I am exhausted and in desperate need of beer...but I thought it would be best to put a few pics up of the bird of the day.
This is a Salvin's Albatross, photographed today off Half Moon Bay, CA (San Mateo County). Salvin's Albatross are well-known for their habit of avoiding the northern hemisphere. It is so rare that I can't really wrap my mind around it. It's a bird I don't look for when I am looking for rare birds. It is the rarest seabird, geographically speaking, that I have ever seen.
More details to come soon. Thanks to both Alvaro's Adventures and Shearwater Journeys for making my acquaintance with this species possible.
SWEET JESUS. I did not even know this bird was on North American radar. There's like 2 eBird reports in the northern hemisphere in the last 15 years. I don't even remember it being mentioned in the Howell guide to rare birds...AND YOU CRUSHED IT.
ReplyDeleteAwesome Steve, congratulations. Please hold it there for 6 more weeks.
** amend that--it's mentioned on page 97, though neither of the eBird reports of CA are mentioned, just one from the Aleutian area.
DeleteAgain, congratulations.
Insane and incredible! Makes the Garganey we all saw in WI look like child's play. Congratulations on a truly remarkable bird.
ReplyDeleteJust saw this come through from the ABA on my FB feed. Why are they not using your photos?!
Certainly this clinches #6 for ya.
ReplyDeleteMega. Sick. Mega sick.
ReplyDeleteMan: Albatross! Albatross! Albatross!
ReplyDeleteCustomer: Two choc-ices please.
Man: I haven't got choc-ices. I only got the albatross. Albatross!
Customer: What flavour is it?
Man: It's a bird, innit? It's a bloody sea bird... it's not any bloody flavour. Albatross!
Guess the Monty Python troupe was wrong - there are flavors. And your photos of Salvin's are absolutely delicious. Congrats.
Superb photos Steve, as I do chores today, gardening and mundane things today I can bask in an albatross glow. What a day it was, glad that your boat could catch up to it. We were dripping very expensive fish oil to make it stay. Zach Baer has his home made chupacabra cinnamon stout on board for us for celebration!!!
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you are talking about, the glow is strong today. Thanks again for relaying the info and keeping the bird there for us...I still can't get over the fact that the bird took off and you somehow found it again. I think I just used up a year's worth of bird luck on that thing, haha. After you guys left I think the bird stayed for another 20 minutes or so before taking off, last seen gliding southwest.
DeleteI only made it through two beers last night...too tired for more. But they were a lot better than usual!
These would be outstanding photos, even if they weren't of an almost mythical bird. I hope you found a beer worthy of the celebration. Congratulations on a sighting bound for the record books!
ReplyDeleteThe fact that that species exists is not even in my brain.
ReplyDeleteEPIC. Gobsmacking. Gigantic congrats, and thanks for sharing. Jeeze!