New England Seabirds
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| 2006 Boat Trips |
November 18
SATURDAY, 18 NOVEMBER 2006:
PELAGIC from HYANNIS to NANTUCKET SHOALS about 25 miles East of
Nantucket
Island (0700-1500 hrs.)
Weather: Clear, NNW 6-10 mph, 47-52 F.
Seas: 3-5'
Visibility: Excellent, unlimited.
More than sixty-five members of the Brookline Bird Club
joined the
captain and crew of the "Helen H" for the third and last cruise of
the 2006
season. Before we even left the dock we witnessed a very heavy
early
morning overland loon migration, of birds cutting across the middle
of Cape
Cod, from Cape Cod Bay to Nantucket Sound. In little more than
a half hours
time 130 Common Loons and 290 Red-thoated Loons (in tighter, larger,
and
higher flocks) passed overhead on a SW bearing.
We once again enjoyed favorable weather and sea conditions as
we sailed
across Nantucket Sound and into the open Atlantic between Monomoy
Island and
Great Point, Nantucket, then sailing a clockwise loop over the
northern and
eastern shoals waters.
Once out of the sound, Greater Shearwaters, Northern Gannets, and
Black-legged Kittiwakes were in continuous view. In the early
afternoon we
encountered a 'nothing less than spectacular' active feeding
assemblage
working a rip line over some shoals near the edge of the shipping
channel
that included, just in that area, and all around us in view at once,
some
4000-5000 Greater Shearwaters, 800 Northern Gannets, and 250
Black-legged
Kittiwakes, along with Minke and lob-tailing and breaching Humback
Whales!
Common Eider (1200): Virtually all seaducks within Nantucket Sound.
Surf Scoter (800)
White-winged Scoter (500)
Black Scoter (200)
Oldsquaw (4600)
Bufflehead (8)
Common Goldeneye (6)
Red-breasted Merganser (15)
Red-throated Loon (330)
Common Loon (215): Incl. several rafts of 15-20 well out to sea.
Northern Fulmar (20): Roughly 18 light and 2 dark morphs.
Greater Shearwater (7500): Obviously all non-breeders since
egg-laying takes
place at Tristan, Gough, and the Falklands in November. Most
or all showing
variable extent dark belly patch and white collars. Can't say
I notice much
or any seasonal plumage variation between these November, and summer
birds
off New England, aside from brief summer molt. A few birds
today were
apparently missing a few coverts, resulting in a small white patch
at the
base of the primaries, and even a flight feather or two.
Sooty Shearwater (2)
Manx Shearwater (3)
Northern Gannet (2200): All age classes.
Double-crested Cormorant (35)
Great Cormorant (1 ad.)
jaeger sp. (5): None very close. Jizz on one suggested PAJA.
Laughing Gull (5): 4 ads., 1-1W.
Bonaparte's Gull (65): All in the sound, except for one
first-winter, 20-25
miles offshore.
Ring-billed Gull (10)-Hyannis.
Herring Gull (600)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (1 ad.): 20-25 miles offshore.
Great Black-backed Gull (250)
Black-legged Kittiwake (600): Estim. 20-25% 1W.
Razorbill (40)
Humback Whale (12+): Including very active, lobtailing, rolling,
mother
"Dyad" and her calf.
Fin Whale (1-2)
Minke Whale (4)
Atlantic White-sided Dolphin (20)
Gray Seal (1)
Harbor Seal (12)
NOTE: For the 2007 season the Brookline Bird Club and the fast
and
comfortable "Helen H" plan to offer an expanded series of four
pelagic
trips, including two Nantucket Shoals trips, one in late June and
again in
mid-November, and TWO 'Extreme Pelagic' Hydrographer and Veatch
Canyon/shelf
edge trips, which have great potential for rare or vagrant, warmer
water
seabirds, one in mid-July along with the usual late August trip that
this
year featured no less than three White-faced Storm-Petrels!
Stay tuned for
exact dates and details from Ida Giriunas. As always many
thanks to Ida for
organizing these pelagics and to Steve Mirick for his excellent job
on the
microphone.
Richard Heil
S. Peabody, MA
rsheil(AT)juno.com
August
Whale
Watch out of Rye NH August 27 from Scott Jennex of Michigan. All birds in Maine
unless otherwise noted: 200+ Red-necked Phalaropes 2+ Red Phalaropes 1 juv
Black-legged Kittiwake 1 adult Parasitic Jaeger 1 Greater Shearwater 1 adult
Northern Gannet 30+ Wilson's Storm Petrels 1 juv Atlantic Puffin 1 adult
Glaucous Gull (NH) Sent by Ben Griffith Merrimack, NH
SATURDAY, 26
AUGUST 2006: BROOKLINE BIRD CLUB Pelagic from HYANNIS, MA to HYDROGRAPHER
CANYON and vicinity.
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Weather: Partly cloudy, ENE winds 10-20 knots, 64-70 F. Seas:
2-6 feet ; water temperature mostly 60's, coldest over Nantucket Shoals, but
reaching 74 F along the shelf edge.
Visibility: good to excellent.
Roughly seventy-five intrepid birders departed Hyannis aboard the "Helen H" at
0400 sailing across Nantucket Shoals enroute to Hydrographer Canyon. We
traversed the length of the canyon then followed the shelf edge westward
roughly twenty miles before setting course back across the shoals and into
Nantucket Sound and back to port, arriving 2130 hrs.
Cory's Shearwater (11)
CALONECTRIS sp. (1): Distinctly smaller, slenderer, and slightly darker
Cory's-type shearwater with a darker, shorter, and more slender bill repeatedly
followed and readily picked out and observed from a roosting flock of Cory's
and Greater along the shelf edge west of Hydrographer. A number of photographs
were taken of the bird on the water and in flight and will be posted and
analyzed. Possibilities include Cape Verde Shearwater (C. edwardsii), in N. Am.
recorded once off Hatteras, NC (15 Aug. 2004), or 'Scapoli's Shearwater'
(C.d.diomedea), the Meditereanean race of Cory's. Stay tuned!
Greater
Shearwater (55)
Sooty Shearwater (2)
Manx Shearwater (5): All from
cooler shoals water.
Manx/Audubon's (1)
Audubon's Shearwater (6): All
from warmer waters near shelf edge.
Wilson's Storm-Petrel (525)
WHITE-FACED STORM-PETREL (3): Three individuals encountered all in warmer
waters near the shelf edge from Hydrographer westward. Each sighting was of
widely seperated individuals that performed well and were masterfully followed
by Captain Joe at close range to the delight of all on board. These Southern
New England shelf waters may be the best place to see this species on this side
of the Atlantic.
Leach's Storm-Petrel (18): Most from deeper, warmer
waters.
Red-necked Phalarope (550): Large flocks encountered among weed
patches in localized section of Nantucket Shoals.
Red Phalarope (20): Among
the flocks of Red-necked.
Pomarine Jaeger (1 sub-ad.)
Parasitic Jaeger
(2 sub-ads.)
Long-tailed Jaeger (6 juvs.): Three over southern Nantucket
Shoals, one south of the shoals, two along shelf edge.
Stercorarius sp.
(1): Possible skua, or big jaeger, distant, on return over shoals. jaeger sp.
(3)
Herring Gull (1 juv.): East of Nantucket, on return.
Great
Black-backed Gull (2)
Common Tern (120): Mostly over Nantucket Shoals.
other fauna: whale sp. (5+): One possible Sperm Whale (blow observed) in deep
warm water west of Hydrographer, didn't cooperate.
Gray Grampus (2)
Bottlenosed Dolphin (30+):
Shelf edge. Ocean Sunfish (6)
Blue Shark
(1) shark sp. (1)
Atlantic Manta (1): Maybe 10-12' diameter (wingspan)
individual glided past us right beside the boat just below the surface. Folks
in the back of the boat later reported that in actually breached once astern of
us!
Flying Fish: A few spotted in warm waters.
Tuna: Several jumping
Bluefins, and other schools encountered.
Man-O-War (2)
Richard Heil
S. Peabody, MA rsheil@juno.com
June 28 Joppa Flats Wednesday Morning Birding Whale Watch
Continuing an end-of-season tradition, the program went out on the Prince of Whales (Newburyport Whale Watch, 800-848-1111) out of Newburyport Harbor today. We blasted for the north end of Stellwagen Bank and it was the most spectacular seabird show I've ever seen on a whale-watch trip. On the way out we had few birds (just a smattering of Wilson's Storm-petrels from just north of Andrew's Point on Cape Ann out to the Bank). We started out seeing a few distant shearwaters - a Manx, then a Sooty, then a couple of Greaters.
Once we got on Stellwagen, it was amazing. Everywhere you looked there were birds - practically gnat-clouds of birds. Scanning the horizon indicated that the phenomenon was widespread over the northern end of the Bank. The following are estimates: Manx Shearwater - 5
Sooty Shearwater - 2000+
Greater Shearwater - 2000+
Wilson's Storm-petrel - 10,000+
Parasitic Jaeger - 4
Northern Gannet - 40
Common Loon - 5
Black Guillemot - 2 ad off Straitsmouth Isl. on the way back
We did have some whales (at least 2 adult and 1 calf humpback and 1 fin), but the bird show was the highlight. Simply fantastic. -
David M. Larson Education Coordinator Joppa Flats Education Center, Mass
June 11, 2006 Seabird and Whale Tales Trip Summary
Compiled by Wayne R. Petersen
Weather and itinerary:
The June 11 Seabird and Whale Tales trip departed from Plymouth at approximately 8 a.m. under sunny skies and 10-15 mph NW winds. Temperatures were a comfortable 65-70 degrees F. Glare and modest chop from the wind made viewing conditions somewhat challenging for the first half of the trip, but once we rounded Race Point in Provincetown and headed for the waters off Chatham, conditions gradually improved. By mid-afternoon diminishing winds and partial overcast made viewing conditions considerably better. On the return, a magnificent chum slick dutifully prepared and doled out by Krill Carson produced some modest concentrations of seabirds. Overall seabird numbers where quite impressive for early June, most notable being the numbers of Northern Gannets and Sooty Shearwaters. Without question, the seabird highlight of the day was the sighting of two sub-adult Long-tailed Jaegers, a species rare in Massachusetts inshore waters at any season. Also, spectacular and close range views of feeding Humpback and Fin whales was especially memorable, as was the overall total of individual cetaceans observed. The species list that follows includes approximations of the birds and mammals that were seen and identified by the trip leaders once the trip left Plymouth Harbor. It does not include any species seen in the harbor other than four Piping Plovers seen on Plymouth Beach.
