May 19: Paul Lehman summarizes the highlights of his three April-May 2017 West Coast cruises, two to British Columbia and one to Alaska
All three WINGS West Coast cruises during April and May 2017 were successful in recording multiple Laysan Albatrosses and Pterodroma petrels. The late April trip aboard Holland America from San Diego to Vancouver recorded good numbers of both Murphy's and Cooks Petrels, while the early May trip from Los Angeles aboard Princess Cruises recorded good numbers of Murphy's and several Hawaiian Petrels. And the San Francisco to Southeast Alaska roundtrip in mid-May recorded good numbers of Murphy's and a surprise immature Short-tailed Albatross.
Murphy's Petrel. Image: Bruce Rideout
Murphy's Petrel Image: Bruce Rideout
Short-tailed Albatross. Image: Bruce Rideout
Not rare, but always enjoyable, were the fine views obtained on all three cruises of large numbers of Fork-tailed and Leach's Storm-Petrels, hundreds of Black-footed Albatrosses, many groups of Red Phalaropes and Sabine's Gulls in breeding plumage, smaller numbers of Long-tailed Jaegers and Tufted Puffins, as well as many Humpback Whales and Dall's Porpoise, several Fin Whales, and even a few Orcas and Baird's and Cuvier's Beaked Whales. The "repositioning" cruises off California also added Black-vented Shearwaters, whereas the cruise to southeast Alaska recorded Kittlitz's and Ancient Murrelets, Aleutian Terns, and Short-tailed Shearwaters.
Posted: May 19, 2017