California birders,

I am trying to organize a pelagic trip to the Cortez Bank this year. The basic details are: departure from Dana Point aboard the R/V Sea Explorer (same boat used on Orange County Audubon pelagics), leaving at 1-2 AM and returning at 8-9 PM on Saturday, August 25 (18-20 hours); there are NO bunks or full galley on board, but possibly enough room to sleep on the floor or benches inside (plenty of room outside). The per person cost will likely be $200 (it will not be more than that).

This should be an excellent opportunity to add species like Black-footed Albatross, Leach's Storm-Petrel, Red-billed Tropicbird, Craveri's Murrelet, Arctic Tern, South Polar Skua, and Long-tailed Jaeger to your LA County (and California) list. It is also a good opportunity to look for rare species such as Cook's and Hawaiian Petrels, Townsend's Storm-Petrel, Least Storm-Petrel, and Guadalupe Murrelet.

If you are interested in going, please email me back (off list) and let me know so I can put your name on the manifest and determine if there is enough interest to fill the boat. I have a list of about 15 people who have expressed interest already, but we need at least 15 more to fill the boat and make this trip happen. If you have any questions regarding the details of the trip, please contact me and I will answer them to the best of my ability.

Tom

thomasabenson AT aol.com