NH Audubon sponsored an all day pelagic trip yesterday aboard the
"Granite State" out of Rye Harbor, NH. The trip covered areas of
Jeffrey's Ledge from MA, north through NH and into ME. The trip was
highlighted by near perfect sea conditions and a steady pace of bird and
mammal activity including a nice passerine migration brought on by cool
crisp skies. Thanks to Jon Woolf for organizing this successful trip
and to Captain Pete Reynolds for skillfully working the birds and whales
we encountered.

Notice the one Red Phalarope third from the top with more white on the head and an unstreaked back.  Photo by Len Medlock

One of the most unusual sighting was of Harbor Porpoise.  This elusive marine mammal rarely comes this close to a boat. Photo by Len Medlock.

7:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Mostly Sunny
50F - 65F
Light northerly winds 5-10 mph. Shifting to SE 5 to 10 mph. Increasing
late in day.
Seas 1-2 feet subsiding to 1 foot or less in afternoon. Increasing late
in day on the way in.
Birders - 40
 
The following nautical chart shows the path we took including the many
twists and turns. The red horizontal lines mark the state lines between
NH and MA and NH and ME as defined by the NH Rare Bird Committee:
 
http://home.comcast.net/~smirick/tristatepelagic091108.jpg

 
Species List total and broken down by state (MA-NH-ME)
-------------------------------------------------------------
Common Loon - 3 (2-1-0)

Nice steady show of Cory's Shearwaters all day. None identified as C. d. diomedea. A Cory's Shearwater in Maine waters marked the 375th species of bird recorded in Maine for Denny Abbott! (matching his amazing 375 recorded in NH!) Apparently, the 37 recorded in Maine waters may represent the HIGHEST TOTAL EVER RECORDED IN MAINE! Cory's Shearwater photographed by Len Medlock

Greater Shearwater- 7 (4-3-0) - Surprisingly low numbers. A very rare
summer/fall when Cory's are outnumbering Greaters!
Manx Shearwater - 2 (1-1-0)
Wilson's Storm-Petrel - 3 (2-0-1) - Appears most have cleared out of area.
Northern Gannet - 119 (6-8-105) - Small numbers here and there and then
one large group of app. 100 birds sitting together in water in Maine.
All I saw were sub-adults (no juves or adults).
Great Cormorant 5 (0-4-1). All near Isles of Shoals. Most immatures.
Double-crested Cormorant - 136 (0-135-1). Migrating in 3 flocks inside
Isles of Shoals. One single bird out on ledge.
Green-winged Teal - 4 (1-3-0). All appeared to be migrating.
Common Eider - A few near Isles of Shoals.
White-winged Scoter - 1 (0-1-0)
Merlin - 2 (1-1-0). Migrating birds well offshore.
Peep sp. - 1 (1-0-0)
Red-necked Phalarope - 105 (12-18-75). Nice phalarope show with many
small groups. Calm waters allowed for nice approaches.
RED PHALAROPE - 3 (0-0-3). Good comparison of a few birds mixed in with
Red-necks.
Phalarope sp. - 6 (2-4-0)
Jaeger sp. - 1 (0-1-0). Fast flying bird heading south.
Laughing Gull - 5 (0-5-1). All juveniles.
Herring Gull - 75 (45 -30-0)
Great Black-backed Gull - 344 (74-270-0). Large groups of gulls,
primarily Great Black-backed, in vicinity of "Scantum basin" and "the
cove" following gillnetters)
Common Tern - 3 (1-2-0)
MURRE SP. - 1 (0-0-1). Frustrating bird which dove right next to the
boat, but never re-surfaced.
ATLANTIC PUFFIN - 1 (0-0-1). Frustrating bird which dove right next to
the boat, but never re-surfaced.
Cedar Waxwing - Large flock seen over Appledore Island in Maine.
Yellow Warbler - 1 (0-1-0)
Chestnut-sided Warbler - 1 (0-0-1)
CAPE MAY WARBLER - 1 (0-1-0). Possible adult male. Very bright bird
perched briefly on railing. Life bird for a few folks on the boat.
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 1 (0-1-0)
Blackpoll Warbler - 1 (0-0-1)
Common Yellowthroat - 1 (0-1-0)
Warbler sp. - 2 (2-0-0)
Brown-headed Cowbird - 1 (0-0-1)
Passerine sp. - 3 (0-3-0)
 
Marine Mammals
------------------
Fin Whale - 7 including 1 whale with deep propeller gouges in its back.
Minke Whale - 1
Atlantic White-sided Dolphin - 80 (in two groups of about 40 each)
Harbor Porpoise - 6
Harbor Seal - 2 including 1 well offshore on the ledge.
 
Fish
-----
Blue Shark - 2
Bluefin Tuna - A few breaking surface.
Fish sp. - School of small fish breaching surface several times
synchronously while being chased by a predator.
 
Insects
-------
Monarch - 1 or 2 reported. Surprisingly few given conditions.
 
Steve Mirick
Bradford, MA


 

Sept 3 Stellwagen Bank

The birds are still out there!  I took the 1:30PM trip out of Gloucester
today. We saw more than a dozen whales open mouth feeding, etc.  But the
Birds were the best part of the show:

Cory's Shearwaters  30+

Greater Shearwaters   30+

Possible Manx shearwater  (1)

Wilson Storm-petrels   40+

Northern Gannet   1

Parasitic Jaeger 1

Red-Neck Phalaropes  6

D,C, Cormorants, Bonaparte, Great Black-Back and Herring gulls. 

Good Birding

Ida Giriunas
Reading, MA
<ida8(AT)verizon.net>
 

Sept 1 NH Whale Watch
I took the morning boat out with Granite State Whale Watch this morning
looking for seabirds. We started off heading north of Appledore, and into
Maine, then cut back south into NH, chased some whales back into Maine, then
worked our way down Jeffreys Ledge to NH. The highlight of the morning,
although far from unexpected this year, were 4 Cory's Shearwaters, two each
in NH and Maine. Otherwise it was an extremely slow day, with only two
Wilson's Storm-Petrels and no other tubenoses. On the way home, I made a
brief stop at the Exeter WWTP, where I had an early male American Wigeon.
 
