The half-day (6-hour) San Diego pelagic trip on Saturday morning, 22 October, sailed out to the 9-Mile Bank and edge of the San Diego Trough. Sponsored by Buena Vista Audubon Society aboard the "Legacy," it took place under pleasant sea conditions. The highlights were certainly the boobies, with a very cooperative sub-adult Nazca Booby next to the boat some 5.4 miles off Point Loma, a Red-footed Booby some 10.3 miles west of the tip of Point Loma, and a very high count of 37 Brown Boobies, which included two mid-sized flocks of up to 10 birds each. Another highlight was the good views of a Hammerhead Shark, perhaps especially surprising this late in the season. Species totals for the trip from offshore were:

Surf Scoter: 15

Red Phalarope:  4

Pomarine Jaeger:  4

Parasitic Jaeger:  1

jaeger sp.:  1

Cassin's Auklet:  14

alcid sp.:  5

Heermann's Gull:  9

Western Gull:  250

California Gull:  18

Herring Gull:  1

Elegant Tern:  2

Common Loon:  2

Northern Fulmar:  4

Pink-footed Shearwater:  18

Black-vented Shearwater:  475

Nazca Booby:  1

Brown Booby:  37

Red-footed Booby:  1

Brown Pelican:  4

Brandt's Cormorant:  4

This was the last of the Buena Vista Audubon San Diego pelagics of the year. Look for our 2023 schedule to appear around February or so. Check sandiegopelagics.com

--Paul Lehman, Dave Povey, Bruce Rideout, San Diego