Hi All

This
is a reminder that Island Packers is offering an 11-hour deepwater
pelagic trip from the Ventura Harbor at 7 am on Saturday October 7. This
trip will allow us to get to offshore waters beyond the reach of most
day trips where we will
have a chance to see a number of outstanding pelagic birds and marine
mammals. The waters around the northern
Channel Islands can be very productive during the fall when hundreds
(sometimes thousands) of shearwaters crowd into the inter-island gaps. We will be looking through flocks of Black-vented,
Pink-footed, and Sooty Shearwaters for Buller's, Flesh-footed (uncommon),
and Manx (rare) Shearwaters. This is peak season for seabird diversity
so in addition to the species already mentioned, Black-footed Albatross,
Black and Ashy Storm-Petrels, Cassin's and Rhinoceros Auklets, and
Pomarine and Long-tailed Jaegers are all possible. It is a good time of
year for South Polar Skua, Sabine's Gull, and Arctic Tern. Recent trips
near the islands have found Blue-footed Booby (2013-2014, 2016) and Brown
Booby (2013-2017). There is also a potential for sought-after species
like Cooks' Petrel, Red-billed Tropicbird, Least Storm-Petrel, Townsend's Storm-Petrel, Guadalupe Murrelet, and
Craveri's Murrelet. The last 4 years have been exceptional for Craveri's
Murrelet off southern California and with warm water continuing, our chances to find this elusive species may be good. We saw approximately 45 Craveri's Murrelets on our recent July trip from Ventura! In addition, there was a Nazca Booby seen on a pelagic trip out of San Diego this weekend so anything is possible out there. We
will decide what our offshore destinations will be after reviewing
oceanographic conditions at the time of the trip, which will help
determine where birds and other marine life may be present.

The trip will be on an ultra-fast catamaran that features a
spacious and comfortable cabin, galley, and excellent viewing from
both the upper and lower decks. A full contingent of outstanding seabird
leaders will be present to make sure we see all that is out there. The
Captain and crew know how to run birding trips and are enthusiastic
and helpful.In addition, we work hard to creep up on birds and get
them in the right light for photographers.
Trips can be booked over the phone by calling (805) 642-1393 or online at www.IslandPackers.com by
clicking the Reserve Trip tab, select the Special Trips tab, and select
your desired departure. The cost of the trip is $170 per adult.

Hope to see you at sea!

Dave Pereksta
Ventura, CA