaforth Landing and sponsored by Buena Vista Audubon Society was highlighted by boobies and storm-petrels. The actual avian highlight for many was a mammal: a pod of about 10 Orcas not far off Point Loma which had earlier killed a Fin Whale and were lollygagging right near our boat. An adult or near-adult Nazca Booby was at the 30-Mile Bank, and there were 6 Cocos Boobies scattered during the day, including one perched on the Mission Bay jetties. A good total of ca. 180 Least Storm-Petrels (scattered, but mostly at the 30-Mile Bank), plus a small number of dark-rumped Leach's (seven). The 59 Sabine's Gulls was a very good count, especially for this getting-late date. A Common Murre was just off Mission Bay, part of a recent influx of murres locally. Also a number of pelagic coots and grebes well offshore.
Lots of photos from the trip will be posted with the shared eBird lists out probably on Monday.
Offshore totals for the trip were as follows:
Mourning Dove 1
Eared Grebe 1
Western Grebe 1
American Coot 5 (as far offshore as 30-Mile Bank)
Dunlin 22 (flock well offshore at "The Corner")
Red-necked Phalarope 220
Red Phalarope 14
Common Murre 1
Cassin's Auklet 33
Sabine's Gull 59
Heermann's Gull 10
Western Gull 450
California Gull 35
Arctic Tern 1
Elegant Tern 3 (low)
Leach's Storm-Petrel (dark-rumped) 7
Black Storm-Petrel 65
Least Storm-Petrel 180
Sooty Shearwater 1
Pink-footed Shearwater 11
Black-vented Shearwater 600
Nazca Booby 1
Cocos Booby 6
Brandt's Cormorant 15
Brown Pelican 14
Peregrine Falcon 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
For information on past and future trips, see sandiegopelagics.com
This was our final trip in 2026. The schedule for 2027 should probably be out by sometime in December. There will likely be about 10 trips offered between mid-May and mid-October.
--Paul Lehman, Bruce Rideout, Dan Jehl, Alex Abela, Jimmy McMorran, Paul Mulholland, Nick Thorpe, San Diego
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group.
View/Reply Online (#18079): https://groups.io/g/SanDiegoRegionBirding/message/18079 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/121815282/858290 -=-=-
---
The monthly meetings of San Diego Field Ornithologists (SDFO) are currently virtual, open only to members, at 6pm on the third Tuesday of every month.
