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SoCalBirding May 10, 2008 Deep Water Pelagic : All of the photos in this album were taken by Karen Straus on the SoCalBirding double header weekend on Grande, May 10-12, 2008, and are posted here with her permission. Visit www.BirdBrained.biz for more of her work. Click the slideshow button on the upper right portion of your screen for a full-screen slideshow. More than 70 seabirders spent a fun-filled weekend offshore San Diego on May 10 and 11 on Grande, an 85 foot live-aboard boat. This is their story. A complete trip list follows this account. The first trip of our weekend "double-header" pulled out of Point Loma Sportfishing marina at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday. Our destinations: the 9-Mile Bank and the Coronados Islands. We were seeing Sooty Shearwaters before 8:00 a.m. and Black Storm-petrels by 8:30. Our first Pink-footed Shearwater was seen at 8:49, followed shortly by 4 Xantus Murrelets. The rest of the morning was filled with fulmars, murrelets, auklets, jaegers, shearwaters, phalaropes, loons, terns, and, in Mexican waters, a BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS, 19 BROWN BOOBIES and 6 ELEPHANT SEALS. We pulled into the marina at 3:30 p.m. to drop off some of our passengers and pick up a few more. Many of us enjoyed fresh, hot delicious seafood dinners at the outdoor picnic tables of Point Loma Seafoods while the crew cleaned the boat before heading out on the "double-overnighter" portion of our double-header at 4:30 p.m. As we approached the 9-mile bank for the second time, we were surprised to find an ANCIENT MURRELET and, a few minutes later, an early, close-to-shore (about ten miles west of Point Loma) SOUTH POLAR SKUA. We arrived at the 9-mile Bank in the early evening, surrounded by dozens of Sooty Shearwaters and clouds of HUNDREDS of BLACK STORM-PETRELS. We stayed on the 9-mile until dark and were treated to the grand prize of the evening: a San Diego County BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS. 3 Sabine's Gulls flew by at sunset, and, just before dark we were treated to another SOUTH POLAR SKUA before heading to our bunks after a VERY full day at sea. We awoke Sunday morning near the Tanner Bank (about 100 miles west of Point Loma) to find Yellow, Townsend's and Wilson's Warblers about the boat along with cowbirds and doves. We spent all Sunday in deep-water, finding rich diversity, including RED-BILLED TROPICBIRD, Lesser Nighthawk, FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER, Greater Yellowlegs, PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER, 4 Townsend's Warblers, 25 NORTHERN FULMAR, 2 Mourning Doves, 2 LAYSAN ALBATROSSES, a Common Yellowthroat, 2 ARCTIC TERNS, an Orange-crowned Warbler, 2 Fin Whales, 4 Wilson's Warblers, a rare Cubier Whale, Xantus's Murrelets and a Bullock's Oriole. More Sabine's Gulls flew by at sunset. We enjoyed a great dinner (and beers) in Grande's spacious salon, then were treated to dozens (hundreds by morning) of Red Phalaropes attracted to Grande's lights before heading to our bunks. We awoke at 4:30 a.m. Monday morning to the beautiful lights of Point Loma, arriving at the dock at 5:00. There really is nothing like being at sea overnight. You get to witness sunrise and sunset `out there' where it's all happening. No email, no TV, no computers, no cell phones, no traffic. Just you, a couple dozen other Seabirders, and the sea. It's magical. The July Grande "double-overnighter" trip is sold out. The next Grande trip is scheduled for Aug 26-27. http://socalbirding.com/aug_25-27_2008_deep-water_tubenoses The next and best opportunity to get out there into SoCal waters is on the June Searcher trip on June 2-6. We'll travel up to the very birdy Channel Islands, then out to deep water where we'll almost certainly see more Red-billed Tropicbirds and have our sights set on Cook's Petrel. This trip will sail where few birding trips (except research ships) have gone before. No birding expeditions have gone out this far out and south in June in decades. Last year in June and July, dozens of Cook's Petrels were seen by Searcher while on fishing trips off the coast of San Diego and Baja. Other expected species on the June trip include Black-footed Albatross, Red-billed Tropicbird and Flesh-footed Shearwater - all Searcher specialties. http://socalbirding.com/june_2-6_2008_searcher_5-day_expedition

SoCalBirding May 10, 2008 Deep Water Pelagic

All of the photos in this album were taken by Karen Straus on the SoCa ...

