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Space on Upcoming Summer NC and Va. Pelagic Trips: New Images on Website



Dear Carolinabirders,

After a very successful spring pelagic season, we are less than a month
away from our next pelagic birding trip off Cape Hatteras.  Starting on
August
10, we will be offering five consecutive weekends of pelagic birding,
which include August 10, 11, 24, and 25 from Hatteras aboard the Miss
Hatteras, August 17, 18, 31, and Sept. 1 from Manteo aboard the Country
Girl, and Sept. 7(8) from Va. Beach aboard the Bluewater Bullet.  Summer

is an excellent time to see tropicbirds, particularly on the Hatteras
trips.  Over the last month, I have seen several White-tailed
Tropicbirds while charter fishing off Hatteras, as well as an immature
Red-billed Tropicbird on June 29 and an adult Red-billed on July 13.
Considering that we have not spent as much time in the really deep water

as we would on birding trips, I think this is a good sign.  Summer is
prime time for Band-rumped Storm-Petrels and is a good time for seeing
numbers of Bridled and Sooty Terns, which are scarce in spring.
Herald, Fea’s, and Bermuda Petrels have all been seen on our August
trips on a number of occasions, and we have seen up to four Heralds in a

day then!  August 8, 1998 was the day when both Swinhoe’s Storm-Petrel
and Bulwer’s Petrel were photographed off Cape Hatteras, and more
White-faced Storm-Petrels have been seen here in August and September
than any other time.  The White-faced is a tough bird to find, but we
have seen them each summer for the last three years from either Manteo
or Va. Beach

If you would like more information about any of these trips, please
visit our website at http://www.seabirding.com/ or call me at (252)
986-1363.  Be sure to check out the new images on our site from trips
this May and June off Cape Hatteras.  Bird lists from those trips are
also available there.  I hope to see many of you this summer.

Best,

Brian Patteson
Hatteras, NC