Pelagic Trip to Cordell Bank

This all-day cruise aboard the "New Sea Angler" will be an exploration of the pelagic zone that lies off the Sonoma and Marin coasts. Just after leaving Bodega Bay the group will begin looking for migrating flocks of loon, scoter, and brant, while common murre and pigeon guillemot may dive near the boat. The destination is the Cordell Bank, a granitic undersea mount off the Continental Shelf that rises to within 100 feet of the surface. Upwelling of nutrients and oxygen-rich water here fuel a rich food chain that supports a varied assemblage of seabirds and marine mammals. The whole area is part of the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

This outing has an unpredictable element as few pelagic birding trips visit these waters in the spring. Birds that feed here include tufted puffin, Cassin's and rhinoceros auklet, and black-footed albatross. Less common species may include Northern fulmar, Pomarine jaeger, Red phalarope, Sooty and Pink-footed Shearwater. There's always a chance for the unexpected- Sabine's gull, Laysan albatross, or even a Murphy's petrel. On our cruise in 2010 we enjoyed extended views of a Great shearwater! Gray whales migrate along the coast at this time, but humpback whale, Dall's porpoise and killer whale are some of the other cetaceans possible.

Special Registration procedure: Because the conditions at sea on the date of the trip may be deemed unfavorable by the captain, tickets for this outing will not be sold by our ticket vendor, Brown Paper Tickets. Instead, please send a check ($140 per person) to EAC-Pelagic, PO Box 609, Point Reyes Station CA 94956. We will put your name on the list and hold the check until the date of the trip and simply return it you if the trip is cancelled. Please also provide your email address and cell phone number so we can let you know if the forecasted conditions are not sufficiently favorable for the trip to go.

For additional background on the Cordell Bank, sign up for our informative talk, "Cordell Bank: Above and Below the Surface," from 3:00 – 4:00 pm on Friday, April 27.

See web link for other important details.