by Dyane Hendricks

This short-tailed albatross flew all the way from Japan to thrill local bird watchers. He’s carrying an electronic tracking device. Photo courtesy of Alvaro Jaramillo.

Swirling seabirds looking for a late-afternoon lunch are just a hint of the ornithology riches offered on the San Mateo County coastline. Just ask the Sequoia Audubon Society bird-watchers who recently welcomed two international visitors to Half Moon Bay waters.

Boating expeditions, called pelagic trips, are often run from Monterey and San Francisco. But the local birders belonging to the Sequoia Audubon Society believed that they were literally missing the boat as far as Pillar Point Harbor was concerned.

“It only made sense that if birding was good to the north and to the south, it should be good off our own waters,” said Jennifer Rycenga, Sequoia Audubon Society board member. “The thought has occurred to me to organize a boating trip out of Half Moon Bay,” she said. The same thought occurred to board member Gary Deghi and ornithological expert Alvaro Jaramillo, Half Moon Bay residents.

Take all these thoughts and add the interest of Peggy Beckett, owner of Huck Finn Fishing Tours, in focusing on more green business — and two pelagic trips were planned. The original plan was for a fundraising trip in August or September along with a second trip in October, headed by Jaramillo and sponsored by the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory.

Both trips went beyond expectation.

Jennifer Rycenga and Alvaro Jaramillo at Pillar Point Harbor after a happy day of encountering a white-chinned petrel, the first live sighting in the Northern Hemisphere. Photo courtesy of Alvaro Jaramillo.

Stormy weather postponed the first trip, but in October Jaramillo set sail on what became known as the Albatross Trip. Out on the open sea, the expedition enjoyed watching the birds congregating around a trawler. Suddenly one birder rushed to Jaramillo, pointing and speechless. Joining the flock that day was an albatross. But not the Laysan albatross that they expected to see. Circling the trawler was a short-tailed albatross, who was about 3,000 miles off course and packing a   satellite tracking device.

Once common, the albatross almost became extinct between 1800 and 1940 because the tail feathers were used on ladies hats. Only 20 birds were left by World War II. After the war, the Japanese decided to save the birds and relocated them to an island for breeding and eventually named the short-tailed albatross as a national monument, said Jaramillo.

Jaramillo and company were able to get in touch with the Japanese caretaker of the bird who was as excited about the sighting as the birders. “It’s like one of his kids,” said Jaramillo. He also said that “it was a pretty neat way to put us together with Japanese researchers and it shows how we share the ocean through birds.”

Rycenga, Deghi and the rest of the Sequoia Audubon Society members not on the albatross trip were disappointed at having missed the sighting. But that disappointment was short-lived.

A rebellious teenager? This white-chinned petrel should be in Chilean waters, not off Half Moon Bay. He might have been trying to get away from his parents. Photo courtesy of Alvaro Jaramillo.

One week later, with Jaramillo as their guide, they sailed out to the  continental shelf with Huck Finn Sport Fishing and made one of the best California finds in years, said Rycenga. Flying around the boat was  a white-chinned petrel, marking the first time that this species of bird was spotted alive in the Northern Hemisphere. Very off-course, the white-chinned petrel is a bird from Peru.

Peggy Macres (left) and Jennifer Rycenga had lots of smiles after bidding goodbye to the white-chinned petrel they saw on the Continental Shelf off the San Mateo Coast.

Jaramillo, a white-chinned petrel expert, directed the birders and crew to start throwing fish and pointed out physical attributes specific to the white-chinned petrel.

“It was really exciting to cross paths with birds that have never  been seen off the [San Mateo] coast before,” said Deghi, who has been birding for 30 years. He marked a milestone on this trip; the white-chinned petrel was the 500th species of birds that he has seen in California. There are 641 birds on the California list, not including the white-chinned petrel and his buddy the short-tailed albatross.

The California Bird Records Committee will take the descriptions and the photos, and the members vote to support or question the identity of the birds, said Jaramillo, a former CBRC board member. “Assuming they pass the vote, then the white-chinned petrel would get added to the list of species found in the state, and it would become the second North American record,” he said. “This is  almost a sure thing based on the documentation we have.”

Rycenga said that story has greater importance because it demonstrates that green economy is viable for Pillar Point Harbor. “It gets people to realize there are really interesting birds on the water.”

Gary Deghi marked his 500th California bird species sighting with the white-chinned petrel. Other birders on board that day were Ed DeBellevue (left), Mark Eaton (with the camera) and George Chrisman (in back, giving the thumbs-up). In the far back is Kathy Robertson from the East Bay. Photo courtesy of Alvaro Jaramillo.

Summing up the experience for all the birders and crews on that last expedition, Rycenga said, “Whenever I think of it, I get a happy smile.”

As for the short-tailed albatross and the white-chinned petrel, both are probably north to Alaska and Canada by now.

To see a video of Jaramillo’s explanation of the white-chinned petrel, or for more information about birding, call 650-529-1454 or visit the Sequoia Audubon Society Web site.

On the Web:

groups.yahoo.com/group/peninsula-birding/message/8143