Hawaiian Petrel, Pterodroma sandwichensis
The Hawaiian Petrel is an endangered species whose only nesting grounds
are several of the Hawaiian Islands, where it is subject to pressure from
ground predators. These birds rarely reach North American waters, and
are only seen quite far offshore. So it was a real thrill to me when, on a
pelagic trip out of Half Moon Bay led by Alvaro Jaramillo, Matthew
Dodder called out "petrel!" and this bird made at least two passes across
the bow of our boat, where I happened to be standing, and I got a few
distant images of the bird, the best of which is the one above. This was
the first Gadfly Petrel that I'd ever seen, and so of course the first
that I'd photographed.
