It was all matching mole's idea - and what a great idea it was! He was coming to the Pacific Northwest and suggested going out on a pelagic birding tour. The scheduling fit in well with other travel plans that Mr. Watt and I had for the summer, so I eagerly signed up to go with Westport Seabirds.
Our boat - chartered by Westport Seabirds
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There were three zones in the trip: 1) Grays Harbor, from the boat basin in Westport to the outer buoy, going out at 5:30 am and returning around 3 pm. 2) Waters outside of the harbor to the edge of the Continental Shelf at 125W. 3) Deep offshore waters, west of the underwater Grays Canyon, at the outer slope.
Brown Pelicans watched us leave and arrive back into the boat haven. I think every pelican in the Pacific Northwest was in Westport this weekend. Our guides estimated seeing 2500 pelicans, 1/3 of which were young. It must have been a convention of United Pelicans (UP).
Brown Pelicans all in a row in Westport harbor
Follow us over the roiling, rough water of the bar.
All photos are in lightbox mode (click to enlarge) by me or matching mole.
My first impression of the boat was that it was kind of small. We had about 20 fellow birders and three guides on the trip. The cabin was too small to hold that many people, so almost everyone stayed outside in the back and along the sides of the boat. For better or worse, it allowed us to experience the rolling seas with swells up to 6 ft.
Back of the boat - habitat of birders
In addition to the pelicans, the inner waters offered three species of Cormorants (Brandt's, Double-crested, and Pelagic), Surf Scoters, Pigeon Guillemots, Rhinoceros Auklets, Common Murres, and lots of gulls (Glaucous-winged, California, and Western). The guides also counted over 1200 Heerman's gulls. Marine mammals included Harbor seals and Stellers sea lions.
Stellers Sea Lions on buoy
After about a half hour, we crossed the bar and left the harbor. It was amazing to me how quickly we left behind the Gulls, Pelicans, and Cormorants. We got close to a fishing boat that the guides said was a Shrimper. It was attracting large numbers of Shearwaters, both Sooty and Pink-footed, as well as a few Black-footed Albatross and Northern Fulmar. On the return leg across the Shelf, we spotted a longliner fishing boat that brought in large numbers of Albatross, aided and abetted by our guides tossing beef suet and salmon chunks off our boat. The guides counted 72 individuals at this stop. Other birds seen above the Continental Shelf were Cassin's Auklets, an Arctic Tern, and some folks saw a Red-necked Phalarope (I did not).
Fishing boat attracting Sooty and Pink-footed Shearwaters
Pink-footed Shearwater
Northern Fulmar
Black-footed Albatross
It is a big bird!
We were also treated to the sight of 8 Humpback whales.
Humpback whale
Splash after breaching
By 9 am, about the time Mr. Watt was enjoying breakfast back at the B&B, we arrived at the Outer Slope. The highlights over the deep waters were the Storm-petrels, both Leach's and Fork-tailed. Other birds encountered included South Polar Skua and some folks saw a Tufted Puffin (I did not).
Leach's Storm-petrel flying over Velella.
As mentioned in comments over the past week, Velella, aka sea raft, by-the-wind sailor, purple sail, and little sail, are free-floating hydrozoans that live on the surface of the open ocean. They feature a small stiff sail to catch the wind.
Close-up of Velella floating on the deep blue sea.
Fork-tailed Storm-petrel
The most bizarre creature of the day was an Ocean Sunfish floating near the surface. It is the heaviest known bony fish in the world with an average adult weight of 2,200 lb. It resembles a fish head with a tail, and its main body is flattened laterally.
Ocean Sunfish or Mola Mola
It was a remarkable day. I learned that I am susceptible to (mild) sea sickness when I look at the bumpy ocean world through the camera's viewfinder. I added 10 new birds to my life list. Best of all, I got to share the day with matching mole.
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