Highlights:
 
CORY'S SHEARWATER - 4, 2 each in NH and Maine. Record shots of one of the
NH birds are on my flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bgriffith/
 
Wilson's Storm-Petrel - 2 (!!!) Very low for early september
 
Northern Gannet - 15, mostly 2-3 year olds, 1 or 2 adults, and a few juvs,
most in NH
 
Ruddy Turnstone - 8 at the mouth of Rye Harbor
 
Cedar Waxwing - 7 past the Isles of Shoals, 3 in NH, 4 in Maine
 
 
Whales:
 
11 Fin Whales, ~20 Atlantic White-sided Dolphins, 1 Minke Whale
 
 
Ben Griffith
Merrimack, NH
 

August 30 Provincetown whale watch

The coastal Atlantic Ocean is showing some changes in avian diversity =
with a slackening of tubenose numbers and increasing diversity of =
northern latitude species.
Today, Saturday 8/28 combined trips, with observation periods ~ 12:00 - =
14:00 hrs and 15:30 to 17:00 hrs.

32 Northern Gannets - all age classes
6 Black Terns, 2Ad., 4 Juv.
16 Roseate Terns
70 Common Terns
9 Red-necked Phalaropes
1 Pomarine Jaeger, harassing a juvenile Herring Gull
140 Laughing Gulls
1 Sabine's Gull,  a juvenile flying south, around the Race,=20
    approaching Hatch's Harbor.
2 Wilson's Storm- petrels
6 Cory's Shearwaters
8 Greater Shearwaters
Good birding
Peter Trull
Brewster, MA
www.wildcapecod.com
 

August 26 Provincetown seawatch

An early run to Provincetown yielded a modest movement of seabirds
this morning.  In 25 minutes (0600-0625 hrs.) at Race Point Beach I
recorded the following (winds N @ 10-15mph):
50 Cory's Shearwaters
10 Greater Shearwaters
45 large shearwater sp.
3 Manx Shearwaters
1 N. Gannet (ad.)
80 Laughing Gulls
2 Black Terns
470 Common/Roseate Terns
11 jaeger sp (Parasitic/Pomarine)
Everything was moving from west to east.

At Herring Cove there were hundreds of terns streaming out of Cape
Cod Bay, but little else.

Blair Nikula

2 Gilbert Lane
Harwich Port, MA 02646
USA
mailto:odenews(AT)odenews.org
web site: http://www.odenews.org/
 

August 22 - Off Truro

Stellwagen Bank has been quiet lately as early autumn settles in.  We =
were east of Truro on the Dolphin Fleet today and had the following; =
South wind 6 - 10 knots
seas 6" - 1.5 ft.
8-10 Cory's Shearwaters
4-6 Wilson's Storm-petrel
2 Northern Gannets - imm
70 - 75 Greater Shearwaters
2 Sooty Shearwaters
30 Laughing Gulls - all juveniles
3 Parasitic Jaegers - 1 chasing terns, 2 flying high past  =20
   our vessel.
12 Humpback Whales
1 Finback Whale
1 Minke Whale
1 Harbor Seal
Peter Trull
Brewster, MA
www.wildcapecod.com
 

August 12 - NH coast seawatch

Today's NH Coast sightings highlights from high tide about
9:00 am to just after low tide about 3:00 pm:
 
Wilson's Storm-Petrel--244, offshore a ways but white rumps
visible with scope. 174 off Pulpit Rocks in Rye, 50 off the
north end of Jenness Beach, and 20 off the north end of
Foss Beach. Possibly some double-counting as they
appeared to be heading north, and so was I.

.....
Terry Bronson
Hampton Falls, NH
tbbirds@comcast.net
 

August 10 - NH whale watch

Wilsons Storm Petrel - 145
Cory's Shearwater - 15
Greater Shearwater - 4
Least Tern - 2 inc. one juv.
Barn Swallow - 2
 
Minke Whale - 6
Altantic White-sided Dolphin - 5
Harbor Seal - 1

 Eric Masterson
 

August 9 - Revere Beach

There were at least 6 Manx Shearwaters at Revere Beach this evening.
They moved North to South very close to the shore.
Quite unusual.

Ilija Dukovski
Newton, MA

August 10 - Stellwagen Bank out of Provincetown

In periods of driving rain, 15 - 20 mph southeast winds, 3-4 ft seas and =
occasional thunder and lightning, the southwest corner of Stellwagen =
Bank today was nothing less than a chaotic, whirling, drenching, =
deafening, gluttonous biomass of birds and blubber.  Thousands of birds =
and 20 - 30 feeding, breaching, flipper slapping, lob-tailing Humpback =
Whales.  Shearwaters and Northern Gannets both flying and diving =
relentlessly into the tempestuous sea.  Sooty Shearwaters swimming like =
eiders.  I watched a Manx Shearwater dive and not re-surface for 12 =
seconds!=20
1000 -1130 hrs  and 1330 - 1599 hrs;

Let the pictures do the talking!
http://flickr.com/photos/26676688@N03/?saved=3D1

900+ Laughing Gulls - 10 to 15% juv
25 - 30 Black-legged Kittiwakes - Ad and juv
6 - 8 Bonepart's Gulls
Herring Gulls
120 Sooty Shearwaters
450 Greater Shearwaters
475 Cory's Shearwaters
15 Manx Shearwaters
60 Wilson's Storm-petrels
20 Northern Gannets, all juvs and imm.
50 - 60 Roseate Terns - adults and begging juvs.
400+ Common Terns - noisy adults and begging juvs.
4 Pomarine Jaegers
2 Parasitic Jaegers
1 Long-tailed Jaeger

Peter Trull
Brewster, MA
petrull(AT)comcast.net
 

August 9 - NH Whale watch

Denny Abbott, Mike Resch and I took the Granite State Whalewatch out of Rye
Harbor this morning.
 
We initially headed south east just barely into Massachusetts waters near
the south end of Jeffrey's Ledge. The boat then turned northeast and
followed the ledge well into NH waters. A brief detour took us off the ledge
into 500' waters just east of Jeffrey's. We came close, but never entered
Maine's waters. The whaling was slow. The boat only encountered on pod of
six Minke's Whales and two or three Fin Whales. Birding was fairly light,
but we got some nice stuff anyway. Weather perfect. Seas gentle. Light
winds.
 
