New England Seabirds

This site is dedicated to the great world traveler the Wilson's Storm-petrel

Latest reports, upcoming trips, conservation alerts, new booksChecklist of birds, species descriptionsWhales, Dolphins, Fish, SealsSee birds from land, pelagic trip destinationsOrganized dedicated pelagic trips and how to see birds from whale watch or fishing boats.What birds have been seenLink to NOA buoy data for New England.How to see seabirds in their breeding colonies.Events that endanged seabirds in the Atlantic Ocean and on their breeding grounds.Letters from readersPelagic trips from other areas, more information about local destinations.Hints for your first pelagic trip, giving directions at sea, safety and comfort.Antarctica, Midway AtollPelagic birding books and other resources.
Pelagic Trips | Help For Trip Sponsors Help | Comments | Site Map

Ready To Sponsor A Trip?

The birding community always needs new people to step up and lead trips. This is especially true with pelagic trips. If you are thinking about sponsoring a pelagic trip, this section will help you get started. After you become an experienced pelagic leader come back and help us improve this page.

  Planning A Trip On Whale Watch Boat
Planning A Dedicated Trip
Speed and Distance
List of Available Boats
The Art of Chumming		  

Dedicated Charter or Join A Whale Watch
For a dedicated trip you will charter a boat, sign up participants, and arrange for a trip leader of your own choosing. The advantages are that you can chum , you control the microphone and with the captain decide where the boat will go and how long it will stay in any one place. The downside is that such trips require a long planning horizon and they are a good deal of work and worry.

You can also lead a bird trip on a commercial whale watch or party fishing trip. Here the group will stay together in one part of the boat. You can help people find and identify birds. You have no control of microphone and will not be able to ask the boat to change course. You will not be able to chum. You will have to extremely careful not to interfer with the boat naturalist or with other participants who will only be interested in whales.