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Trip Report: North Carolina Pelagics, 6/2/00 -- 6/4/00



This report covers a four-day period beginning 6/1/00, and includes the 
Great Dismal Swamp (Virginia) and the North Carolina Outer Banks (three 
days of pelagic birding.)  

I had reserved two one-day pelagic trips with Brian Patteson for 6/2 
and 6/3.  On the drive down to the Outer Banks, I stopped for a couple 
of hours at the Great Dismal Swamp.  It was mid-day, but there was 
still quite a bit of action. A nice boardwalk and a gravel road 
provided comfortable birding, with only some biting flies and a few 
mosquitos as distractions. Prothonotary Warblers were abundant and 
singing.  What a treat for a California/Nevada birder!  Other warblers 
present were Am. Redstart, Pine Warbler, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, 
and Hooded Warbler.  I though I might have heard a Swainson's Warbler 
sing once in the distance, but I wasn't sure.  

Red-Eyed Vireos were everywhere, and one Yellow-throated Vireo sang 
briefly. Other birds included Red-shouldered Hawk, Yellow-billed 
Cuckoo, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Peewee, Acadian Flycatcher, 
Great-crested Flycatcher, Blue Jay, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted 
Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Wood Thrush, Northern 
Cardinal, Eastern Towhee, and Common Grackle.  

I traveled on to Manteo, encountering Eastern Bluebird, Boat-tailed 
Grackle, Eastern Kingbird, and Fish Crow along the way.  

The next morning, we boarded the Country Girl in Manteo at 5:30 and 
headed out to the Gulf Stream.  The only other birders on the boat that 
I knew were Joe Morlan and Robbie Fischer from California.  The seas 
were pleasantly calm.  I sat comfortably in a tee-shirt and shorts as 
we sped out to sea. (For a birder more used to Monterey or the Cordell 
Banks in California, the weather was a real treat.)  

This was my fourth venture to the Gulf Stream, and I had previously 
seen all of the expected species.  I was looking forward to better 
looks and possibly some photos of Black-capped Petrel and Band-rumped 
Storm Petrel, but my greatest hopes were for any of the three rare 
Pterodroma Petrels seen occasionally during this season, Bermuda, 
Herald, and Fea's.  I also hoped to see a Sperm Whale.  (Bermuda and 
Herald, and Sperm Whale, had been seen the previous week.)  

The birding was great, with many Black-capped Petrels, some quite close 
to the boat (and photographable), and many Band-rumped Storm Petrels 
(hard to photograph, but I may have gotten one or two).  There were 
always a number of Wilson's Storm Petrels in view in the slick behind 
the boat.  Cory's Shearwaters were abundant, and there were good 
numbers of Audubon's Shearwaters.  We also had a few Greater 
Shearwaters.  A beautiful adult Pomarine Jaeger made several close 
passes, and two young Poms fed on the carcass of an Audubon's.  We also 
saw one Sooty Shearwater (not exactly at the top of my most-desired 
sightings list, having probably seen close to a million off 
California!)  And a Barn Swallow flying over the wake about 35 miles 
out in the ocean was an unexpected treat.  (We also spotted another, 
slightly larger dark Passerine but didn't get a good enough look to 
identify it.)  

We had nice looks at Bottlenose Dolphins, and there was a report of 
Sperm Whale, but it could not be relocated.  I was somewhat 
disappointed, since that's something I've wanted to see since I was a 
child.  But we were definitely having a nice trip, and if we had headed 
for home at that point, everyone would have said it was a fine trip, 
but under our breaths, I imagine there would have been a few "but if 
only" thoughts.  And it was time to head in.  The captain gave a 15 
minute warning -- if you need to use the head, do it now.  We're going 
to be cranking it up to high speed in fifteen minutes.  

And about a minute later, someone called out that there were whales.  
They came by close to the boat -- several Cuvier's Beaked Whales. 
Relatively small whales -- the one I saw best was very pale, sort of 
tannish-gray, and very heavily scarred.  Really neat -- a life mammal 
sighting.  But we didn't get to stay on them very long, because as we 
watched them, one of the British birders managed to sputter out 
"Cahow!".  And so it was.  A BERMUDA PETREL was flying by very close to 
the boat!  We had great views.  And as it passed by, the captain put 
that boat into overdrive and off we went chasing a bird across the Gulf 
Stream.  (This is an experience you just don't get on Pacific pelagics. 
 The Country Girl is a VERY fast boat, and we took good advantage of 
it, catching up with the Bermuda Petrel a couple of times.)  I think 
everyone had satisfactory views, and I may have even gotten an 
identifiable photo or two.  And then it was time to turn toward shore.  

I drove down to Cape Hatteras that evening, stopping briefly to feed 
the biting flies at Pea Island Refuge.  I fell asleep by 9:00.  

