Seabirding: Friday May 31, 2013

Friday, May 31, 2013

Friday May 31, 2013

Today was beautiful and warm with slight winds from the south offshore. We saw some Cory's and Great Shearwaters on the way out in the morning, and once we slowed down, some Audubon's Shearwaters allowed close approach and we saw our first Wilson's & Band-rumped Storm-Petrels of the day. Bridled Terns have been hard to come by the past few days since it is still a little early for them, but we had one perched on a board in a grassline that let us drift right up to it before flushing! Black-capped Petrels were close in flight and on the water, and we saw two species of jaeger out in the deep, Pomarine & Parasitic, around some flocks of Cory's and Audubon's. Great Shearwaters were also out there and we had one come in to the chum and feed on some fish we cut up for it! Just after 1330 we had an Arctic Tern fly in and hover over the boat for excellent views! The day was just perfect for spotting things in the water and there was more sargassum than we have been seeing, with a lot more life than we have been seeing! Thus, when we collected some of the brown algae for Sea McKeon, there were many critters to be examined in there before pouring the sargassum and its' inhabitants overboard! Sea's website about offshore life is here: http://offshorewildlife.com/OffshoreWildlife/Offshore_Wildlife.html

Thanks to everyone who joined us and our leaders: Steve Howell, Todd McGrath, Bob Fogg, and Dave Pereksta.

Black-capped Petrel 14-15
Cory's Shearwater 130
Great Shearwater 6
Sooty Shearwater 1
Audubon's Shearwater 51
Leach's Storm-Petrel 2
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel 4
Arctic Tern 1
Bridled Tern 3
Pomarine Jaeger 4
Parasitic Jaeger 2
jaeger sp. 6

Spotted Dolphins 25-30
& many Portuguese Man of Wars

Cory's & Audubon's Shearwaters