Monday 3/24/25 half day – Noyo Canyon Mammals and Birds
About 30 birders and marine mammal enthusiasts went out of Noyo Harbor on 3/24, on the Kraken with Captain Richard Thornton of Anchor Charters, for a half-day trip. We set up the trip on Thursday and had this many eager participants by Monday! It was a bit choppy at first, slop left over from the previous day’s NW winds, but the winds calmed down and the seas smoothed out throughout the day. After spending some quality time with 3-4 Gray Whales, a mile or so offshore, we headed out to Noyo Canyon and made it as far as “The Kink” about 14 miles from the coast and at 3000′ depth. Throughout the day the ocean sparkled with (literally) millions of “by the wind sailors” (Velella velella) a jellyfish in which the sailor part represents the polyp stage. Our deckhand Corinne bucketed one up to observe in the slime. It had a backwards-S shaped sail, representing about 50% of the population, which had sailed oa different direction than those with frontwards-S shaped sails.
Birds were sparse at first, though Black-footed Albatrosses soon began to sniff about, wondering if we had some fish parts to toss. A Laysan Albatross joined in and afforded great views for all. Otherwise “just” gulls, Red Phalaropes, Cassin’s Auklets, Rhinoceros Auklets, all three loons, etc. We got out to the Kink, put down a slick, and finally obliged the albatrosses and gulls by tossing out some rockfish carcasses and parts that the Kraken crew generously saved for the occasion. A few albatrosses including a Laysan came in but it seemed pretty quiet so we headed back to “The Dogleg,” about 10 miles offshore, where we had noticed some foraging birds on the way out. As we left the Kink we continued tossing chum, and this did the trick, as an eager gaggle of gulls and albatrosses increased in number until we reached the Dogleg, where we stopped for our second slick. Black-footed Albatrosses continued to arrive up to 15-20 at once, and we had the usual 50+ gulls of five species and multiple ages to study. What seemed like a couple of additional Laysans kept circling afar, and a few Sooty Shearwaters joined the party.
We had soaked the Dogleg for about 40 minutes when Captain Richard called out a big group of dolphins to the north and we headed up to see if they would rid the bow. Richard said they looked like Risso’s Dolphins and sure enough they were, some 300 of them! For the next hour or so we cruised along, getting photos of their large dorsal fins, bulbous heads, and smiley faces during surfaces and partial leaps. Katherina Audley, our NCMS marine mammal expert aboard, called out that there was a Leucistic dolphin in with the procession and to get photos, as it may be “Casper,” the famous white Risso’s from Monterey Bay. After the trip she coordinated with the Monterey Bay marine mammalogist and it was not Casper, but another Leucistic one to keep track of on our future trips. It was washed yellowish all over, the result of a diatom film.
We noticed some different looking splashes to the north and these turned out to be from about 120 Pacific White-sided and 80 Northern Right Whale Dolphins that came in to join the Risso’s. Unlike the Risso’s these species do ride the bow, and Richard expertly guided the boat at the right speed to affect this. We super enjoyed both species, cruising along just below the bow, in close proximity, and in crystal clear blue waters. Having all three species in one group is something I hadn’t seen before.
One or more Laysan Albatrosses kept circling around as we headed back to shore, and we debated if the day’s total should be 2, 3, 4, or more. But upon reviewing photos of their distinctive underwing patterns, we could not confirm more than just one bird, that appeared to follow us along throughout the day. Whatever the count, the sight of a Laysan Albatross sallying along over deep blue seas will never get old!
Happy spring birding, Peter
