Seawatch Report - Dec 8

Black-footed albatross

Today was quiet with interspersed excitement. We started off strong with a few Black-footed albatross passing close by the point. Seeing these young birds was lovely - all the adults should be at breeding colonies by now courting and laying eggs.

The loon flight was slow in the morning, but had a notable 1100hr push of ~700 Pacific loons.

The alcid flight featured a single Cassin's auklet, which has proved elusive this year. The high Ancient murrelet numbers continue to provide some spice.

At noon, a small black and white shearwater flew in from outside the bay. Interestingly, this Manx shearwater started circling the buoy. We enjoyed close looks as it continued circling for roughly ten minutes, and it eventually disappeared while we discussed the identification.

Another notables include a Red-necked grebe spotted by Alexander Clementson, and a Western meadowlark that perched on the point. A Surfbird also flew by in a flock of Black-bellied plovers - though regular less than a mile south at Asilomar beach, they rarely appear at the point. Another locally common bird that made a rare appearance at the point was a Horned grebe. A Barn swallow continued the recent trend of late migrant swallows.

We are very grateful for the many volunteer counters and docents that spent their Sunday at Point Pinos!

See the full checklist here: https://ebird.org/tripreport/299552

-Kai Russell