Here are the highlights; all but the two Cory's in NH waters.
 
19 CORY'S SHEARWATERS, all but two in New Hampshire (17)...a remarkable
number for NH, but this is a remarkable year for Cory's in New England.
8 Greater Shearwaters
Numerous Wilson's Storm-Petrels
6 Gannets
ROYAL TERN: One. This must be a year for them, too. Nice bonus. Well out on
the ledge or slightly east of it.
Common Tern
Bonaparte's Gulls: Just a few
GBB Gull
Herring Gull
DC Cormorant: In shore.
 
David Donsker
North Hampton
 

August 8 - NH Whale watch

Jane and I took the afternoon Whale Watch out of Rye Harbor on the
Granite State. We had similar birds to David Donsker.........but NO
ROYAL TERN. We did get a Black Tern flying along the MA/NH state line
so we counted for a year bird in both states! Seas not too bad, but
stiff wind made the ride a bit bumpy.
 
Most of the trip was in "NH" waters, but we crossed over into MA for a
bit. We had 2 Cory's and 2 Greaters in MA, but the following numbers are
from NH only.
 
CORY'S SHEARWATER - 9. Only my 4th state record (if you include the
bird I had the other day). All of my previous records are of single
birds. Single birds and pairs from several spots. Most well past the
Isles of Shoals.
Greater Shearwater - 5
Wilson's Storm-Petrel - 43. Only 1 or 2 inside Isles of Shoals.
Northern Gannet - 11. Only 1 or 2 inside Isles of Shoals.
Ruddy Turnstone - 1
Sanderling - 1
peep sp. - 20 migrating
BLACK TERN - 1 adult with still alot of breeding plumage.
Roseate Tern - 1 adult near White/Seavey Islands
Common Tern - Several out past isles.
Black Guillemot - 1 near Star Island.
 
Fin Whale - 3 including "Dingo"
Minke Whale - 1
Tuna - 1 large fish breached not far from boat.
 
Steve & Jane Mirick
Bradford, MA

August 6 - seawatch Gloucester

WEDNESDAY, 6 AUGUST 2008:
EAST GLOUCESTER Seawatch (1115-1130, 1435-1500 hrs.)
Weather: Overcast, occ. rain, SSE winds 15-25 mph, 64 F.
Visibility: Excellent and very crisp when not raining.

Common Eider (25+)
Surf Scoter (4m.)
Cory's Shearwater (20)
Manx Shearwater (4)
large shearwater sp. (22+): Very distant.
Northern Gannet (17): All sub-ads.
Double-crested Cormorant (40)
Laughing Gull (15)
Bonaparte's Gull (12)
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE (1 juv.): Early; my earliest juvenile at
Andrew's Point was of one on 8/15/06; Note that Steve Mirick also had
a juvenile today off Hampton, NH.
Black Tern (1 juv.)
Common Tern (7)

Richard S. Heil
S. Peabody, MA
rsheil(AT)comcast.net
 

August 6 - Stellwagen Bank

Today, 8/6 on the southwest corner of Stellwagen Bank,
1100 - 1300 hrs;
1 Great-blue Heron
3 Black-legged Kittiwakes - all 1st winter
2 Parasitic Jaegers
400 Laughing Gulls - including 4 juveniles (1st I've seen)
35 Wilson's Storm-petrel
235 Cory's Shearwaters
15 Sooty Shearwaters
2 Manx Shearwaters
120 Greater Shearwaters
20 Roseate Terns - adults and noisy juveniles
300 Common Terns, which included many noisy food begging juveniles, =
chasing parents and sitting on water recieving Sand Launce Ammodytes =
americanus.=20
All of this over and near 20-30 feeding Humpback Whales.
Peter Trull
Brewster MA
www.wildcapecod.com
 

August 5 - Stellwagen Bank from Plymouth

 I took the 9:00am whale watch trip on Captain John's Boats (from
Plymouth).  The weather was excellent and we spent most of our time on the
southwest corner of Stellwagen Bank.  Although the numbers of pelagic species
were not as high as some recent reports, the bird show was still impressive with
 many species observed close to the boat.  As soon as we arrived at Stellwagen,
we were treated to a group of ten Humpback Whales bubble feeding.  This activity
 attracted many shearwaters, gulls, and terns. The following species were
observed between 10:00am and 12:00pm:

Cory's Shearwater               (71)
Greater Shearwater              (67)
Sooty Shearwater                (13)
Manx Shearwater                 (5)

Northern Gannet                 (5)
Jaeger sp.                      (1)
Wilson's Storm-Petrel           (15)
Laughing Gull                   (200+)
Common Tern                     (hundreds)

Humpback Whale                  (40)
Fin Whale                       (2-3)
Minke Whale                     (3)
Atlantic White-sided Dolphin    (15-20)

Jim Sweeney
assawompsett(A)yahoo.com
East Bridgewater, Ma
 

August 6 - South Stellwagen Bank from shore

There was an excellent movement of shearwaters passing Race Point
Beach in Provincetown early this morning (8/6).  I didn't have much
time, but in 25 minutes I recorded well over 1000 shearwaters, all
moving to the ESE.  Many were distant (out to the horizon), and they
were passing at such a rate that I was unable to record precise
counts of each species.  From 0620 - 0645 hrs., I estimated the
following (cloudy skies, calm seas, wind SSE @ 5mph, visibility excellent):

400 Cory's Shearwaters
100 Greater Shearwaters
800+ large shearwater sp.
30 Sooty Shearwaters
8 Manx Shearwaters
5 Wilson's Storm-petrels
18 N. Gannets
40 Laughing Gulls
4 Least Terns
1 Black Tern
50 Roseate Terns
600 Common Terns
800+ Common/Roseate Terns
2 jaeger sp. (distant)

There were also numerous whales to the east; curiously, all that I
got a look at (4-5) were Fin Whales.

