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Photobirder
We did our first pelagic birding trip in August 2016, from Half Moon Bay to the Farallon Islands, and then 5 miles beyond to find albatrosses. Saw many Black-footed, but unfortunately not the Laysan. The islands were fantastic except for the flies which swarmed the boat as soon as we came within a few hundred feet. On the island were puffins, guillemots, cormorants, sea lions, seals, and a couple of scientists up on a hill.

To top it all, we saw about 70 Humpback Whales, 4 Fin Whales, and a Blue Whale spouting in the distance!​

Addenda:
7/25/17: Today I saw a Parakeet Auklet off Lands End in SF. This is a bird usually found more than 2000 miles away in Western Alaska. It was very exciting and a good look through a scope, but too far away for a good picture.


10/12/19: Did my second pelagic birding trip, from HMB to the continental shelf. Saw a few new ones like the South Polar Skua, Short-tailed and Buller's Shearwaters. Much fewer whales this time, but we had a great dolphin show with a bunch of Pacific White-sided Dolphins swimming alongside the boat for a whiled, and a bunch of Risso's Dolphins later on. Also saw several of the distinctly weird Mola-molas (Ocean sunfish).

10/15/22: Third pelagic, with Jet and Casey. Same route as above. 4 lifers! But no sun the whole day, so images limited and all rather dull and gray.


Tufted Puffin, Farallones
Tufted Puffin, Farallones
Northern Fulmar, Farallones
Common Murre, Half Moon Bay
Common Murre, Half Moon Bay
Rhinoceros Auklet, Farallones
Black-footed Albatross, Farallones
Black-footed Albatross, Farallones
Black-footed Albatross, Farallones
Pigeon Guillemot, Farallones
Cormorants, sea lion and gull, Farallon Islands
Cassin's Auklet, Farallones
Red Phalaropes, Farallones
Sabine's Gull, Farallones
Brown Pelican, Half Moon Bay
Brown Pelican, Half Moon Bay
Brown Pelican, Half Moon Bay
Pelagic Cormorant, Farallon Islands
Sooty Shearwater, Farallones
Elegant Tern, Half Moon Bay
Elegant Tern, Half Moon Bay
Common Loon, Aquatic Park
Common Loon, Aquatic Park
Black Turnstone, HMB
Black-footed Albatross, Pioneer Canyon
Black-footed Albatross, Pioneer Canyon
Black-footed Albatross, Pioneer Canyon
Black-footed Albatross, Pioneer Canyon
Brown Pelican, HMB
Brown Pelican, HMB
Brown Pelican, HMB
Common Murre, Pioneer Canyon
Common Murre, Pioneer Canyon
Elegant Tern, HMB
Western Gull, HMB
Northern Fulmar, Pioneer Canyon
Northern Fulmar, Pioneer Canyon
Pink-footed Shearwater, HMB
Pomerine Jaeger, HMB
Rhinoceros Auklet, Pioneer Canyon
Rhinoceros Auklet, Pioneer Canyon
Sabine's Gull, Pioneer Canyon
Sabine's Gull, Pioneer Canyon
Sabine's Gull, Pioneer Canyon
South Polar Skua, Pioneer Canyon
South Polar Skua, Pioneer Canyon
South Polar Skua, Pioneer Canyon
Tufted Puffin, Pioneer Canyon
Tufted Puffin, Pioneer Canyon
Western Grebe, HMB
Red-breasted Merganser, HMB
Short-tailed and Sooty Shearwater, Pioneer Canyon
Short-tailed Shearwater, Pioneer Canyon
Sooty Shearwater, Pioneer Canyon
Sooty Shearwater, Pioneer Canyon
Sooty Shearwater, Pioneer Canyon
Iceland (ssp. Thayer's) Gull
Heermann's Gull
California Gull
California Gull
California Gull
Western Gull
White-tailed Tropicbird, Maui
Great Frigatebird, Maui
Heerman's Gull
Marbled Murrelet
Rhinoceros Auklet
Black-footed Albatross
Black-footed Albatross
Black-footed Albatross
Black-footed Albatross
Black-footed Albatross
Northern Fulmar
Northern Fulmar
Western Gull
Western Gull
Buller's Shearwater
Buller's Shearwater
Pink-footed Shearwater
Pink-footed Shearwater
Sooty Shearwater
Sooty Shearwater
Sooty Shearwater
Common Murre
Common Murre
Common Murre
Brown Pelican
Brown Pelican
Brown Pelican
Northern Gannet
Northern Gannet and Double-crested Cormorant
Northern Gannet and Double-crested Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant