Friday, March 30, 2012

Brown Pelican found near Prince Rupert

Press Release---

A brown pelican is being nursed back to health in Prince Rupert after veering almost two-thousand kilometres off course. The large bird with the nearly two metre wingspan was spotted, disoriented and wobbly, on a Port Edward dock earlier this week, far from its usual northerly limits along the Oregon coast. Prince Rupert Wildlife Rehab Shelter volunteer Amy Maund says people had been tossing fish to the pelican, so it wasn't starving, but an examination has revealed some eye and head injuries. The feisty pelican has perked up, since then, and is now preening and snapping his beak while shelter officials try to figure out why he ventured on his unexpected northerly adventure.

Friday, March 9, 2012

MOTTLED PETRELS in BC Waters

Ryan Merrill (Of "Mission to Haida Gwaii 2011" fame) just returned from a NOAA research cruise, and reports seeing three MOTTLED PETRELS in BC Waters (off Carmanah Pt, BC). This was around March 3rd, 2012. Here are the other highlights---
[Mottled Petrel--Note dark belly and black bars on underwing]

Laysan Albatross (4)
3/3 1 Nitinat Canyon, WA
3/5 1 Guide Canyon, 32nm off Ocean Park, WA
3/6 2 21-23nm off Cape Lookout, OR

Mottled Petrel (9)
2/21 1 4.3nm off Caramanah Point, BC - unusually close to land!
3/3 1 29nm off Caramanah Point, BC
3/3 1 Nitinat Canyon, 40nm off Caramanah Point/Cape Alava - this
bird was seen in both countries
3/3 3 Nitinat Canyon, 39-43nm off Cape Alava, WA
3/5 3 Astoria Canyon, 23-29nm off Cape Disappointment, WA

Sooty Shearwater - 2 off Ocean Shores 3/4

Short-tailed Shearwater - 33 total in BC,WA & OR

Manx Shearwater – 1 15nm off Long Beach on 3/5

Yellow-billed Loon - Scott saw one in Boundary Pass near Saturna Island on 3/2

Red-legged Kittiwake - Nitinat Canyon, 37nm off Cape Alava, WA, adult on 3/3

Apparent Black-tailed Gull - 14nm off Long Beach, WA, adult on 3/6
[Single Parakeet]
Parakeet Auklet (871!)
2/16 6 Tillamook
2/17 10 Clallam
2/20 2 Clallam
2/21 1 BC
2/23 2 Clallam
3/3 21 Clallam
3/4 358! Grays Harbor max of 85 in view at once
3/5 438! Pacific 160+ different sightings
3/6 33 Tillamook
[Group of Parakeets!]
Tufted Puffin (8)
3/3 1 Nitinat Canyon, WA
3/5 7 Willapa Canyon, WA

For more photos, click HERE.

[More reason to sign up for the WildResearch pelagic in April?]