Date: 11/1/26 6:09 pm From: Stan Walens via SanDiegoRegionBirding <stan.walens...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] La Jolla Cove in this afternoon's strong NW wind: 2 Cookilaria petrels and other minor stuff; and a Merlin app help question
I went to La Jolla from 12:30-3:30 this afternoon. Winds were W and NW 18-22 mph along the immediate coast, slightly higher a mile offshore.
Ocean was roiling; sunlight was bright and harsh, blowing out colors.
Parking, of course was non-existent, so I ended up scoping from near Children’s Pool.
You get a better look at a wider area, but the birds are further offshore, than from near my bench.
After a summer in which there were virtually no black-vented shearwaters [this was the worst summer and early fall seabirding I’ve had in 44 years of observations], today they were streaming by at about 900-1000/hour. They were everywhere, from 25 yards offshore to the horizon. Mostly heading south.
One bird close to shore clearly had an all-white vent, but I couldn’t see the head or flanks well enough to say if it was a Manx or a white-vented black-vented.
At approximately 1:15, 2 Cookilaria petrels came flying south in the midst of a bolus of black-venteds only 100 yards or so offshore. They stood out for their smaller size, all gray on the dorsal surface and white on the ventral, triangular wings and faster, much more agile and active flight style. Even though they were relatively close, I was unable to get a good look at the heads; the sun was just blowing out any markings on their upperwings and heads, plus their Cirque de Soleil acrobatics and twists made getting anything more than a very quick look at their heads nearly impossible. It’s getting very late for Cook’s petrel here now, and the Pineapple Express we just experienced did come from areas where other Cookilaria petrels occur, so it’s just Cookliaria sp.
Other seabirds were 17 parasitic jaegers, all adults. 140 phalaropes, which I think were probably Reds, but once again, the sun blew out any markings.
My FOS Bonaparte’s gulls, a small number of adult California gulls and a Herring gull. 9 Common and 6 Pacific loons.
No alcids, but then the swells were quite substantial. Hundreds could have snuck by in the troughs without me seeing them. 😉
2 humpback whales.
I am having trouble with Merlin on both my iPhone and iPad after this latest OS updates.
If anyone on this listserv is a Merlin expert and might be able to help me troubleshoot, please contact me off-list.
Stan Walens, San Diego
Nov 1, 2026; 5:28pm
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