Baja in San Francisco

In the early morning of Sunday, October 18th, I boarded the "Outer Limits" in Sausalito Harbor for a nine hour trip to the Farallon Isands. While looking for Great White Sharks was the primary focus of the trip, the leaders included some of the best birders in America along with the manager of the Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge who knows every rock, roost, and crevice on the islands. As I stated previously, landing on the islands is off limits to all but a few select researchers, but boats are allowed to circle them and idle just offshore allowing one to scan the cliff faces for seabirds and mammals. The weather was beautiful and the two hour ride to the islands was uneventful, which in itself was surprising. In October, the stretch between the mainland and the Farallons is traditionally thick with shearwaters, albatross, auklets, and other seabirds. The warm waters that have come up the California Coast this year have dramatically reduced the upwelling in some areas, leaving the water surprisingly clear but nutrient poor which was reflected in seabird numbers. The most numerous by far were the Black-vented Shearwaters, a near-shore seabird that is closely linked to warm water currents and is generally uncommon this far north. The real surprise didn't become obvious until we arrived at Sugarloaf Rock, a massive sea-facing monolith on the southeast island. When we first arrived, there were at least half a dozen Brown Boobies perched on the rock along with around 200 Brown Pelican and a smattering of gulls and cormorants. Brown Boobies are common along the coast of Mexico, across the tropical Pacific, and even breed in the Sea of Cortez, however, they are traditionally quite rare along the Pacific Coast of the United States.

After idling near Sugarloaf Rock, looking for the gull congregations that signal a fresh shark kill, we circled around the islands to their west side and then out another few miles to the continental shelf. Surprisingly, Black-vented Shearwaters, a bird most frequently found only a few miles from shore, remained the most common seabird, even over 30 miles out. We did see a pair of Black-footed Albatross and a few Pink-footed Shearwaters, but in nowhere near the numbers we would normally expect. Returning for a slow circle back around the islands we got excellent looks at California and Steller's Sea Lions, Northern Fur Seals, and tucked back in a tiny, gravelly inlet, a few Northern Elephant Seals. As we rounded back to Sugarloaf rock, the number of Brown Boobies had increased dramatically, with at least 21 individuals either perched on the rock or soaring nearby. Additionally, they were joined by a single Blue-footed Booby! Another tropical seabird and a lifer for me!

As we rode back to shore we saw a handful of Red Phalaropes along with small numbers of Common Murres and Black-vented Shearwaters, which were a near constant presence until we passed back under the Golden Gate Bridge.

So, no sharks but a very enjoyable day out none the less, with a collection of sightings that would normally be more likely along the coast of central Baja rather than off central California. I'm also amused that my San Francisco County list now has three species of booby, shearwaters, elephant and fur seals, but lacks European Starling, California Ground and Fox Squirrel, and a host of other expected "city" wildlife. I will have to undertake a concentrated trip for more "representative" sampling! And did I mention the excellent Thai food, and the breweries, and my favorite Pakistani restaurant and.... No reason wildlifing in the city can't be indulgent too! :-)

Cheers!

Posted on October 20, 2015 11:16 PM by rjadams55