Birds Off the Shelf

We generally stayed in one spot today, in some very deep water off the shelf quite a ways west of St. Matthew's Island. Yesterday, while in the shallow waters off the shelf, birds were everywhere. Today, in deep water, they were scarce. That said, there were some highlights.

One of the first birds of the day was another Laysan Albatross. One of two seen throughout the day. I believe they prefer the shelf edge, and we were just too far west to see more.

4 Tufted Puffins flew by the boat, my first puffins since the beginning of the trip. Also, a Red-legged Kittiwake made a close pass, a bit out of range for the season. The most unusual bird, in my opinion, was this Common Loon that flew by. I haven't seen a loon since leaving the harbor in Seward, so what this loon was doing out in this deep water is anyones guess.

All the usual excuses regarding the poor quality of the picture. According to Sibley, Common Loons winter along the Aleutians. Maybe this one just hasn't made it there yet.