Forwarding a message from Doug Gochfeld. There are only a couple of spaces left on the sure-to-be-exciting overnight pelagic trip to the Hudson Canyon on October 24-25. Reserve one of the last seats directly through the Capt. Lou Fleet office, by calling (516) 623-5823. After the blisteringly successful August overnight trip, we're getting very exciting about this next, now-impending, voyage. The boat leaves Freeport (Nassau County) at 10:30 PM on Friday, October 24, and gets back to the dock in the early evening on October 25, after having birded continental shelf break waters for several hours and then on-shelf waters for the balance. It is $235, which includes tips for mates.
Some more details here: Likely species for offshore pelagic trips in this region at this time of year include Great, Manx and Cory's Shearwaters as well as Parasitic and Pomarine Jaegers, Northern Fulmar, Red Phalarope, and plenty of migratory waterfowl (and, depending on the winds, even some more terrestrial migrants, including many species of passerines). This is also an excellent time of year to find a good diversity of gulls offshore, as Black-legged Kittiwakes should be in, and Bonaparte’s Gulls should be moving, with the potential for other small gulls (Read: LITTLE GULL, and exceptionally: ROSS’S GULL). SABINE’S GULL should also still be a distinct possibility, as are both SOUTH POLAR SKUA and GREAT SKUA. The deep water off the East Coast is very under-birded at this exciting season, and the possibilities for out-of-left-field species is very much there. The only Atlantic Ocean record of BULLER’S SHEARWATER was from late October off the mid-Atlantic, as was one of the two accepted North American records of CAPE VERDE SHEARWATER. There will be food on board (both human food for purchase, and plenty of chum for the birds), and there will be several experienced pelagic leaders to help people see and identify whatever we come across, be it birds, cetaceans, or other marine life. See you on board for what will hopefully be another exceedingly successful overnight NY Pelagic!! -- 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/ --