Updated: May 24, 2008 11:45pm PST

Ross's Gull - Salton Sea November 18, 2006 : The following was posted to CalBirds 11-17-06 by Guy McCaskie: At about 3:00 PM today I drove up to the area of the boat launching site at Red Hill and was amazed to see an adult Ross's Gull in the shallow water immediately to the north of the boat launch channel. The gull then flew to the shore and proceeded to catch flies on the wet mud. I made a couple of calls to alert local birders and awaited their arrival. The Ross's Gull remained within 100 feet of the spot where first seen, actively catching flies on the wet mud. Bob Miller and Kenneth Z. Kurland both arrived before dark, and photographs were obtained. Terry Hunefeld arrived after dark, but was able to see the bird with the aid of my headlights. The gull appeared healthy and in fine basic plumage - no worn feathers, and having a pink wash on the under-parts. - Guy McCaskie Life is short. Bird often.

Ross's Gull - Salton Sea November 18, 2006

The following was posted to CalBirds 11-17-06 by Guy McCaskie: At ...

Updated: Nov 19, 2006 1:03pm PST

Galleries

Grande and Point Loma Sportfishing :

Grande and Point Loma Sportfishing

Updated: Mar 09, 2008 10:29pm PST

Ross's Gull - Salton Sea November 18, 2006 : The following was posted to CalBirds 11-17-06 by Guy McCaskie: At about 3:00 PM today I drove up to the area of the boat launching site at Red Hill and was amazed to see an adult Ross's Gull in the shallow water immediately to the north of the boat launch channel. The gull then flew to the shore and proceeded to catch flies on the wet mud. I made a couple of calls to alert local birders and awaited their arrival. The Ross's Gull remained within 100 feet of the spot where first seen, actively catching flies on the wet mud. Bob Miller and Kenneth Z. Kurland both arrived before dark, and photographs were obtained. Terry Hunefeld arrived after dark, but was able to see the bird with the aid of my headlights. The gull appeared healthy and in fine basic plumage - no worn feathers, and having a pink wash on the under-parts. - Guy McCaskie Life is short. Bird often.

Ross's Gull - Salton Sea November 18, 2006

The following was posted to CalBirds 11-17-06 by Guy McCaskie: At ...

Updated: Nov 19, 2006 1:03pm PST

Searcher - Cabo to San Diego 3-08 :

Searcher - Cabo to San Diego 3-08

Updated: Mar 09, 2008 9:57pm PST

Would You Believe? : Guy McCaskie and Terry Hunefeld both got an Imperial County lifer in Niland, California on Sunday Feb 3, 2008

Would You Believe?

Guy McCaskie and Terry Hunefeld both got an Imperial County lifer in N ...

Updated: Feb 05, 2008 6:15pm PST

Birding and those who bird :

Birding and those who bird

Updated: Jun 10, 2007 9:06pm PST

Birds of San Diego : Life is short. Bird often.

Birds of San Diego

Life is short. Bird often.

Updated: Aug 30, 2007 7:24pm PST

Birds Of The San Diego Mountains : The foothills and mountains of San Diego County. Life is short. Bird often.

Birds Of The San Diego Mountains

The foothills and mountains of San Diego County. Life is short. Bi ...

