June 26, 2026 – Deepwater Pelagic Birds And Mammals

Last year we greatly hoped for flat calm seas among days of wind, and we usually go the opposite. May 24th 2025 was such a day, when we braved horrible conditions and only made it 6-7 miles from shore, but we had one of our most exhilarating days for birding of the year (trip report here). Then on September 7th we did get what we wished for, beautiful, glassy, flat seas all day…and enjoyed empty horizons (trip report here). For birds, at least, we learned that wind is our friend, and we have since speculated that most of the birds follow the winds where they go, rather than being stuck in the doldrums.

Ten days before our trip on June 26th the forecast was for 30 knot NW winds and we cancelled the trip, but the forecast improved to 5-10 NW winds and, along with reports of 300-400 Cook’s Petrels over Cordell Bank on the 21st (in, yes, windy conditions), we rescheduled our trip. On the morning of the 26th, about 24 participants eagerly anticipated a full day of sea with Richard Thornton and Anchor Charters, in 5-10 knots of wind and lots of flying birds. But, by this time the wind had dropped to nothing, the one calm day among a week or more of good NW winds. The doldrums. We could not even rally a chum flock as it takes the gulls and albatrosses too much flapping effort to keep up with us, rather than gliding effortlessly along for popcorn and fish buffet, as they do under windy conditions.

Bird highlights for the day included 2-3 Manx Shearwaters, a booby sp. (almost certainly a juvenile Cocos Booby), 1-2 Scripps’s Murrelets, a Laysan Albatross, a 2-yr-old Tufted Puffin, and two confiding Ancient Murrelets in full breeding plumage. Back in the ’90s and early ’00s, when we first ran trips offshore here, this would have been considered a spectacular day! Indeed, I recall the first record of a Manx Shearwater for Mendocino County, on 2 June 2002, right at the red-and-white channel marker. Winds were, you guessed it, NW at 25 knots and we soon turned around, essentially cancelling the trip. This was to the relief of all aboard except the venerable Toby Tompkins, who thought the rest of us wimps for not wanting to get out there. Toby was right.

Manx Shearwaters first entered our domain during the 1992-1993 El Niño. Winds that (austral) summer were east-to-west off Cape Horn, opposite to normal, and blowing a bunch of them from the Atlantic into the Pacific. Now, after 3+ decades, they have been documented breeding off British Columbia and their numbers are increasing; there must be 100s if not 1000s out there at the rate we now encounter them. We are likely witnessing the evolution of a new species!

We have now become jaded by Pterodroma petrels, southern storm-petrels, Short-tailed Albatrosses, and thoughts of even rarer albatrosses. It seems these days that none of these equals a sub-par trip. But in reality we had several birders on board for the first time off the Pacific Coast, who were absolutely stoked with the day!

Now, our trips are not all about birds. Other marine life was easy to view under these conditions and in this arena the day was a spectacular success. It started with Pacific White-sided Dolphins just 3 miles from shore, rather close in for this species, and invoking initial thoughts that they might have Common Dolphins, to be expected more in El Niño and of which one washed ashore in the prior week on Ten Mile Beach. We enjoyed Pacific White-sides and Northern Right Whale Dolphins the entire day, jumping, frolicking, and riding the bow in calm clear water. At one point, a white-sided was insanely flapping its tail at about 5 beats per second, at what we do not know.

Pacific White-sided Dolphin jumping and insanely beating its tail; video of Northern Right Whale and Pacific White-sided Dolphins riding the bow. Photos: John York (jumping dolphin) and Peter Pyle; video: Tim Bray.

Both Northern and Guadalupe Fur Seals were spotted throughout the day, at least 3-4 of each. A Great White Shark briefly surfaced to thrill of a single lucky observer who happened to be looking in the right direction. A couple of Fin Whales cruised by. We came upon several “kindergartens” of Ocean Sunfish (Mola mola), 10-12 juveniles of about 8-10″ in length, sitting in a circle staring at each other. A spectacular Purple-striped Sea Nettle (jellyfish) went by (see photo here). At least 20 Salmon Sharks were  spotted, including some of the largest ones we’ve seen on our trips (6-9′). Some appeared to be eating floating carcasses of some sort but when we approached we found them rubbing their bellies on logs! Perhaps scraping off remora? None of us had seen that before.

Salmon Sharks rubbing their bellies on logs. Photos: Peter Pyle (first photo) and Catherine Keegan (second two photos).

But the highlight for all, especially the three whale-watchers that jumped aboard last minute, was a group of 10-20 lunge-feeding Humpback Whales 15-20 miles offshore. We spent over an hour with them and left them there. Dolphins were also frolicking among the whales but, curiously, there were few birds (again, calm winds…). Just prior to each lunge, small baitfish would come pouring out of the water as the whales concentrated them with ‘bubble nets’ and then rocketed up from below, baleen-lined jaws wide open. Richard sent up his drone and got some great footage of the action (below), similar to his excellent footage of Fin Whales on our April 4th trip this year (here).

Humpback Whales lunge feeding and video of the action. Photos: Peter Pyle; video: Richard Thornton.

What species of bait fish became a discussion. Pacific Saury are usually the offshore species, with juvenile Northern Anchovy usually being closer to shore, but photos of the pre-lunge spew showed them to be Northern Anchovy. Later when we crossed back over the area we encountered some sort of wriggling organisms making V-shaped trails on the water surface. What were these things, squid? Photos again showed them to be anchovies, and we speculate that they may have been wounded soldiers that had survived the Humpback lunges.

. Anchovy spewed by lunging Humpback; wriggling anchovy. Photos Roger Adamson (spew) and Peter Pyle.

Northern Anchovy is a cold-water species that has been increasing over the past 10-20 years during (mostly) La Niña conditions, but may recede again with more future El Niños, at which time Pacific Sardines become more prevalent. As speculated in our May 30th report (here), this spring’s upwelling may create cool pools of water among warmer off shore El Niño waters, ‘trapping’ anchovy and providing a buffet for birds and marine mammals from near and afar.

For another excellent perspective on the trip by Eric Heisey, see our eBird Trip Report here; thanks to Eric for keeping up the eBird lists and sharing them with the birders aboard.

Our next Noyo Pelagic trip is a full-dayer on July 20th. There is *always* something to learn on these trips, whether calm, windy, or in-between. Please consider joining us to see what we will see.

Peter

Deckhands Mason (left) and Dan, with squid and fish parts prepared to chum in the birds. We did not need this as much today as on other days, but these two have been, and will be, prepared as usual for a slightly windier day!. We thank Mason and Dan for their diligent efforts on our behalf!