The next morning, we boarded the Miss Hatteras, a larger, comfortable, 
but slower boat and took off again for the Gulf Stream.  The wind had 
picked up a bit, and it was a little rough going out, but once in the 
Gulf Stream, the seas were not bad at all.  Still, I was thankful for 
the Scopalamine patch (when those were discontinued a few years ago, I 
was really disappointed, but now that they are back, I think they are 
better than ever.  More on that in the report for 6/4.)  

I won't go into much detail on this day -- it was a very nice day of 
birding, but yielded no rarities, and only a couple of bird species we 
had not seen the previous day, a few distant Sooty Terns and some 
Northern Gannets.  There were long stretches that were bird-less 
(except for the ever-present Wilson's Storm Petrels.)  But it was a 
great day for me.  We found more SPERM WHALES.  And I got to see them 
this time.  Excellent views of one as it lifted its massive head above 
the surface!  I was really thrilled.   Then, near the end of the day, 
another group of whales were spotted.  They were initially identified 
as Pilot Whales, but as they swam right beside (and under) the boat, 
someone (I think it might have been Brian) shouted that they were FALSE 
KILLER WHALES, a species none of the trip leaders had seen on North 
Carolina pelagics previously.  We had great looks, and I may have 
gotten a photo or two.  As we cruised back toward Hatteras, Brian 
suggested that there were openings for the Sunday trip.  I had planned 
to bird only two days - this was, after all, primarily a family visit 
to the east coast for me.  Still, I was all the way down at Hatteras... 
and I had to pay for the motel for that night anyway...  and the family 
(my brother's) wasn't going anywhere... and... well, we still hadn't 
seen Herald or Fea's Petrels... and...  

That evening, I went out to the tern nesting area near the Hatteras 
lighthouse and took far too many photos of Gull-billed and Common Terns 
hanging in the air at eye level along the beach.  Over dinner 
(delicious seafood!) with some of the other birders, I pondered my 
options.  And, as you have probably guessed, I was up at dawn the next 
morning, heading toward the dock.  (Heard a Chuck-will's-widow right by 
the Cape Pines Motel.)  

For the next eight hours or so, I was not sure it was such a good 
decision. The winds had stiffened and the boat lurched and swayed 
ominously.  Several people added to the chum line at the stern.  Now, 
I've been pretty susceptible to seasickness for several years.  I'd 
even gotten sick once or twice while using the older Scop patch on 
particularly rough days.  And even on "good" days, I usually felt 
ominously near the edge.  But not this day!! I never even felt a twinge 
-- even ate lunch, a rare occurrence for me on a pelagic trip.  I'm 
hoping that these new Scop patches are the reason.  

Still, it was rough, so the views were not as good as they had been the 
previous days.  We did encounter another group of False Killer Whales 
(the same ones??).  Along with the regular suspects, we added a fine 
view of a South Polar Skua.  I watched a small shearwater for a bit.  I 
initially thought it was Audubon's, but it didn't seem quite right.  
Very long, very thin, sharply pointed wings, and a short tail.  Manx!  
My first for the Atlantic Ocean.  (Only a few people got to see this 
one.)  We also had a couple of very distant Bridled Terns.  And now it 
was time to head back.  My new friends, the two British birders I had 
dinner with the night before were giving me a hard time about my 
decision to go out again today.  It was about 2:45.  We were due to 
start back a bit after 3:00.  

Way off in the distance, I spotted a shape arcing above the horizon.  
Large, long-winged, and, wait, that bird looks all-dark!  One of the 
leaders called out "all-dark petrel, 2:00."  I followed the bird, 
trying (in vain) to get another of my previous evening's dinner 
companions onto it.  Even at the long distance, I could clearly see the 
Jaeger-like flash of white in the primaries.  The rest of the underwing 
was entirely dark.  Shape and flight style were typically Petrel. I 
thought the belly looked paler than the rest of the body, but I can't 
say that I really saw that clearly.  Others (Joe Morlan and the 
leaders) did see white in that area.  No matter -- this was a HERALD 
PETREL!  Possibly an intermediate-morph, due to the lighter belly. We 
tried to give chase, but the bird was way out, the seas were rough, and 
the Miss Hatteras, while a great boat for birding, was not able to 
close the gap between us and the bird.  We lost it pretty quickly, and, 
sadly, many of the birders on the boat were not able to see it.  

As we turned and headed back toward land, we got to watch some Spotted 
Dolphins, a final bonus to an extraordinary three days of pelagic 
birding. The leaders and crew worked tirelessly to ensure great birding 
for everyone. I'll be back.  (After all, I still haven't seen a Fea's 
Petrel.)  

Martin

------------------------------

Martin Meyers
meyersm@mindspring.com
Truckee, California

[forwarded from Birdchat by Carolinabirds-owner]