A Three-Albatross Day
Black-footed Albatross photo by Tim Bray
On the half-day Noyo Pelagics trip the morning of Saturday April 26, we encountered mind-boggling numbers of Black-footed Albatross, with several hundred in view at one time. One Laysan Albatross briefly joined the party as well; this species was formerly considered rare here, but now seems to be regularly seen on spring trips. The highlight though, was a juvenile Short-tailed Albatross that came in while we were chumming and gave us great views as it sat on the water. This species was thought to have gone extinct in the early 20th century, after feather harvesters killed every breeding bird on the single island where they nested. Years later however, a few birds began to reappear and resume breeding. Young Albatrosses spend their first several years at sea, only returning to breed at age 8 to 10 years. Enough of those survived to establish a tiny population, for many years one of the world’s rarest birds, but now thought to number around 7,000. Eight have been documented off the Mendocino coast, and five of those were at the same spot where we found this one, near the upper end of Noyo Canyon.
Laysan Albatross
Other interesting rarities were a Common Tern just outside the harbor, and a Scripps’s Murrelet seen on the way back in, unusually close to shore. Sooty Shearwaters and Pink-footed Shearwaters put on a show, dynamically soaring in the breeze. These birds recently completed breeding off New Zealand and it was a surprise to see so many here already.
We were all struck by not only the large numbers of seabirds, but by how close in they were. The farthest out we got was the “dogleg” of upper Noyo Canyon, about ten miles, and most of the action was closer in, especially at the upper end of the canyon where a fishing vessel had attracted a huge flock of birds. An amazing day.
Short-tailed Albatross
Noyo Pelagics has all-day trips scheduled for May 9 and May 11, and more trips each month. You can see the schedule and sign up for any trip at their website: noyopelagics.com
