Myself and Tom were booked on an eight hour sea bird pelagic today run by the same people as yesterday. It was superb. A few seabirds weren’t seen but this was made up for by seeing the two largest animals in the world (Blue and Fin Whale) together on either side of the boat and later by a huge pod of Pacific White-sided Dolphins performing spectacularly for us. My big regret is that I didn’t take Sam. A count was kept by Dan Singer.
More pictures are on my Pelagic Page.
Tom, to his credit, had refused to tick the Condor and insisted we drive the Big Sur again. I’d been given some information on the boat about a spot that was supposedly between three-quarters of an hour and one and a half-hours (!) south. So mid-afternoon we all set off (including Michelle who had missed some of the journey as she’d been sleeping) to have another drive along the Big Sur. After over an hour of driving, and without finding the spot, I decided we had better turn around as it was getting late and Michelle wanted to take us to Cannery Row in Monterey which she had visited (including the Aquarium) with Sam. Pulling into a view point to turn around, I stepped out of the car to stretch my legs for a few minutes and admire the view, when an adult Californian Condor with gleaming White coverts circled above me. Quickly calling the others out of the car, we were all able to get on it and have good views as it circled a thermal. Whilst there we also connected with Rufous-crowned Sparrow. A good place to turn around! Then a quick dash back to Monterrey and out to a sea-side restaurant on Cannery Row. .
At Sea (California)26 August 2012
Black-footed Albatross, Sooty Shearwater, Pink-footed Shearwater, Buller's Shearwater, Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel, Ashy Storm-Petrel, Double-crested Cormorant, Brandt's Cormorant, Brown Pelican, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Great Egret, Red-necked Phalarope, Red Phalarope, Pomarine Jaeger, Parasitic Jaeger, Sabine's Gull, Heermann's Gull, Western Gull, California Gull, Elegant Tern, Arctic Tern, Common Murre, Pigeon Guillemot, Cassin's Auklet, Rhinoceros Auklet
Big Sur
26 August 2012
Brandt's Cormorant, Brown Pelican, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Turkey Vulture, California Condor, Western Gull, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Band-tailed Pigeon, Anna's Hummingbird, Common Raven, American Crow, Western Scrub-Jay, Barn Swallow, European Starling, Song Sparrow, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Brewer's Blackbird