Updated: Dec 03, 2006 7:45pm PST

Birds Of The Imperial Valley :

Birds Of The Imperial Valley

Updated: Feb 05, 2008 6:16pm PST

Roadrunner Club 11-8-07 :

Roadrunner Club 11-8-07

Updated: Nov 08, 2007 8:08pm PST

Bonaire Hunefeld Walker 2008 :

Bonaire Hunefeld Walker 2008

Updated: Jan 15, 2008 11:38pm PST

unused :

unused

Updated: Mar 13, 2007 10:09pm PST

Major Rick Gannon : Rick Gannon is a true American hero. He is buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. I visit his grave each time I am at the cemetery. His death is a solemn reminder for me of the high cost of an impulsive administation wanting to fight "somebody" -- resulting in the tragic loss of more than 3000 great men and women in Iraq - and the terrible price and loss that their parents, siblings, spouses and children will now suffer for the rest of their lives. On April 17, 2004 Rick was killed while giving aid to one of his wounded Marines, along with four other Lima Company Marines after they were ambushed in Husaybah. Rick was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Silver Star for bravery and gallantry in battle. He was also promoted to Major. Rick is survived by his wife Sally and their four children; Richard J. Gannon III, Patrick, Connor, and Maria. More about Rick: http://rickgannon.com/about_rick_gannon.html * *

Major Rick Gannon

Rick Gannon is a true American hero. He is buried at Fort Rosecrans N ...

Updated: Jun 04, 2007 8:17pm PST

Three Sisters Waterfall : What is the best day to search for an American Dipper? Well, by all reports, Three Sisters Waterfall is crawling with swimmers, hikers, adventurers, hoppers, skippers and jumpers on weekends, so I thought that a MONDAY (when they’re all tired out and nursing hang-overs) would be a great day for a dipper hunt. Left Leucadia at 4:30 a.m. and by 5:45 was driving on Boulder Creek Road with breathtakingly beautiful scenery. Great birding, too! Dallied along in the early morning sunlight, birding, smelling the clean, sagey, 60 degree air. Hit the trailhead at 7 a.m. and birded all the way downhill. Lawrence’s Goldfinches were everywhere that was green with new post fire vegetation, (both on Boulder Creek Road and on the trail). Grosbeaks. Orioles. Wrens. Multiple flavors of sparrows. Hawks. Kingbirds. Ash-throateds. Pe-wees. Phainopepla were outnumbered only by Lesser Golfinches. Arrived at the uppermost waterfall 2 hours later after dallying, birding and generally enjoying the morning. No signs of dipper. Waited in the shade for 30 minutes watching the upper and lower pools, then took a swim in the 60 degree crystal-clear pool at the base of the waterfall. Waited some more in the shade. After awhile, three young 20-somethings made their way up to the top, so after a bit I took my leave back down past the waterfalls, pausing at likely dipper spots along the way down. No dippers. Trudged back up the hill after getting past that 500 foot section that had my heart-rate quite high. It was 90 degrees at the top as I walked out at noon. A beautiful spot. I’ve wanted to hike to Three Sisters Waterfalls since I bought Jerry Schad’s book Afoot and Afield in San Diego nearly ten years ago, but that vertical climb in the sun kept me at bay. It took some dippers to get me there, and while they didn’t show, I’m happy I did. Took some photos of the trail head, from behind the waterfall, etc Does anybody know what species of amphibian looks like a lizard, but walks on the rocks underwater? Terry Hunefeld, Leucadia Life is short. Bird often.

Three Sisters Waterfall

What is the best day to search for an American Dipper? Well, by all r ...