Birds:
Common Eider – 1
Common Loon – 4
Greater Shearwater – 80+
Sooty Shearwater – 750+
Manx Shearwater – 8+
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel – 300+
Northern Gannet – 700+
Piping Plover – 4
Parasitic Jaeger – 11
Long-tailed Jaeger – 2
Laughing Gull – 100
Herring Gull – X
Lesser Black-backed Gull – 1
Great Black-backed Gull – X
Common Tern – 300
Black Tern – 2
Cetaceans:
Humpback Whale – 12 including 2 mother and calf pairs (Echo and ???) Fin Whale - 9+ - (including one mother and calf pair) Minke Whale - 6 Atlantic White-sided Dolphin - 20+
July 8
SSBC Stellwagen trip out of Plymouth-7/8/06 From: Date: Sat, 8 Jul 2006 20:41:36 -0400 A South Shore Bird Club trip to the SW corner of Stellwagen aboard the Cap't John 9:00 whale watch produced flat seas and one large concentration of seabirds. Greater Shearwater 280
Sooty Shearwater 9
Manx Shearwater 1
Wilson's Storm-Petrel 125
Northern Gannet 4
Don't recall the exact number of whales but at least 8 Humpbacked including two mother/calf, 3 Minke, and 1 Finbacked
Glenn Glenn d'Entremont gdentremont AT juno.com Stoughton, MA
Sat, 8 Jul 2006 19:55:11 -0400 SATURDAY, 8 JULY 2006: BROOKLINE BIRD CLUB PELAGIC TRIP from HYANNIS to northern edge of NANTUCKET SHOALS and seas 10-30 miles EAST of CHATHAM & ORLEANS, CAPE COD, MA. (0630-1430 hrs.) Weather: Partly to mostly cloudy, E-SE winds 2-10 mph, 64-68 F. Seas: 1-3 feet Visibility: mostly 5+ miles but briefly down to 1/2 mile in light fog. Water Temperature: 58-64 F. Thanks to Ida Giriunas for the dedicated effort in organizing these trips and making them work. Thanks to Steve Mirick for a great job on the microphone, helping participants get on the birds, and for the informative commentary and enthusiasm. Numbers presented:
(Nantucket Sound, Atlantic Ocean)
Common Eider (28, 3)
Surf Scoter (0, 1m.): S. Monomoy.
White-winged Scoter (0, 1m.):
S. Monomoy. BUFFLEHEAD (1m., 0)): Hyannis Inner Harbor: Very few prior MA July records.
Common Loon (4, 4)
NORTHERN FULMAR (0, 1-light morph): About 15 miles E. of Chatham: Rare and unexpected Summer occurrence for these inshore waters. Performed nicely around the boat, even sitting at close range for extended periods.
Greater Shearwater (0, 870): Most shearwater activity (all 3 species) in the vicinity of foraging whales 13 miles E. of Chatham/Orleans.
Sooty Shearwater (0, 600)
Manx Shearwater (0, 3)
Wilson's Storm-Petrel (40, 8000+): Nearly always some in view, and many area with dense foraging masses; More than 99% were adults showing obvious signs of molt. Roughly 20-30 'first-winter' birds in fresh plumage were noted.
Leach's Storm-Petrel (0, 1): Very uncommon and sparsely distributed in inshore waters at this season.
Northern Gannet (0, 17+): All 1st and 2nd year birds: no juvs or ads.
Double-crested Cormorant (120, 25)
Piping Plover (2): S. Monomoy.
Pomarine Jaeger (0, 1 imm.)
Parasitic Jaeger (0, 2 imms.) jaeger sp. (0, 4-5)
Laughing Gull (4, 25+)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (0, 3): 2-1st summer, 1-2nd summer.
Roseate Tern (0, 1 ad.): off S, Monomoy.
Common Tern (16, 610): Most within 3 miles of S. Monomoy.
Least Tern (4, 8): Near beaches.
Black Tern (0, 3): South tip of S. Monomoy. ------------------------------ Humpback Whale (0, 9): Great show; behaviors included fluking, bubble feeding, and full breaches! Fin Whale (0, 4): One of the best views I've ever had of this enormous species when two powered by at the surface just yards off the bow. Minke Whale (0, 4+): Unusually good views. Gray Seal (25+): Along S. Monomoy beach. ------------------------------ Portuguese Man O' War (5, 0): Possibly unprecedented incursion around Cape and islands of late.
Richard Heil S. Peabody, MA rsheil AT juno.com
July 9
My wife Nancy and I went out on the 8:30 am Prince of Whales sailing today from Newburyport, MA, which went to Jeffreys Ledge. Very few birds seen once past the breakwater:
Wilson's Storm-Petrel--about 60, including one group of 35
Greater Shearwater--2
Manx Shearwater--1
Northern Gannet--5, all second year
Atlantic Puffin--1, seen by naturalist, who was not announcing birds, but not by me Double-crested Cormorant,
Great Black-backed Gull,
Herring Gull,
Common Tern--a handful of each
As for mammals: Finback Whale--2 Minke Whale--8 Harbor Porpoise--3 Harbor Seal--2