This past Sunday & Monday, ~ 40 intrepid birders sailed to "glory", out of Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, aboard the Brooklyn VI, a vessel that proved to be quite seaworthy ! This trip came to fruition, under the banner of See Life Paulagics, led by Paul Guris, Doug Gochfeld and Sean Sime.
We left the dock at ~ 8:30 P.M., after a real downpour, which started about 6:30 and continued to be with us as we headed toward The Hudson Canyon, a distance of ~ 100 nautical miles (110 land miles).The storm made the ride out (at least up to mid-night) rough, but, which made only one person seasick. At about 5 A.M., while I was sleeping , I heard someone yell "Leach's Storm Petrel", and since this was one of my target birds, jumped up and being fully clothed, raced outside, only to find the bird had moved on. My reaction to this was one of despair...I had just missed the only L/S/P we would come in contact with today - all gloom & doom, to the 10th power ! Well, was I wrong with this specie, and although I don't have the exact figure for the day, we must have seen at least 8...a very good # for this storm petrel ! In contrast to the only other storm petrel we saw on the trip, the Wilson's (common on pelagic trips, and sometimes viewed from shore) which, again not knowing the official count, was probably in the hundreds. >From that point on, most on board continued to bird, and reluctantly stopped for a quick breakfast, 2, or 3 hours later, while some of us did both simultaneously, ie, I had a peanut butter & jelly hero, in addition to a tasty, albeit, ground-up oatmeal-rasin mix, that had started out as cookies, but was in a bag that I had used as a pillow during the night. An almost "perfect storm" ensued. The rain stopped, the sun was out & strong, the chum slick ("heavy on the oil") was constant, the birds responded and the birders reaped the benefits...and the joy of beating the elements, while following a strategy designed to get to warm water ! In fact, adhering to this principle, we even traveled out another 20 nautical miles to keep the action going ! The species seen, some spectacularly, were:Cory's Shearwater; Greater S'water; Manx S'water; Audubon's S'water; Sooty S'water; Wilson's Storm-Petrel; Leach's S-P*, Long-tailed Yaeger*; Pomarine Y'ger; South Polar Skua; Arctic Tern, and finally, a single, determined, but seemingly obtuse, Barn Swallow. I say this due to the swallow's not landing on the boat, after he so valiantly over-took the boat, while battling a fierce head wind ~ 100 ft. to the rear of the boat. How it got to this spot is unknowable, but he was in trouble and the most viable way out was to become a "stowaway " ! I believe high numbers were recorded for Manx & Audubon's S'waters, Leach's S-P, and South Polar Skua, with the latter specie, in my mind, putting on the most exciting show of the avian species assembled ! Seen singularly, in pairs, and in groups of 3's and 4's separately, flying near, and then in, the chum slick, as well as circling the boat, at close distances. This proximity made for glorious views of their plumage's, huge bodies and powerful bills. Other exciting wildlife seen included Risso's Dolphins, Giant Sun Fish, Portuguese Man of War (Jelly Fish), and, for me, the most notable experience of the trip (including the 2 life birds I saw, was the *breaching* Basking Shark, which was just sensational ! While it can grow to 20-26 ft., it is not the largest fish in the world, as I erroneously told some nearby folks ! That distinction falls to the Whale Shark, with the largest specimen measuring 41.5 ft. The return leg of the trip was fairly birdy, at least until we entered the rainy zone, causing most of the birders to seek shelter in the cabin...however, there were a few diehards who....... Cheers, Bob -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --