Date: 5/5/25 7:09 pm From: Brian Sullivan via groups.io <heraldpetrel...> Subject: Re: [CALBIRDS] this year's repositioning cruises
Hi Folks
Paul is right that birding from these boats is a challenge, especially in
terms of getting useful data into eBird. When I'm on these trips I always
try to do the following:
1. Use the 'eBird Pelagic Protocol'
2. Do .5 hr checklists (this keeps the distance down to about 12 miles or
so per list)
3. Submit photos and details of noteworthy species for each checklist where
possible (this can get tricky when some of the 'rare' Pterodromas are
common out there, see below)
4. Do extra 'Incidental' checklists for major rarities (e.g., something
like Short-tailed Albatross) to ensure the exact location gets in the
database, and the bird gets plotted in the right county
5. Share checklists only with the people in my birding party (birding
parties on opposite sides of the boat or even relatively closely spaced can
have different birds)
In years when species such as Cook's and Murphy's petrels are very common
out in the deep (Hawaiian is never common out there), it can get hard to
provide distinct details for each individual. The eBird reviewers are
generally aware that these species fluctuate from year-to-year offshore,
and will review records in big years accordingly. Conversely, in some years
only one of the 'rare' Pterodromas is common offshore, or perhaps none, and
in these years submitting details for each observation is possible, and
recommended. One year, for example, Murphy's Petrel was very common (500+),
Hawaiian Petrel was regular (~20 birds), and Cook's Petrel was absent (one
person claimed one). In that example, it was impossible to document all the
MUPE individually so we tried for a good cross-section of birds focusing on
checklists and counties, but we tried our best to document each
HAPE, including uploading terrible, but identifiable photos of each bird
when possible.
As Paul points out, the best thing to do is to step back and take a breath
on that first morning, and get your bearings. I've been on lots of trips
out there where identifications of the three Pterodromas were flying fast
and furious on that first morning, but I was only seeing Sooty and
Pink-footed Shearwaters. When the real deal eventually made an appearance,
I think folks realized they'd fallen victim to 'first morning syndrome' and
course corrected.
Lastly, I highly recommend you all try one of these trips. They are lots of
fun, and it's a great way to get out in the deep in relative comfort.
Thanks
Brian
On Sun, May 4, 2025 at 11:29 AM <lehman.paul...> via groups.io
<lehman.paul...> wrote:
> Another spring with multiple northbound repositioning cruises plying the
> waters near the shelf edge off California (and Oregon and s. Washington)
> the past 10 days or so. Several sailings from San Diego aboard Holland
> America and one or two from Los Angeles (San Pedro) aboard Princess. As is
> typical, all or almost all of the trips are seeing Hawaiian, Murphy's, and
> Cook's Petrels, and Laysan Albatrosses. From one to a few Hawaiians per
> trip. Small to moderate numbers of Murphy's this year, with, as usual, the
> larger numbers farther to the north. And moderate numbers of Cook's
> Petrels, mostly or entirely in the more southern waters. Laysans have been
> in larger than normal numbers on most of the trips. A couple Red-billed
> Tropicbirds in southern waters. And one immature Short-tailed Albatross off
> San Mateo County. Haven't heard about too much else of note this year. I
> have heard that numbers of many of the alcids and jaegers seem well down
> this year. These trips are a comfortable way to see these species all in
> one trip (only occasionally is one the pterodromas missed, and that's
> usually when the conditions are too calm (!!) or if a bunch of time is lost
> due to thick fog (fairly rare, but it does happen on a few trips). Views of
> these birds range from very good to mediocre, as you might imagine--some
> requiring scopes while others are close enough to have relatively nice
> views even with just binoculars (seems to vary from trip to trip).
>
>
> I'd also like to add that, from an eBird reviewer's perspective, many of
> us reviewers semi-dread the aftermath of these trips!! Lots and lots of
> eBird lists submitted. Only a small minority well put together, with
> locations clearly spelled out and adequate documentation for needed
> species. Lots of lists submitted with only one or neither of these. Plenty
> of lists with one-hour pelagic protocols used, but cruise ships may cover
> almost 25 miles in one hour, so that's a lot of ground where every bird on
> that list has the same coordinates from only the very beginning of those
> 20+ miles (so some birds sometimes get plotted in the wrong county!). Thus,
> it would be VERY helpful if birders included more exact lat-long info for
> the more special birds seen. (Gotten either from a GPS device, smartphone,
> or from many of today's cameras.) And then there's also the issue that a
> large percent of the birders aboard these trips have little West Coast
> pelagic experience, and even less experience birding from a cruise ship,
> plus a fair percent of them are, shall we say, very very eager (some a bit
> too eager) to see these species and other possible rarities. So there are
> always some questionable reports made. What really everyone needs to do is
> spend the first number of hours of each trip "equilibrating" their brain
> and their skills and in recognizing what the various species look like when
> viewed from a cruise ship, and THEN more confidently start picking them
> apart and finding the rarer ones. As a result, there may be a higher
> percent of incorrect IDs made early in these trips than later on. I've been
> on lots of these trips and have seen this process play out repeatedly
> first-hand. Of course the same thing can be said about reports from regular
> pelagic trips made from smaller boats.
>
>
> --Paul Lehman, San Diego
>
>
>
>
--
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*Brian L. Sullivan*
*Digital Publications LeadCornell Lab of Ornithology*
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