Blair Nikula

2 Gilbert Lane
Harwich Port, MA 02646
USA
mailto:odenews(AT)odenews.org
web site: http://www.odenews.org/
 

August 6 - South Stellwagen Bank

Today, 8/6 on the southwest corner of Stellwagen Bank,
1100 - 1300 hrs;
1 Great-blue Heron
3 Black-legged Kittiwakes - all 1st winter
2 Parasitic Jaegers
400 Laughing Gulls - including 4 juveniles (1st I've seen)
35 Wilson's Storm-petrel
235 Cory's Shearwaters
15 Sooty Shearwaters
2 Manx Shearwaters
120 Greater Shearwaters
20 Roseate Terns - adults and noisy juveniles
300 Common Terns, which included many noisy food begging juveniles, =
chasing parents and sitting on water recieving Sand Launce Ammodytes =
americanus.=20
All of this over and near 20-30 feeding Humpback Whales.
Peter Trull
Brewster MA
www.wildcapecod.com

August 6 - Goucester Sea Watch

WEDNESDAY, 6 AUGUST 2008:
EAST GLOUCESTER Seawatch (1115-1130, 1435-1500 hrs.)
Weather: Overcast, occ. rain, SSE winds 15-25 mph, 64 F.
Visibility: Excellent and very crisp when not raining.

Common Eider (25+)
Surf Scoter (4m.)
Cory's Shearwater (20)
Manx Shearwater (4)
large shearwater sp. (22+): Very distant.
Northern Gannet (17): All sub-ads.
Double-crested Cormorant (40)
Laughing Gull (15)
Bonaparte's Gull (12)
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE (1 juv.): Early; my earliest juvenile at
Andrew's Point was of one on 8/15/06; Note that Steve Mirick also had
a juvenile today off Hampton, NH.
Black Tern (1 juv.)
Common Tern (7)

Richard S. Heil
S. Peabody, MA
rsheil(AT)comcast.net

This report was generated with the aid of eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
WEDNESDAY, 6 AUGUST 2008:
ANDREW'S POINT, ROCKPORT Seawatch (1315-1415 hrs.)
Weather: Overcast, occ. rain, SSE winds 15-25 mph, 64 F.
Visibility: Excellent and very crisp when not raining.

Manx Shearwater (2)
Northern Gannet (9): All sub-ads.
Double-crested Cormorant (37)
Greater Yellowlegs (1): Offshore flying SE.
Ruddy Turnstone (2)
Red-necked Phalarope (7): Single flock flying SE put down on the
water about 1/2 mile offshore.
Laughing Gull (3)
Herring Gull (16)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (1-3S): Roosting on the rocks:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rsheil/2739319577/
Great Black-backed Gull (10)
Roseate Tern (1 ad.)
Common Tern (9)
Sterna sp. (6): 'Common/Arctic types.
BLACK GUILLEMOT (1): Several previous August records.

Richard S. Heil
S. Peabody, MA
<mailto:rsheil%40comcast.net>rsheil(AT)comcast.net

 

August 6 NH Seawatch and shore count

I spent the afternoon today sea watching during the storms and had
pretty good luck for the date. I started at Ragged Neck in Rye during
the showers and downpours and spent a full hour here with hardly
anything to speak of. Just 40 gannets and a single storm-petrel. I
then went north to Pulpit Rocks in Rye where I spent about 15 minutes
and had a good number of gannets and another storm-petrel. I almost
called it a day as the rains came back, but I stopped at Seabrook Beach
for a quick check and within 5 minutes I had the Cory's and a Manx fly
by. The rains let up and then stopped, but the wind still howled out of
the SE so I spent about 2 1/2 hours here, sitting in the dunes to
shelter the wind.
 
12:30 - 5:15. About 4 hours sea watching.
Winds SE-SSE - 16-22 knots
Cloudy with intermittent showers.
Visibility - Fair to good improving to excellent toward end of day.
60F-65F
 
White-winged Scoter - 3 moving south together off Seabrook Beach.
Black Scoter - 2 moving south together off Seabrook Beach.
CORY'S SHEARWATER - 1. Probable, but not certain. Brief view just off
Seabrook beach when it was raining and not great visibility. It should
be noted that this is an exceptional year for Cory's Shearwaters. There
are very few records for this species in NH waters.
MANX SHEARWATER - 15. All off Seabrook beach. My highest count from
shore and ties my high count for the state. Groups of 1 to 4 birds all
moving south. Group of 3 and a single bird were extremely close to
shore just off the beach. 5 were mid-distance and 6 were far offshore.
Wilson's Storm-Petrel - 2 (only)
Northern Gannet - 158. Extraordinary count for early August. All birds
that could be safely aged were immatures/sub-adults. No adults or
juveniles noted. Just outside of Hampton harbor inlet a flock of 20-30
fed for an extended period with terns. All other birds were counted
moving southward.
Short-billed Dowitcher - 25 in one south bound flock off Seabrook beach.
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE - 1 JUVENILE. Excellent, extended views of this
bird as it flew close to shore just outside of Hampton harbor inlet.
Plumage was immaculate. Very early date, particularly for a juvenile.
 
Steve Mirick
Bradford, MA

August 5 - Stellwagen Bank South from Plymouth WW

I took the 9:00am whale watch trip on Captain John's Boats (from
Plymouth).  The weather was excellent and we spent most of our time on the
southwest corner of Stellwagen Bank.  Although the numbers of pelagic species
were not as high as some recent reports, the bird show was still impressive with
 many species observed close to the boat.  As soon as we arrived at Stellwagen,
we were treated to a group of ten Humpback Whales bubble feeding.  This activity
 attracted many shearwaters, gulls, and terns. The following species were
observed between 10:00am and 12:00pm:

Cory's Shearwater               (71)
Greater Shearwater              (67)
Sooty Shearwater                (13)
Manx Shearwater                 (5)

Northern Gannet                 (5)
Jaeger sp.                      (1)
Wilson's Storm-Petrel           (15)
Laughing Gull                   (200+)
Common Tern                     (hundreds)

Humpback Whale                  (40)
Fin Whale                       (2-3)
Minke Whale                     (3)
Atlantic White-sided Dolphin    (15-20)

Jim Sweeney
assawompsett(A)yahoo.com
East Bridgewater, Ma
 

August 5 - NH Whale Watch

Whalewatch aboard Granite State Whalewatch 8:30-12:30
 

Wilsons Storm Petrel  160
Corys Shearwater  15
Greater Shearwater  6
Sooty Shearwater  1
 
Fin Whale  6
Minke Whale  2

Also saw the Manx Shearwater at Seabrook Beach from sea watch.

