Pelagic Trips - Student Scholarship Spotlight
MCAS Pelagic Sponsorships
by Yichen Gao
Yichen Gao is a student at the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in Integrative Biology. MCAS sponsored him for the June 26 pelagic and this is his report on the experience.
I was beyond excited to join a Pelagic Birding trip with Noyo Pelagic. I have always wanted to try pelagic birding, but as a college student, it is very unaffordable.
Usually I do my homework before going on trips like this, familiarizing myself with the animals I am likely to encounter. However, as I heard about this opportunity only two days before the cruise, I barely had time to get ready. Therefore, I did not knew what to expect.
As soon as I arrived to the harbor, I saw many people boarding the boat already, most of them carrying cameras and are already discussing the birds they have seen already, or are expecting to see. After the cruise officially started, I did not have to wait long before flocks of murres, guillemots, auklets, and shearwater start appearing. These birds did not excite the others much, these are common birds on the west coast. I however, was delighted to see so many species of pelagic birds I have never seen before, snapping photos without restraint.
After reaching further offshore, the first albatrosses, dolphins, whales, fish, and jellyfish started appearing. They put on a dramatic show. Humpback whales were busy casting bubble nets before lunging their massive mouths into schools of trapped fish. Pods of Pacific White-sided Dolphins and Northern Right-whale Dolphin could not pass up the feeding frenzy, darting between whales to catch panicking fish. Numerous Salmon Sharks also made their presence known, rubbing their body on floating logs, while schools of juvenile molas flopped on the ocean surface in the most bizarrely adorable manner.
Whatever my original expectations were, the bonanza of ocean animals already blew it out of the water. However, what really put this trip over the top were the dozens of Black-footed Albatrosses, many landing right by the boat, examining us and the chum onboard. I had never dreamed of seeing wild albatrosses so up close, yet there I was; taking close-ups of these ginormous birds as they hopped on the ocean surface, flapping their wings, and fighting over food.
After a few more hours at sea, and encountering Ancient Murrelets, Fur Seals, Laysan Albatrosses, a Tufted Puffin, and even more birds, the trip had to come to an end. This was a fantastic day, as seen by my dead camera and half eaten lunch; my eyes were so glued to the ocean and I was so busy taking photos that I did not bother finishing my lunch.
To anyone interested in birding, I highly recommend this experience. Being surrounded by a habitat that most people rarely visit, seeing animals that call the ocean home in their natural habitat, and chatting with like minded people about our favorite animals made this trip truly special. Try as I might, is is an adventure that words alone cannot describe fully, and must be experienced.
