Trip Report. Noyo Pelagics, 31 October & 3 November 2025

Fifteen and 25 participants accompanied us on our half-day trips of October 31st and November 3rd, respectively, with captain Richard Thornton Anchor Charters and Noyo Pelagics. Due to the uncertainties of this year’s Dungeness Crab season off Northern California, we were forced to gerrymander the dates and times (not quite to prop-50 magnitude), and wound up with two half day trips from 10 am to 3 pm. This proved successful, although a 9 am start on the 3rd (newly PST) may have been better, as it was starting to get dark by the time we crossed back under the Noyo bridge. All of this goes into the caldron for planning our Noyo Pelagics trips next year.

Weather and sea conditions had slight challenges on both days, but overall were favorable. On the 31st a fairly chilly north wind blew, reminding us that winter was coming, but seas were flat and the ride was comfortable. On the 3rd the swell was impressively large but, with a long period and little wind, it was rather more up-and-down fun than treacherous. In between these two dates a rather big storm had rolled through, that unfortunately forced cancellation of a trip on the 2nd with Pomo and Yuri kids and their families (more on that below). We are already planning a re-schedule.

The cold winds of October 31st, without a western component, resulted in one of those days where the ocean was gray, shivery, and relatively unpopulated for birds. We got all of the regulars, though, including Black-footed Albatrosses, three species of alcids, all three loons in good supply, Sooty and Pink-footed Shearwaters, lots of fulmars, Red Phalaropes, and seven species of gulls (including many Bonaparte’s Gulls and a Black-legged Kittiwake). A good half-day to Noyo Canyon by most measures but we have become a bit spoiled out there. One notable observation was a big flock of feeding Brown Pelicans 4-5 miles out, unusual in its distance from shore and also satisfactory in

Brown Pelicans (mostly juveniles), two Northern Fulmars, “skinny” Pink-footed Shearwater. Photos: P. Pyle

its ratio of juveniles to adults, about 6:1, confirming reports of a very productive 2025 breeding season for this species on the Channel Islands and in Mexico.

The trip of November 3rd was the opposite story, with the ocean wafting that invigorating fishy scent of full marine productivity and with birds and other life everywhere. Under such conditions it is easy to get a gull flock + albatrosses trailing our popcorn trail, and we had dozens behind the boat all day. We saw everything listed above but with 2x-5x the numbers. Additional highlights included a Tufted Puffin in basic (winter plumage) having shed its bill plates (not a common sight off California); 2 Ancient Murrelets, 2-300 Sooty, 50-60 Pink-footed, 5-8 Buller’s, 5-6 Short-tailed, and a Mendo-record 4 Fleshfooted Shearwaters; Northern Fulmars in every shade around the boat all day; a very late South Polar Skua; and several large Ocean Sunfish (Mola Molas). Gull diversity had also increased since the 31st, and we enjoyed studying the all the various plumages of nine species, including, some very exquisite first-year Thayer’s Gulls. We always scrutinize every Pink-footed Shearwater for anything different, and one “skinny” and long-tailed bird evoked thoughts of a Wedge-tailed Shearwater, but later photo analysis indicated that, although the long shape and tail were good for WTSH, the bill was too pink and underwing pattern better for PFSH, and so, as is usually the case, we defer to the expected species. Despite dashed hopes about the results of such inquiries, keeping an open mind occasionally does lead to pleasant surprises.

Tufted Puffin (going left), Flesh-footed Sheawater and California Gull, South Polar Skua, Buller’s Sheawater
Photos: T. Bray

On both trips, Humpback Whales pleased and satisfied all participants that came along for these, with the close views and several breaches, most participants catching at least the humongous flower-petal splashes that result. The November 3 trip marked the official launch of the Noyo Center for Marine Science‘s Sister Sites Program, a collaboration linking the communities of California’s Mendocino Coast and Guerrero, Mexico, through the shared population of humpback whales that feed off northern California and migrate south to breed and calve in the warm coastal waters of Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa, and the village of Barra de Potosí. Joining the trip were Enrique de Luna, Executive Director of Whales of Guerrero; six Latino students; and local educator Sally Rodriguez. For several of the students, this was their first time at sea, and they handled the challenging swells with resilience. The group was rewarded with a special encounter—a pair of humpbacks, one with a distinctive white tail, of which photo-ID analysis via Happywhale matched a female documented with a calf in Guerrero on February 14, 2014, named Willy and adopted there by Whales of Guerrero’s founding captain, Arturo Mellin. This was the farthest north sighting of this individual, providing a tangible and symbolic link between the two regions the Sister Sites Program seeks to unite. See our early October Trip Report for more on Humpback Whale ID.

Western and Thayer’s Gulls (top), Thayer’s Gull (bottom left), Herring Gull (bottom right). Photos: P. Pyle

The Noyo Center also continues to develop its Indigenous Community Initiatives Program, which includes Whale Power — a collaboration supported by the Mendocino Community Foundation that connects local Pomo and Yuki families with the ocean through shared experiences and an exchange of Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Western science. Through Whale Power, Indigenous youth and families engage directly with the sea, participate in whale research and ocean learning, and help shape community gatherings such as the “Send-Off for the Whales Gathering” at the Crow’s Nest. Together, the Sister Sites and Whale Power programs represent expanding partnerships that connect local, Indigenous, and international communities through shared stewardship of the whales and ocean ecosystems linking Mexico and Mendocino.

NCMS’s Sister Sites Program initiative and Latin students (top), and Send-off-for-the Whales Gathering (bottom) Photos: K. Aud.ley

We have one more official Noyo Pelagic trip on this year’s calendar, a full-day trip on November 21st, which already has about 20 signups so get on board quickly if interested. This becomes a time of year when we don’t know what we will encounter as there has been so little previous effort. Rare birds on our radar include Mottled Petrel, Parakeet Auklet, and Short-tailed Albatross, and we will expect Laysan Albatross, Shorttailed and Flesh-footed Shearwaters, Ancient Murrelets, and Black-legged Kittiwakes, all of which become more regular at this time of year. You can sign up for this trip at https://noyopelagics.com/. We also have an impromptu trip planned on the afternoon of December 21st (weather providing) for the Fort Bragg Christmas Bird Count. Stay tuned to your Mendocino Coast Audubon Society communiqués for this.

–Peter Pyle and Katherina Audley