Eric Masterson
 
August 4 _NH whale watch

Because it was far too nice a day to stay inside, I went out with
Granite State Whale Watch for their afternoon run to Jeffreys
Ledge. At the Rye Harbor dock I bumped into Eric Masterson who had
taken the morning run, and reported about 14 Cory's Shearwaters along
with a couple of Greater and one Sooty shearwaters. Unfortunately,
by afternoon the Cory's and Sooty had departed, and the only
shearwaters I saw were a trio of Greaters. Wilson's Storm-petrels
were plentiful -- at least fifty at a guess. Surprisingly, Northern
Gannets were also out in numbers -- my guess is 25-30, including all
plumages from first-year to full adult. I think I got one or two
decent pictures of the storm-petrels, which I'll post when I have time.
 
However, the cetacean show more than made up for the scarcity of
birds. We spent more than half an hour floating in a feeding-swarm
of whales. At its peak the swarm numbered five Fin whales and two
Minke whales. They really showed off their feeding behavior, at
times coming as close as twenty or thirty yards from the boat. I've
been on a number of whale-watches and seen a fair number of whales,
but I've never seen fin whales come that close. Very impressive.
 
-- Jon Woolf
Manchester, NH
 

August 3 - NH coast walk seabirds only

MANX SHEARWATER 1. Always a treat to see from shore. This one
moving north off Concord Point after the thunderstorms.
Wilson's Storm-Petrel 1. Very few storm-petrels reported from the
coast this summer. This was our first from shore. From Concord Point
with the Manx.
Northern Gannet 2

Steve Mirick
 

August 3 Stellwagen Bank

Yesterday (8/2) I ventured out into the fog aboard a
Dolphin Fleet boat and ended up at the SW corner of
Stellwagen Bank. The only good thing about the fog was
that everything was nice and close.

The numbers of individuals were quite low, from recent
reports, but the variety more than made up for it.

I took the 1pm boat, reached the bank at about 2:15
and was lucky enough to run into an excellent group of
birds including 5 species of shearwaters, and 3
Long-tailed Jaegers, all non-adults including one
fairly dark individual.

From Blair's recent post, it seems that I got VERY
lucky. If anything was within miles of the 10am boat,
Blair would have been on it.

It's amazing to see how much an area changes over such
a short period of time, and also why there is no "best
time" to go on a whale watch.

Location:     Stellwagen Bank
Observation date:     8/2/08
Number of species:     14

Cory's Shearwater (borealis)     16
Greater Shearwater     20
Sooty Shearwater     4
Manx Shearwater     2
Audubon's Shearwater     1
Wilson's Storm-Petrel     15
Northern Gannet     3
Laughing Gull     30
Herring Gull (American)     5
Great Black-backed Gull     1
Roseate Tern     3
Common Tern     20
Pomarine Jaeger     1
Long-tailed Jaeger     3

- Dan Berard
   Millbury/Wellfleet
 

Calm seas, clear skies, balmy breezes, mild temperature and lots of birds
(and whales)!  Get out there Folks and see our marine wildlife.

Seven members joined the Brookline Bird club this Morning to cruise out of
Gloucester Harbor on the SEVEN SEAS WHALE WATCH boat to the northern section
of Stellwagon Bank. 

It looks like Blair's birds have come north for we did see a lot of
activity.  We came across large flocks of Shearwaters, but cruised on by at
about 20 knots so we missed identifying many birds, for there were hundreds
of Shearwaters and Storm-Petrels. There were two reports of Cory
Shearwaters, but I did not see them.  Complete list below.  Then the whale
show was not to be missed either - whales all around us, a few total body
breaches, several tail breaches, much flipper flapping, belly rolling,
playful, young  offspring, etc.  Wonderful show even for a non-whale
watcher.

GREATER SHEARWATERS      560 +)
SOOTY SHEARWATERS         (15+)
WILSON''S STORM-PETRELS  (200+)
Northern Gannets            (4)
D.C. Cormorants          (14)
Bonaparte Gulls             (4)
Common Terns               (16)

HUMPBACK WHALES    (20)
 
Ida Giriunas
Reading, MA
<ida8(AT)verizon.net>
 

Audrey and i went on the 0900 John's Boats Whale Watch out of Plymouth with
Krill Karlson naturalist and despite the weather forecast  lucked out with
no rain showers or thunderstorms  and lots of birds and whales at SE Corner
of Stelwagen.
    There were many other birds sitting in the water and a max of 5 whales
feeding together next to each other herding the sand lance around. Several
full breeches close. One whale had some fishing gear entangled.
  Numbers are conservative
    Wilson's Storm Petrels 30
    Cory's Shearwater 150
    Greater Shearwater 100
    Sooty Shearwater 6
    Manx Shearwater 1
    Parasitic Jaeger 2 , 1 light adult, 1 dark subadult
    Jaeger sp 1
    Lauging Gull 150
    Common Tern 100
     Gannet 5 include 1 adult
     !5 Humbacks inc 1 entangled with tuna gear
     3 Fin
      2 Minke
          John and Audrey
          John Hoye, Wayland

August 2- Stellwagen Bank

I took a 10:00 a.m. whale watch boat out of Provincetown this
morning, but, despite excellent conditions, the birding was quite
disappointing.  We went to the SW corner of Stellwagen where feeding
whales were numerous and attended by plenty of Laughing Gulls and
terns, but almost no pelagic species.  My totals:

6 Cory's Shearwaters
4 Greater Shearwaters
20 Wilson's Storm-Petrels
3 N. Gannets
1 Bald Eagle (imm., circling high over P'town as we passed Herring
Cove on our return)
1 N. Harrier (a mile or two offshore, diving repeatedly on a
storm-petrel!  I thought for sure it was going to be a jaeger at first.)
120 Laughing Gulls (virtually all adults, in contrast to the other
times I've been out this summer)
20 Herring Gulls (very few large gulls present)
1 Great Black-backed (the first I've seen offshore in the last 3-4
trips - weird!)
40 Roseate Terns (most off Herring Cove on our return)
250 Common Terns
No jaegers(!  Peter Trull says he hasn't seen any the past two days.)

