Strong, cold, NE winds and larger waves offshore worried us, but once underway, with the wind to our back, we had decent conditions. When we returned to port we had some bumpy riding and cold wind in our face for a while, but seas improved throughout the day, so it wasn't as bad as we feared it might be.

Birds were well-distributed on our way out, but the "dead-zone" from 5-15 miles offshore was strikingly birdless on the return trip. I would describe the trip as typical for species and numbers for late-September, with perhaps fewer albatrosses than usual for the Perpetua Bank area.

We had a few SCOTERS, RED-NECKED PHALAROPES, an OLDSQUAW, COMMON MURRES, RHINOCEROS AUKLETS, a single COMMON TERN, and a couple handfuls of SOOTY SHEARWATERS within 10 miles of shore on our trip out.

All the CASSIN'S AUKLETS were between 10 and 20 miles of shore as is often typical. Most of the RED PHALAROPES were between 10 and 25 miles of shore.

Our first NORTHERN FULMARS didn't occur until we were 30 miles offshore, but over 100 chummed in to the boat at Perpetua Bank. BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES were in low numbers. Several flew around our boat at the chum stop, but none swam up close--too rough, I think. The water was very cold (53F), and the majority of albatrosses may just have moved out 100 miles to where the 60F water is.

Three SOUTH POLAR SKUAS were encountered, along with 10 POMARINE JAEGERS. Only one SABINE'S GULL was spotted by a few observers on the windy bow on the return trip, and one observer saw an ANCIENT MURRELET flying by earlier in the trip, about 20 miles offshore.

Good numbers of BULLER'S SHEARWATERS have finally arrived, and PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER numbers remain high this fall.

Several dolphins or porpoises splashed during the trip, but only a few were identified in the rough water. None came near the boat. One small BLUE SHARK came up to our chum.

Greg Gillson
guide@teleport.com