November 9

Beginning at sunrise around 6:00 AM, the morning shift at the Point Pinos Seawatch included Catherine, Kai, and Bill to start off the day.  They had great views of a Leach's Storm-Petrel close-ish to land, spotted by Ed Schlabach at the 7:00 hour. The day started with clear skies and high numbers of loons and murres, but when the midday shift clocked in (Fred, Karen, and Amanda) the fog rolled in, masking the red buoy and the mountain range. Luckily the fog lifted and with the help of a local birding buddy, a Marbled Murrelet was spotted during the 1:00 PM checklist. Thanks Monte! I kept telling people about it when they asked "What's the rarest bird you've seen today?" since the Marbled Murrelet is listed as Threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. By the end of the day, Surf Scoters were the high count target species with 1,296 individuals flying by, with a Black Scoter and some Northern Pintails for good measure. "Coolest" bird of the day is bound to be the Leach's Storm-Petrel for the morning crew - what a neat bird. 

We easily talked to over 80 folks walking by, with some birders coming specifically to spend time with the Seawatch crew. It's always fun to find new lifer birds for fellow birders, either locals or those who traveled here from Australia! The Monterey Bay Half Marathon was happening in the morning, so there were a few runners who stopped to ask (quickly) what we were up to. 

-Amanda Preece