Updated: Jun 04, 2007 5:26pm PST

Birding Hatteras : I just spent 4 highly enjoyable days on The Stormy Petrel II with Brian Patteson and his highly experienced team of leaders/spotters/guides. http://www.seabirding.com/ Each day was different depending on the varying weather conditions. The variety of birds was phenomenal, and the leaders were expert on getting everyone on the boat great looks. Highlights (for me) included: Herald Petrel on 2 days, circling the boat, 5 in one day, all 3 morphs! Does it get any better? Fea's Petrel on 2 days, circling the boat. Red-billed Tropicbird on Tuesday. Numerous Black-capped Petrels all 4 days. Skua on 2 days, two today, with one being harassed by a Long-tailed Jaeger. Hunrdeds of Wilson's Storm Petrels every day, with a few Leach's and Band-rumped Storm-Petrels thrown in daily for variety. Audubon Shearwater daily. Manx Shearwater 2 days. Cory's Shearwater in good supply daily. Greater Shearwater everywhere you look, every day, almost any time. Scores of Sooty Shearwater. Pomarine Jaegers in good supply, on two days there were so many they were "common." Long-tailed Jaeger 2 or 3 days. Beaked Whale Pilot Whale. Sperm Whale. Spotted Dolphin. These are just some of the birds and mammals that I saw. More were seen by others and the leaders. Today we were seeing so many birds at 3 PM that nobody wanted to go back to land! I met lots of great birders from all over the United States and made new friends. I will be back next year for another week. Seabirding in the Atlantic ROCKS! Terry Hunefeld San Diego Life is short. Bird often.

Birding Hatteras

I just spent 4 highly enjoyable days on The Stormy Petrel II with Bria ...

Updated: Jun 04, 2007 7:46pm PST

Hawaii Birds :

Hawaii Birds

Updated: Mar 14, 2007 7:02am PST

Mexico's Los Coronados Islands : The San Diego Bird Festival's Pelagic Outing on 2-10-07 to Las Coronados islands found an exponential growth of the BROWN BOOBY colony on Middle Island, which last year had grown to 7 birds. Today, we counted an astonishing 28 brown boobies roosting on one cliff-face [14 juveniles or sub-adult females, 8 adult or sub-adult males, 6 adult females] plus 4 others away from the Middle Island, including one in U.S. waters. At least 3 pairs were on nests, and several others, including one pair of males, were going through mating rituals. At the outer boundary of the brown booby colony sat a single sub-adult (but nearly adult) BLUE-FOOTED BOOBY. This comprises the first record of this species for these birdfest trips; blue-footed boobies are a very rare bird on the Coronados Islands. - Written by Stan Walens and posted to SDBirds, a Yahoo Group

Mexico's Los Coronados Islands

The San Diego Bird Festival's Pelagic Outing on 2-10-07 to Las Coronad ...

Updated: Feb 10, 2007 6:27pm PST

Hawaii Kuaui March 07 :

Hawaii Kuaui March 07

Updated: Mar 14, 2007 6:23am PST

Birds Of The San Diego River (Flood Control Channel) :

Birds Of The San Diego River (Flood Control Channel)

Updated: Dec 02, 2006 6:49pm PST

Guajome Sapsucker :

Guajome Sapsucker

Updated: Nov 04, 2007 12:46pm PST

Photos by Mark J. Billings :

Photos by Mark J. Billings

Updated: Dec 14, 2006 7:07pm PST

Birds of the Tijuana River Valley :

Birds of the Tijuana River Valley

Updated: Apr 01, 2007 8:40pm PST

Birds Of Imperial Valley - The Salton Sink : Life is short. Bird often.

Birds Of Imperial Valley - The Salton Sink

Life is short. Bird often.

Updated: Oct 30, 2006 5:32pm PST

New Year 2007 Family Photos : taken at Sin Duda, Xcalak, Quintana Roo, Mexico a few days into 2007 (nobody knew what day it was... you loose track of time in a land with no electricity, no email, no phones, no newspapers...)

New Year 2007 Family Photos

taken at Sin Duda, Xcalak, Quintana Roo, Mexico a few days into 2007 ( ...