Blair Nikula

2 Gilbert Lane
Harwich Port, MA 02646
USA
mailto:odenews(AT)odenews.org
web site: http://www.odenews.org/
 

July 31 Stellwagen Bank

Ian Davies and I took a whale watch on Captain John's Boats out of Plymouth,
passing by Plymouth Beach on the way.  We were in dense fog most of the time,
but it cleared around 1130 and we were treated to an unbelievable shearwater
show.  All around us on the way back in were rafts of hundreds of shearwaters,
the majority Cory's, with many Greaters, some Sooty and Manx.  There were
several jaegers, with one incredible look at an adult Pomarine crossing right
past the bow.

Luke Seitz
Falmouth, Maine

Location:     Stellwagen Bank
Observation date:     7/31/08
Number of species:     16

Cory's Shearwater - Calonectris diomedea     1028     clicked them.
Greater Shearwater - Puffinus gravis     668
Sooty Shearwater - Puffinus griseus     63
Manx Shearwater - Puffinus puffinus     13
Wilson's Storm-Petrel - Oceanites oceanicus     27
Northern Gannet - Morus bassanus     3
Double-crested Cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus     1
Semipalmated Sandpiper - Calidris pusilla     5
Laughing Gull - Larus atricilla     16
Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis     4
Herring Gull (American) - Larus argentatus smithsonianus     12
Great Black-backed Gull - Larus marinus     6
Least Tern - Sternula antillarum     2
Common Tern - Sterna hirundo     14
Pomarine Jaeger - Stercorarius pomarinus     5     one ad., the rest subadult
Parasitic Jaeger - Stercorarius parasiticus     3     subadults

July 29 Stellwagen Bank

I took a 2:00 p.m. whale watch boat out of Provincetown this
afternoon, with Peter Trull as the on board naturalist.  Most of the
activity of late seems to be on the southwest corner of the bank,
which is where we eventually ended up.  There was no wind and seas
were glassy, so most of the birds were on the water and
inconspicuous, but there was still plenty of activity.  Terns were
numerous, and several or more jaegers were much in evidence.

I don't know what's been up with Long-tailed Jaegers the past few
years, but they seem to be on hand once again this year.  Based upon
the photos I took (my policy with jaegers being to shoot first,
identify later, since I can't seem to identify them in the field!),
it appears there were no fewer than 3 first-summer Long-taileds
today, out of 6-8+ jaegers total.  I thought I was seeing some
Parasitics, but I'm not sure I have any photographic
confirmation!  (Back on July 11th, I reported 3 Parasitics from
Stellwagen, but subsequent examination of the photos I took that day
showed one of those birds to have been a 1st-summer Long-tailed as well.)

So, for what it's worth, here are my totals (1400 - 1730 hrs.) -
jaeger numbers subject to revision!
100+ Cory's Shearwaters (all in heavy molt now)
55 Greater Shearwaters
7 Sooty Shearwaters
4 Manx Shearwaters
50 shearwater sp. (distant birds on the water)
6 (only!) Wilson's Storm-Petrels
3 N. Gannets
175 Laughing Gulls
200 Herring Gulls
15 Roseate Terns
600 Common Terns
1200+ Common/Roseate Terns (these were all sitting on the outer beach
at Race Point)
2 Black Terns
3 Parasitic Jaegers
3 Long-tailed Jaegers (all 1S)
1 jaeger sp. (probable Pomarine, seen poorly)

Blair Nikula

2 Gilbert Lane
Harwich Port, MA 02646
USA
mailto:odenews(AT)odenews.org
web site: http://www.odenews.org/


 

July 28 - Newburyport Whale Watch to Jeffreys Ledge

The Joppa Flats Education Center (Mass Audubon) and Newburyport Whale
Watch are running a series of Monday Bird and Whale trips out of
Newburyport.
 
Today we had over 60 participants aboard as we motored out of
Newburyport Harbor. As far as I know, we had the same number aboard on
our return. Aside from the many gulls and terns in the harbor, and the
Ruddy Turnstones and Semipalmated Plovers near the mouth, we had the
following sightings:
Common Eider 1
Northern Gannet 12
Wilson's Storm-petrel 750
Greater Shearwater 10
Cory's Shearwater 7
Manx Shearwater 1
Semipalmated Plover 3 (southbound)
Whimbrel 1 (also southbound)
 
The onboard naturalists from the Blue Ocean Society and the crew of the
Prince of Whales also found the following marine mammals:
Harbor Porpoise 5
Minke Whale 2
Finback Whale 4
Long-finned Pilot Whale 40-50
 
 David M. Larson, Ph.D.
Education Coordinator
Joppa Flats Education Center
Mass Audubon
 

July 27 Stellwagen Bank North end

25 July 2008, My wife and I took the 1:30 PM trip from Gloucester to
the Northern edge of Stellwagen Bank.  The weather was great and with
exception to one small patch of fog we had excellent visibility and
calm waters.  The bird numbers were very good, many Wilson's Storm
Petrels and the Corey's Shearwaters were  out in good numbers.

On the way out to the bank, were passed on a couple Humpbacks to
search an area that the earlier trip had some good success.  It was a
wise decision as we came across a whale ID'd as "Rocker".  Initially
the whale was slapping it's flukes at the surface.  After a few
minutes he made a shallow dive and then started an amazing breach
show.  For over thirty minutes we watched as he breached multiple
(20+) times.

Below is a list of birds seen on the trip, numbers are conservative as
the Whale show was distracting!

