MONTEREY BAY: PELAGIC BIRDS
FAR OFFSHORE BIRDS 
text & most photos by Don Roberson
those attributed to other photographers are
used with permission; all rights reserved.
These pages feature the pelagic birds that are generally found only far offshore Monterey County, and generally well beyond the range of standard Monterey Bay boat trips. These are species to be looked for on overnight, 24-hour expeditions or on research cruises. All photos on this page were taken offshore central California. In these deep waters far offshore, individual birds are usually few and far between, and it is not unusual to cruise for an hour or more without seeing a single bird. Yet when one is found, it can be a highlight species. In winter and spring the winds are usually howling out here all of the time, and it can be blowing a gale at any time of year. This presents further problems for observers hoping to see these far offshore birds.
Murphy's Petrel Pterodroma ultima is probably a regular visitor well off-shore, at least in spring, but all the records in Monterey County are from a single research cruise 50-100 nmi offshore from 7-10 April 1991 (the trip also went a bit farther north on 11 April; both photos, right, are from that cruise). It was the most common bird species seen beyond 50 nmi offshore: 122 were tallied during the 5-day cruise in waters assignable to Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Mateo counties. The far right shot gives a little of the feeling of this sleek petrel arcing high in the gale-force winds, a master of its domain.
Photos above © Don Roberson, April 1991. Photos below © Stephen C. Rottenborn 26 June 1994 (left) & © Don Roberson 17 Nov 1979 (right).
Cook's Petrel Pterodroma cookii (right) may also be regular far offshore from April through summer and into late fall (has been recorded as late as 1 Dec). To date, all Cook's Petrels have been located only over the deep waters of the north Pacific gyre. This is well west of the cold California current, and where sea surface temperatures are warmer than on Monterey Bay. Stejneger's Petrel P. longirostris, which has only been recorded once to date over these same deep waters [60 nmi off Pt. Sur on 17 Nov 1979] may also be a regular migrant far offshore in November. Another Pterodroma that may or may not be regular offshore is Hawaiian Petrel P. sandwichensis; our only record was one on 26 June 1994 about 30 nmi W of Cypress Pt. (below; silhouetted photo).
Photos below © D. Roberson, 9 Apr 1991 (left; 50 nmi off Pt. Sur) & 29 Dec 1992 (right; Pacific Grove)
Leach's Storm-Petrel is common summer storm-petrel far offshore, usually well west of the California Current. Since few surveys go this far offshore, we don't really know its status at other seasons very well, although a few are present into late fall. Presumably, most go south into the eastern tropical Pacific in winter. The freshly killed bird (near right) was found on Grove Acre Ave. in Pacific Grove on 29 Dec 1992, right after a major storm with gale winds. Note that both of the bird in hand and the one in flight well offshore (far left), the grayish 'dividing line' in the center of the white rump band is apparent.
Photos below © Richard Ternullo 25 July 1993 (left; west of Pt. Lobos) & 20 July 1980 (right; off Yankee Pt.)
Red-billed Tropicbird is a rare but probably regular visitor to warmer waters beyond the cold California Current in summer and early fall. Small 'tongues' and eddies from the north Pacific gyre curl in towards Monterey Bay in the summer and fall when the strong NW winds decrease, and bring along with them a variety of warmer water fish, include albacore. Fishermen call these patches 'albacore waters.' Their exact position changes day to day, but if these productive waters can be located, they bring the best chance of finding this tropicbird, which forages on small warm-water fish species. These were photographed 25 July 1993 west of Pt. Lobos (left) and 26 July 1980 (right) some 18 nmi off Yankee Pt.
Photo below © D. Roberson 19 Aug 1992
Red-tailed Tropicbird has occurred only 3 times in Monterey County, all between 46 and 147 nmi offshore, and all in late summer or early fall (a fine photo of an adult in MTY appears in my book, Monterey Birds). Additional birds have been close to MTY waters offshore San Mateo and San Luis Obispo counties; the juvenal (left) was 88 nmi off the latter county on 19 Aug 1992. It seems probable that Red-tailed Tropicbird is regular in small numbers in the warm waters of the east Pacific gyre, out beyond were even the Red-billed Tropicbirds occur, and that bird trips so rarely visit those waters that its true status here is unknown. Its presence may be limited to extremely 'warm-water' years or decades.
The links below send you to pages about the regular pelagic birds on Monterey Bay, within the reach of standard pelagic boat trips:
 
CLICK HERE
TO GO TO
ALBATROSSES
THROUGH
SHEARWATERS
CLICK HERE
TO GO TO
STORM-PETRELS
THROUGH
PHALAROPES
CLICK HERE
TO GO TO
JAEGERS
THROUGH
TERNS
CLICK HERE
TO GO TO
ALCIDS

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Page created 17-24 Nov 2002