October 14 Sunday NH Audubon Fall Tristate Pelagic  From Rye NH

For this fall, NH Audubon decided to try something a little different
with our fall Pelagic Birding Trip: we are going out in October.
Sunday, October 14th, to be exact. We're hoping that going out later in
the fall will allow us to find some rarer birds, perhaps some early
winter arrivals. Otherwise the plan for the trip is unchanged from last
year:
 
WHAT: NH Audubon 2012 Fall Pelagic Birding Trip
 
WHEN: Sunday, October 14th. Meet dockside in Rye Harbor at 7:30AM for
an 8:00 departure. We'll spend all day at sea, searching for birds,
whales, and anything else that crosses our path, and return to harbor
around 5pm. As usual, our trip leader is master-birder Steve Mirick,
and we'll be aboard the MV /Granite State/, with Captain Pete Reynolds
and his expert crew.
 
WHAT TO BRING: Binoculars and bird guide, of course. A digital camera
is always a good idea, as these trips often produce excellent photo
opportunities. Bring a lunch if you like. Weather on the open water is
unpredictable: sometimes hot, sometimes rather chilly. Prepare for both
(although given the time of year, 'chilly' is more likely). Certainly
bring sunscreen, and either sunglasses or a hat. Bring motion-sickness
pills if you're vulnerable to seasickness. /Granite State/'s seating is
mostly wooden benches, so a seatcushion is a good idea if you have
trouble with sitting on hard surfaces.
 
WHAT WE MIGHT SEE: Hard to say. There's not much data for this time of
year on Jeffreys Ledge. We simply have no idea what might be out
there. Lingering summer birds, early winter birds, fall migrants,
wandering vagrants -- your guess is as good as ours!
 
REGISTRATION: You must register in advance for this trip. We need a
minimum of 30 people to pay for the trip. We've set a maximum of 50 so
that the boat doesn't get too crowded. Cost is $65 for NH Audubon
members, $85 for non-members. Contact Massabesic Audubon Center (phone
603-668-2045, email mac@nhaudubon.org) to sign up. Contact either MAC
or me with any questions you might have.
 
PELAGIC BIRDS WORKSHOP: For group members who are new to pelagic
birding, I will be running a 1-hour workshop at Massabesic Audubon
Center on Saturday Sept 13th on the basics of identifying pelagic
birds. This workshop is free to trip participants, $5 per person for
others. The workshop will include descriptions, photos, and videos of
the birds in question, all designed for people who know something about
birding but have no experience with pelagics.
 
-- Jon Woolf    jsw@jwoolfden.com
Manchester, NH
(Massabesic Audubon Center Programming Committee