Updated: Jan 08, 2007 9:29pm PST

Walkers & Hunefelds Vacation at Sin Duda, Xcalak : no phones, no pools... instead quiet, peaceful, blissful relaxation in a tropical paradise.... just the distant roar of the surf on the coral reefs, the call of a chachalaca... Oh! and when you stay at Sin Duda, be sure to ask Robert about solar panels, glass walls, Chachalacas, tapirs, Yucatan Jays, the shadow of the earth, the burned bridge, Hillary and W, wild pigs, don Philipe, the constellations (and omega centuari and canopus), margaritaville, totopos, Venus, coffee eating crabs, and the difference between a jaguar and a cougar... http://www.sindudavillas.com/

Walkers & Hunefelds Vacation at Sin Duda, Xcalak

no phones, no pools... instead quiet, peaceful, blissful relaxation in ...

Updated: Jan 08, 2007 7:48pm PST

Snowy Owl 1-10-07 : At 0700 hours on January 10, 2007, the California Sunset set sail from Suisun Harbor on Main Street, Suisun City, CA, with Captain Dan (916) 289-8375. Below are a few photos including the Snowy Owl in flight, the owl perched on a piling, Captain Dan, the boat, Don and Marjorie Hastings, Suisun harbor.

Snowy Owl 1-10-07

At 0700 hours on January 10, 2007, the California Sunset set sail from ...

Updated: Jan 10, 2007 9:19pm PST

Lake Tahoe 2006 : for the past 3 summers we'ver rented a cabin in Zephyr Cove. It's a great base to bird from.

Lake Tahoe 2006

for the past 3 summers we'ver rented a cabin in Zephyr Cove. It's a g ...

Updated: Oct 14, 2006 6:30pm PST

Vacations in the HiLo :

Vacations in the HiLo

Updated: Feb 09, 2007 9:25pm PST

Ann Patrice Graduation OLP High May 2005 :

Ann Patrice Graduation OLP High May 2005

Updated: Oct 14, 2006 7:41pm PST

310 Neptune :

310 Neptune

Updated: Nov 20, 2006 7:33pm PST

Sapsuckers :

Sapsuckers

Updated: Nov 25, 2006 4:21pm PST

AP and Terry take a UHaul to Denver : Moving Ann Patrice to Regis University off-campus in a U-Haul August 2006

AP and Terry take a UHaul to Denver

Moving Ann Patrice to Regis University off-campus in a U-Haul August ...

Updated: Oct 14, 2006 7:04pm PST

Salton Sea Survey Larus : Mark J Billings and W. Terry Hunefeld saw this gull in the northwest section of the Salton Sea on 2-6-07. We are leaning towards LAGU - despite the dark hood and smallish bill...

Salton Sea Survey Larus

Mark J Billings and W. Terry Hunefeld saw this gull in the northwest s ...

Updated: Feb 10, 2007 8:25pm PST

Sooty Or Short-tailed Shearwater? : Bird seen at the nine-mile bank 26NOV06 offshore san diego... in some of the photos the head seems dove shaped, in others not so much. The throat seems dark in some photos, slightly lighter gray in others. The bird came to the boat and sat there while we circled it several times, unuaual for a sooty, while not unusual for a short-tailed. Bill seems longish, not as small as many STSH photos I've seen. The underwing coverts seem very white, not muted like you would expect in a STSH. The consensus is that this is a Sooty, not a Short-tailed Shearwater.

Sooty Or Short-tailed Shearwater?

Bird seen at the nine-mile bank 26NOV06 offshore san diego... in some ...

