Hello PenBirds and Calbirds. The weather was outstanding as was forecast, but what I did not expect was the level of activity out there. It was non-stop birds and whales for the entire trip. On Monday Dennis Baxter our captain had mentioned to me that a big influx of shearwaters had come in, with small gulls with black heads and albatross close to shore. The bait (mainly anchovy) has been thick between Half Moon Bay and Monterey, even though we have not had that much of the winds that power upwelling. Right now, there is a ton of food out there. Humpback Whales were plentiful, and we saw them lunge feeding. Two different large pods of Rissos Dolphins were good, along with a smattering of Pacific White-sided Dolphins. We found fur seals, in larger numbers than the norm and several appeared to be Guadalupe Fur Seals. Something is going on right now with this species, they are stranding on shore in larger numbers than usual. It may be a leading indicator of too warm a situation to our south or offshore I dont know. But on to the birds! We found our highest (that I recall) number of Tufted Puffins away from the Farallon Islands, 8-9 birds in full, and I mean full breeding splendor. They were scattered throughout the trip. Rhinoceros Auklets started to show up just a few miles from shore and were common we found several hundred and many gave great views. Several thousand murres showed, along with over a hundred Cassins Auklets. These species were particularly easy to see, and to photograph yesterday. Sooty Shearwaters were thick, and Pink-footed was common lots of molting adults, and a fair share of juveniles. The Black-footed Albatross show was nice, with about 50 birds through the day, but unfortunately we did not find a Laysan. Perhaps the most fun aspect was that we got into the migration corridor of jaegers and Sabines Gulls, with nice densities of both. But the adult breeding, full spoons, Pomarine Jaegers stole the show. A parade of them, and many of them close up and personal! One nice breeding plumaged Parasitic went by as well. A smattering of offshore Bonapartes Gulls was a staple of spring trips, and a few offshore Elegant Terns were unexpected. We hit the push of Red-necked Phalaropes, which seemed to be mostly females in breeding plumage. Well over a 1000 birds, and a smattering of breeding Red Phalaropes farther offshore. At one point the phalaropes got up high over the water, in dense flocks. Odd behavior! Then we saw a juvenile Peregrine Falcon out there hunting seabirds, that was awesome. Some Peregrines do this, but it seems that it only happens when the sea is flat and visibility is very good. We did not see it go for anything, but from the reaction of the phalaropes, it seemed that he was looking for them. Closer to shore the migration of Pacific Loons, as well as a few Red-throated and Common gave us great views of these guys. Two Common Terns were offshore as well. But really, it was the great views and non-stop action that made it a fantastic trip. Great photos were taken by many participants, in great light. I setup a gallery on Facebook of some of the birds we saw (hopefully this is visible to all): https://www.facebook.com/photo.phpfbid=10156552639453520&set=pcb.10156552647018520&type=3&theater Spring pelagics can be fantastic, and this was one of them. But the real message here is that if this is a prelude to our pelagic season this year. We are in for a treat! Of course things change, and in a couple of months it could be different. But being optimistic, I am hoping that the masses of food, whales and birds stick around and we can enjoy some more great birding offshore later on in the year. Good birding, Alvaro Alvaro Jaramillo alvaro@... www.alvarosadventures.com

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