Northern Gannet 8+ all juv
Greater Shearwater 200 +
Corey's Shearwater 50+
Sooty Shearwater 2
Manx Shearwater 6+
Wilson's Storm Petrel 500+ (dozens right in Gloucester Harbor)
Great Black Backed Gull
Herring Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Double Crested Cormorant
Common Tern
Peeps small group of 20+ buzzed by boat on the way back, looked like
least sandpipers

Regards,

Joe Sutherland
Byfield, MA
sutherlandbirds(AT)gmail.com

July 26 Stellwagen Bank South end

Today, aboard a Dolphin Fleet vessel 11:00 hrs - 14:30 hrs,=20
132 Cory's Shearwaters,=20
6 Manx Shearwaters
75 Greater Shearwaters =20
18 Sooty Shearwaters
2 - 300 Common Terns, now with fledgies food begging=20
      loudly.
(still only) 2 Roseate Terns -Ad
1 Tree Swallow
4 Northern Gannets - 3-y2, 1- y3
and a jaeger show that was on all trip.
6 Parasitic Jaegers
2 Pomarine Jaegers
With much confusion and excitement I watched these winged rockets, never =
giving me a long look, able to manuver and dissapear against the dark =
water in an instant.  Today my revalation was, as I watched whirling, =
twisting, effortless taunting by jeagers on unlucky Larids...........
Parasitics chase terns while Pomarines chase Laughing Gulls...This seems =
so.
Peter Trull
 

July 26 - NH whale watch

 
Whale Watch to Jeffrey's Ledge. Almost all in NH waters.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Common Eider - 2 adult males flying out toward the ledge.
Snowy Egret - 1 a short distance outside the harbor.
Great Cormorant - 1 1st summer on Square Rock.
Northern Gannet - 12. Most 1st summer. One adult/subadult on water
inside Isles of Shoals.
Wilson's Storm-Petrel - 195. A few just outside of Rye harbor.
Manx Shearwater - 1 out on ledge.
Large shearwater sp. - 2. Unfortunately bad views. I'm pretty sure
they both were Cory's.
Ruddy Turnstone - 2 single birds. Migrating south.
Laughing Gull - 2. 1 adult, 1 1st summer.
Black Guillemot - 1 in breeding plumage near Appledore Island in Maine.
 
Fin Whale - 1
Blue Shark - 1
Shark sp. - 1
 
Steve & Jane Mirick
Bradford, MA
 

July 25 Stellwagen Bank south end 

I took a Captain John Boats whale watch out of Plymouth today for the 
purpose of a makeshift pelagic, with wonderful results.
Cory's were incredibly abundant, outnumbering Greater significantly, 
and overall there were just great numbers.
For most of the ride out to the Bank, there was thick fog, which broke 
suddenly, and stayed absent mostly, once we arrived. Right before we 
came out of the fog, all of a sudden we came on this giant flock, 
there were 216 shearwaters, of which 153 were Cory's. Thats when I 
knew it was going to be a good day.
Also a nice Jaeger show, surprisingly comprising all three species. 
All the birds were quite close the the boat, perhaps I just missed 
more out farther in the fog, but it was great.
The Long-tailed was, believe it or not, CHASING a Parasitic, CALLING 
the whole while, where the size difference was apparent and shocking.
The whale show was quite nice as well, with 10+ Humpback, 1-2 Fin, and 
3+ Minke. Also, we had a Humpback do a "full spinning head breach" 
according to the biologist, basically meaning the whale threw itself 
out of the water, 30' off of the bow.
Full list below, numbers almost exclusively counted on the water, 
shearwaters in the air mostly uncounted to try for accuracy.

Stellwagen Bank (0945-1215):

Cory's Shearwater     347
Greater Shearwater     286
Sooty Shearwater     26
Manx Shearwater     9
shearwater sp.     280 - Out in the mist and fog.
Wilson's Storm-Petrel     561
Leach's Storm-Petrel     2
Northern Gannet     3 - 2 imm, 1 ad
Laughing Gull     35
Herring Gull (American)     40
Great Black-backed Gull     20
Common Tern     12
Pomarine Jaeger     1 sub-ad
Parasitic Jaeger     2 sub-ad
LONG-TAILED JAEGER     1 sub-ad

July 25 Stellwagen Bank south end

An early morning run to Provincetown this morning (7/25) yielded a
nice movement of seabirds at Race Point Beach (all the tubenoses were
flying west).  As noted by others recently, Cory's was by far the
most common shearwater.  In 40 minutes (0610 - 0650), I recorded the following:

108 Cory's Shearwaters
35 Greater Shearwaters
26 Sooty Shearwater
5 Manx Shearwater
25 shearwater sp.
575 Wilson's Storm-Petrels
2 N. Gannets
15 Laughing Gulls
4 Least Terns
1 Black Tern (basic-type plumage)
8 Roseate Terns
275 Common Terns
2 jaeger sp. (Parasitic/Long-tailed)

At Herring Cove (0705-0715):
3 Cory's Shearwaters
35 Wilson's Storm-Petrels
250 Common Terns

I've also posted a few photos from last weekend's BBC "Extreme Pelagic" at:
http://www.capecodbirds.org/AtlantisCanyon0708/atlantis0708.htm

Blair Nikula

2 Gilbert Lane
Harwich Port, MA 02646
USA
mailto:odenews(AT)odenews.org
web site: http://www.odenews.org/

 

July 25 - New Hampshire whale watch

I headed to the coast for the first time in months, and after a cruise up to Rye, I took an afternoon whalewatch aboard the Granite State Whalewatch. The coast was largely unremarkable, with the best birdsbeing 17 roseate terns in Hampton. But the whalewatch was rather good. Cory's Shearwater was expected, and as has been the case to the south, it was the most numerous shearwater. Three puffins were a surprise though. A pic of Corys and a lousy one of red phalarope below.
 

Whalewatch departing Rye Harbor aboard Granite State Whalewatch (all sightings over Jeffreys ledge except
Wilsons Storm Petrel and Gannet). Whalewatch departing Rye Harbor aboard Granite State
Whalewatch (all sightings over Jeffreys ledge except Wilsons Storm Petrel and Gannet). Latlong after
several sightings
 
Greater Shearwater 7
Corys Shearwater 9, first one at 42-58/70-24
Sooty Shearwater 1
Wilsons Storm Petrel circa 350
Northern Gannet 20
Whimbrel 1 (20 miles from coast) 42-56/70-16
Red Phalarope 2 at 42-57/70-09
Arctic Tern 1
Puffin 3 at 42-57/70-09
 
Fin Whale 5
Minke Whale 1
Humpback Whale 1
Bluefin Tuna several
 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20225164@N05/
 eric masterson (eric.masterson@verizon.net)