Updated: Nov 26, 2006 6:28pm PST

SoCalBirding May 10, 2008 Deep Water Pelagic : All of the photos in this album were taken by Karen Straus on the SoCalBirding double header weekend on Grande, May 10-12, 2008, and are posted here with her permission. Visit www.BirdBrained.biz for more of her work. Click the slideshow button on the upper right portion of your screen for a full-screen slideshow. More than 70 seabirders spent a fun-filled weekend offshore San Diego on May 10 and 11 on Grande, an 85 foot live-aboard boat. This is their story. A complete trip list follows this account. The first trip of our weekend "double-header" pulled out of Point Loma Sportfishing marina at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday. Our destinations: the 9-Mile Bank and the Coronados Islands. We were seeing Sooty Shearwaters before 8:00 a.m. and Black Storm-petrels by 8:30. Our first Pink-footed Shearwater was seen at 8:49, followed shortly by 4 Xantus Murrelets. The rest of the morning was filled with fulmars, murrelets, auklets, jaegers, shearwaters, phalaropes, loons, terns, and, in Mexican waters, a BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS, 19 BROWN BOOBIES and 6 ELEPHANT SEALS. We pulled into the marina at 3:30 p.m. to drop off some of our passengers and pick up a few more. Many of us enjoyed fresh, hot delicious seafood dinners at the outdoor picnic tables of Point Loma Seafoods while the crew cleaned the boat before heading out on the "double-overnighter" portion of our double-header at 4:30 p.m. As we approached the 9-mile bank for the second time, we were surprised to find an ANCIENT MURRELET and, a few minutes later, an early, close-to-shore (about ten miles west of Point Loma) SOUTH POLAR SKUA. We arrived at the 9-mile Bank in the early evening, surrounded by dozens of Sooty Shearwaters and clouds of HUNDREDS of BLACK STORM-PETRELS. We stayed on the 9-mile until dark and were treated to the grand prize of the evening: a San Diego County BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS. 3 Sabine's Gulls flew by at sunset, and, just before dark we were treated to another SOUTH POLAR SKUA before heading to our bunks after a VERY full day at sea. We awoke Sunday morning near the Tanner Bank (about 100 miles west of Point Loma) to find Yellow, Townsend's and Wilson's Warblers about the boat along with cowbirds and doves. We spent all Sunday in deep-water, finding rich diversity, including RED-BILLED TROPICBIRD, Lesser Nighthawk, FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER, Greater Yellowlegs, PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER, 4 Townsend's Warblers, 25 NORTHERN FULMAR, 2 Mourning Doves, 2 LAYSAN ALBATROSSES, a Common Yellowthroat, 2 ARCTIC TERNS, an Orange-crowned Warbler, 2 Fin Whales, 4 Wilson's Warblers, a rare Cubier Whale, Xantus's Murrelets and a Bullock's Oriole. More Sabine's Gulls flew by at sunset. We enjoyed a great dinner (and beers) in Grande's spacious salon, then were treated to dozens (hundreds by morning) of Red Phalaropes attracted to Grande's lights before heading to our bunks. We awoke at 4:30 a.m. Monday morning to the beautiful lights of Point Loma, arriving at the dock at 5:00. There really is nothing like being at sea overnight. You get to witness sunrise and sunset `out there' where it's all happening. No email, no TV, no computers, no cell phones, no traffic. Just you, a couple dozen other Seabirders, and the sea. It's magical. The July Grande "double-overnighter" trip is sold out. The next Grande trip is scheduled for Aug 26-27. http://socalbirding.com/aug_25-27_2008_deep-water_tubenoses The next and best opportunity to get out there into SoCal waters is on the June Searcher trip on June 2-6. We'll travel up to the very birdy Channel Islands, then out to deep water where we'll almost certainly see more Red-billed Tropicbirds and have our sights set on Cook's Petrel. This trip will sail where few birding trips (except research ships) have gone before. No birding expeditions have gone out this far out and south in June in decades. Last year in June and July, dozens of Cook's Petrels were seen by Searcher while on fishing trips off the coast of San Diego and Baja. Other expected species on the June trip include Black-footed Albatross, Red-billed Tropicbird and Flesh-footed Shearwater - all Searcher specialties. http://socalbirding.com/june_2-6_2008_searcher_5-day_expedition

SoCalBirding May 10, 2008 Deep Water Pelagic

All of the photos in this album were taken by Karen Straus on the SoCa ...

Updated: May 24, 2008 11:45pm PST