A Birdy Birthday

A one, an' a two... ♪ Happy Birthday to you! ♪

Hey birdie! Turn around when you sing to me! Oh well. Today was a nice calm day on the ocean out of Half Moon Bay. Lots of good birds, and including the photo opt for Tufted Puffins I've ever had.

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My favorite sea birds though are Storm Petrels and today there three species seen. I only glimpsed an Ashy Storm Petrel but these were good looks of these other two species.

Black Storm Petrel

There were a few Black Storm Petrels that have deep wing beats - which I'm starting to recognize but I need to see another few hundred of them for say... a month or two before I get it down pat.

Wilson's Storm Petrel

This Wilson's Storm Petrel was far enough out I couldn't see it's white rump band through my binoculars, but it did show up in the photos I took. You can even see the pale secondaries.

The boat found a fishing boat that was surrounded by flocks of Sooty & Pink-footed Shearwaters, Black-footed Albatrosses and one lone Laysan Albatross.

The Laysan had true 'Betty Davis' eyes

Check out those beautiful long wings

 I took it as a happy birthday treat that I got a sweet little 'Dall' for my birthday.

A genuine Dall - a Dall's Porpoise: one of a small group that shot by

We passed a few Northern Fur Seals, out airing their flippers

So it was an uneventful-ish pelagic trip but it was fun. Don and I made friends with a fellow birder named Anne on board. She too was on yesterday's and today's trip and I'm hoping we run across her in future again as I need all the birding buds I can get. Oh! And I always show the birds and mammals of these trips, but not often the others. Here's a Mola Mola - an ocean sunfish which are cool because they like to wave to everyone on the boat.

Waving Mola Mola fin

Here is a video of  some Mola Mola fish that look as though they were designed by Terry Gilliam.



Today was a lovely Birthday. After the trip I drove back south to Barbara's house for another couple of days of totally unnecessary R&R. Why not? It's my birthday!