Day 4, September 10, 2006. The Mother of the Mother of all Pelagics. Sep 07—24, 2006
Posted by Marshall Iliff
Marshall Iliff
Marshall Iliff, a lifelong nature lover, began birding at age 11 after attending a National Wildlife Federation Camp in the mountains of North Carolina. He attended VENT...Related Trips
Yesterday Larry Balch presented a series of slides entitled "Mother of All ABA-Area Pelagic Trips: Parts I & II." Today must then have been "the mother of the mother."
Our morning began with a cruise through flat, glassy waters off the Alaska Peninsula. The snow-capped peaks, rugged volcanoes, and light breezes were a stark contrast to the poor weather of the previous morning. Shearwaters (apparently mostly, or all, Short-tailed) dotted the water all the way to the horizon, and alcids of several species sped by low over the waves. Everyone was outside to enjoy the sights. At about 10:00 a.m. we did a circuit around the Haystacks, which are part of the Shumagin group. Thousands of puffins, kittiwakes, shearwaters, and cormorants swirled around us, along with a couple of pairs of Bald Eagles and ravens. Steller's sea lions stood as sentries on rocky islets and humpback whales fed around us. This was just one of several experiences that showcased the amazing diversity and quantity of sea life in the waters of western Alaska.
"Oceanus Memorial Forest": One of Victor's leaders (okay, it was me) suggested that we "plant" a small forest on our vessel to hopefully attract wayward migrants. Thede Tobish assisted by bringing cuttings of small trees (two spruces, several alders, etc.) and the deckhands lashed them to the aft side of the #5 deck. Hence, the "Oceanus Memorial Forest" (OMF) was born. Up until this afternoon, it had mostly been the butt of many jokes, the object of wild fantasies about scops-owls, a reminder of home, and a photo-op. But today, when an Orange-crowned Warbler circled the ship several times in the morning, we began to wonder if the forest might just "do the trick." Sure enough, the warbler (which may have landed atop the ship, out of sight for us) re-appeared at 3:00 p.m. and after several approaches finally landed among the trees. Spilled water there may have helped it regain its strength, but the suet and birdseed we scattered proved to be of little interest. Still, the Orange-crowned made the rounds of the decks, perching on railings, lounging in the deck chairs, and even perching in the trees. Maybe our new mascot could have had safe passage all the way to Siberia (are there any Old World records of Orange-crowned?), but it was not seen again after about 4:00 p.m. It is possible that he spent the night though, as some people saw a passerine pre-dawn while in port at Dutch Harbor. If it made it, it would have provided a first Unalaska Island record.
In the afternoon many on the ship headed downstairs for the viewing of a movie about the Aleutian Islands. It took no more than 20 minutes for a great bird to empty the room in a massive stampede. Our first albatross of the trip, called out as a Black-footed, suddenly banked to reveal a bright, bubblegum-pink bill—Short-tailed! Unfortunately that bird flew past us and kept going so that most people missed it. Judicious chumming though, brought in a Short-tailed Albatross of the same age (same bird or not?) and later we had another one fly up our wake and past the port side. Photos taken of both birds showed that they were not the same individuals. Short-tailed Albatross had been one of the most desired target birds for this cruise, so our early success was cause for great elation around the bar that night.
Our grande finale was during dinner, and once word reached the dining room great pandemonium ensued. A single adult Red-legged Kittiwake came right up the wake to the stern of the ship, where the quick and the lucky watched it for about five minutes. Unfortunately microphone issues prevented it from being seen by all, so Red-legged Kittiwake remains one of our other big target birds.
Species of interest seen from the Spirit of Oceanus September 8-10:
White-winged Scoter
Short-tailed Albatross
Laysan Albatross
Black-footed Albatross
Northern Fulmar
Sooty Shearwater
Pink-footed Shearwater
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel
Leach's Storm-Petrel
Double-crested Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Red-faced Cormorant
Bald Eagle
Peregrine Falcon
Merlin
Pacific Golden-Plover (also possible American
Golden-Plover)
Rock Sandpiper
Wilson's Snipe
Red Phalarope
Red-necked Phalarope
Glaucous-winged Gull
Black-legged Kittiwake
Red-legged Kittiwake
Pomarine Jaeger
Parasitic Jaeger
Arctic Tern
Pigeon Guillemot
Common Murre
Thick-billed Murre
Ancient Murrelet
Least Auklet
Cassin's Auklet
Parakeet Auklet
Rhinoceros Auklet
Horned Puffin
Tufted Puffin
Common Raven (on offshore islands)
Orange-crowned Warbler (lutescens; on boat)
Savannah Sparrow (circled boat)