CONDOR EXPRESS - Mike San Miguel, Murphy's & Cook's Petrels

This May 1 2010 video features Mike San Miguel embracing the day, the trip, his friends. The title track of the video is "As Days Go By...." Who could have known? Mike died too soon in July 2010. The song lyrics say, "We talk about forever but we've only got today...." And the Days Go By..... I can feel em flying .....Like a hand out the window ..... As the cars go by.....It's all we've been givin....So you better start livin'.....You better start livin'.....Better start livin' right .....now....'Cause Days Go By.....Yes, Mike lived -- really lived.... ....**** .......The Condor Express pulled out of Santa Barbara Harbor at 7 a.m. Saturday morning, May 1, 2010 to see what Mother Ocean had to offer in the deep water beyond the edge of the Continental Shelf, south west of the Island some way is named after Mike San Miguel - San Miguel Island.

A fantastic day of seabirding was headlined with 63 Cooks Petrels, but the show-stealer was a Murphy's Petrel that came screaming down the starboard side of the Condor Express. Earlier in the day, several other distant dark petrels were left unidentified.

There were two Laysan Albatrosses, 9 Black-footed Albatrosses, 6 Ashy Storm-Petrels, 3 Leachs Storm-petrels, 10 Sabine's Gulls, 3 Pom Jaegers, 12 Xantus's Murrelets, 130+ Sooty Shearwaters and a never ending stream of migrating Red-necked Phalaropes.

Leaders included Todd McGrath, Paul Lehman, Jon Feenstra, Wes Fritz, Dave Pereksta, Terry Hunefeld.

More information: www.SoCalBirding.com and click on Trip Reports

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