July 24 Stellwagen Bank south end

A whale-watching trip on Captain John's boats out of Plymouth, MA on July 2=
3, from 0900 to 1330, produced the following birds:
=A0
Cory's Shearwater (160+): Exceptional numbers of this species, outnumbering=
 all other shearwaters combined.=A0 Many flocks sitting on the water of 20+=
 birds were comprised solely of=A0Cory's
Greater Shearwater (100+)
Sooty Shearwater (12+)
Manx Shearwater (6+)
Wilson's Storm-Petrel (1500+): Like Peter Trull's observations from off Pro=
vincetown, scanning the horizon produced hundreds of Storm-Petrels; hard to=
 count
Parasitic Jaeger (4)
possible Long-tailed Jaeger (1): One very small, dark jaeger flew by on our=
 way back in; shape and jizz looked like Long-tailed, but hard to definitiv=
ely say.
=A0
Some photos of the above species (unfortunately no jaeger shots) can be see=
n on Saturday at http://picasaweb.google.com/seitzphoto
=A0
Good Birding,
Luke Seitz
Falmouth, Maine
birdfreak007(AT)yahoo.com

 
July 23 Provincetown Whale Watch

Cory's Shearwaters have become the dominant species of shearwater in the waters north and east of Race Point.  July 22, Southern edge of  Stellwagen Bank. 11:00 hrs
East wind, around to north by 15:00 hrs. 4 - 6 ft swell down to 1 - 3 ft  by 16:00 hrs.
91+ Cory's Shearwaters
70 Greater Shearwaters
35 Sooty Shearwaters
2 Manx Shearwaters
3 Northern Gannets
4 Wilson's Storm-petrel
4 - 6 Parasitic Jaegers
1 possible Long-tailed Jaeger, see photostream
55 Common Terns
Peter Trull" <petrull(AT)comcast.net>
 

July 23 Southern end of Stellwagen Bank

Over the past few weeks, passengers aboard the Captain John Boats 
have been treated to large numbers of seabirds on the southern 
portion of Stellwagen Bank as well the waters to the east.  Large 
concentrations of Cory's Shearwater, Greater Shearwater, Sooty 
Shearwater, Wilson's storm petrels, Jaegars and common terns have 
been seen on each and every trip.  Numbers for some of these species 
are in the hundreds.  Not sure how long these numbers will last, but 
the high number of Cory's is really a treat for all of us offshore, 
even us old and seasoned whale watchers.

Best, Krill
Naturalist, CJB
krillcarson(AT)mac.com
 

July 16 P'town & Chatham seabirds from shore

There was a nice variety of seabirds off Provincetown early this
morning, including (finally) a substantial number of Wilson's
Storm-Petrels and the first jaeger show of the season.

Race Point Beach (0555-0630 hrs.):
40 Cory's Shearwaters (most flying west)
38 Greater Shearwaters (all flying west)
5 Sooty Shearwaters (all flying west)
450 Wilson's Storm-Petrels (all flying west)
1 N. Gannet (imm.)
10 Laughing Gulls (all 1st summer)
1 Roseate Tern
50 Common Terns
1 Parasitic Jaeger (1st summer)

Herring Cove (0640-0700 hrs.):
1 Common Loon (partial alternate plumage, flying N)
6 Cory's Shearwaters
3 Greater Shearwaters
50 Wilson's Storm-Petrels
4 N. Gannets (imm.)
10 Laughing Gulls (all 1st summer)
1 Black Tern (1st summer - an infrequently seen plumage around here)
2 Roseate Terns (ad.)
200 Common Terns
5 Parasitic Jaegers (all 1st summer, good show chasing terns)
1 Parasitic/Long-tailed Jaeger (2nd/3rd summer; despite a decent and
fairly lengthy view, I couldn't be sure of the identity of this bird,
though I lean toward the former.)

Then this evening, while picnicking with friends on the northeast
corner of South Beach in Chatham, I noticed a modest, but steady
stream of shearwaters passing by offshore, mostly heading south.  I
had no scope, but with binoculars, identified the following:
4 Cory's Shearwaters
12 Greater Shearwaters
30 Cory's/Greater Shearwaters
10 Sooty Shearwaters
1 Manx Shearwater
1 Wilson's Storm-Petrel
1 N. Gannet

On the inside of South Beach (northeast corner) was a nice assortment
of sea ducks:
22 Com. Eider
4 Surf Scoters
10 Black Scoters
2 Long-tailed Ducks

Blair Nikula
2 Gilbert Lane
Harwich Port, MA 02646
USA

July 12 Near Stellwagen from Plymouth

The annual South Shore Bird Club whale watch from Plymouth
was held on Saturday, July 12th. As with any whale watch trip,
we were at the mercy of the whale activity.

This year, the whale activity was found well before Stellwagen Bank.

In addition, most birds that were found were stationary,
floating on the water, well away from the boat.
So the birding opportunities were limited.

Below are the highlights:

Greater Shearwater 15
Cory's Shearwater  13
Sooty Shearwater     5
Manx Shearwater     1

Wilson's Storm-Petrel   2
LEACH's Storm-Petrel  1

Pomarine Jaeger           1
Jaeger sp.                    3

Northern Gannet          3

Humpback Whale 13 ID'd (probably 30-40 seen at a distance)
Finback Whale      2
Minke Whale         1

Mike Emmons
michael.emmons(AT)Comcast.net
Wilmington, MA

 

July 13 Stellwagen Bank from Barnstable

Audrey and I went on the 1000 whalewatch Sunday on Hyannis Whale Watch out
of Barnstable Harbor. to the southern part of Stellwagen
  The number of Cory's Shearwaters continue and actually exceeded Greater
Shearwaters.   As Blair commented we saw no Wilson's Storm Petrels on this
trip also.
   It was very windy and activity of birds dropped on the latter half of the
trip.
    The naturalist Jon was most helpful to us and called out most of the
bird sitings on the loudspeaker.  As a treat he let us come up topside on
the run back to Barnstable but again it was too windy for any sitings.
Despite the wind the ship was very solid in the water and also it is very
fast.
  Of note was a report of a South Polar Skua seen by Jon the previous day as
well as a Parasitic Jaeger
     Cory's Shearwater 8
     Great Shearwater 4
     Laughing Gull 6
     Gbbg 5
     Herring Gull 12
     Ring Billed 3
     Common Tern 40
     Least Tern 20
     Gannet 1

     Humback Whales 20
           John Hoye and Audrey McCarthy
              Lt.Jaeger(AT)verizon.net
 

July 13, 2008