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Recent Pelagic Sightings off Hatteras; Space on Trips



Dear Carolinabirders,

I wanted to report on recent bird sightings in the Gulf Stream off Cape 
Hatteras, and to let folks know that we still have at least a few 
spaces left on all of our remaining summer and fall pelagic trips from 
Hatteras, Manteo, and Virginia Beach.  

Last weekend, on July 15 and 16, we ran two pelagic trips to the Gulf 
Stream aboard the Miss Hatteras, sailing from Oden=92s Dock in Hatteras 
Village. While Saturday=92s trip was rainy with choppy seas, Sunday=92s 
trip was clear with exceptionally calm seas. We saw many more birds in 
total on Sunday, but it was Saturday=92s trip that produced the best 
rarities. During a heavy rain on Saturday morning, we just happened to 
drive right up on a White-tailed Tropicbird resting on the water. It 
was so thoroughly soaked that it had little inclination to fly, so we 
were able to approach it within a few feet.  Less than an hour later, 
we were able to get out of the worst of the rain, and another 
tropicbird appeared, this time flying off the stern of the boat. 
Amazingly, at about the same instant, I spotted  a Fea=92s Petrel flying 
toward the bow, so we shifted our attention to that bird, which gave 
good looks while we chased it for the next few minutes.  Saturday=92s 
trip was also good for storm-petrels. We saw three species including 43 
Band-rumped and 11 Leach=92s Storm-Petrels, with many individuals close 
to the boat. Sunday=92s trip featured better weather and more birds, but 
less variety. Our best birding find that day was a Manx Shearwater 
sitting right next to an Audubon=92s. The highlight for many of us on 
Sunday though was a group of six or seven Cuvier=92s Beaked Whales which 
allowed us to approach very closely for what should be great 
photographs. The last one to dive even threw his head clear out of the 
water giving us a spectacular look at the face, which I have rarely 
seen so well before. Our efforts at fishing didn=92t produce much action, 
but we did catch a small Blue Marlin on Saturday=92s trip. This was our 
first blue marlin of the season and it makes it five years running that 
we have caught at least one a year while birding on the Miss Hatteras. 
It was also the quickest that I have caught one- about ten minutes.  
Someone asked me on Sunday if the weather was too nice for good 
birding. I had to say no as we have had some of our best trips on calm 
days. There are just some days that don=92t produce any rare petrels or 
tropicbirds. While these birds are regular, they are RARE. That=92s a 
good reason for taking two consecutive trips on a weekend.  

Birds and other life seen on July 15, 16 from Hatteras

FEA=92S PETREL- one on July 15
Black-capped Petrel- 58/ 234
Cory=92s Shearwater- 32/ 74
Greater Shearwater- 11/ 16
Manx Shearwater- one on July 16
Audubon=92s Shearwater- 30/ 37
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel- 43/ 17
Leach=92s Storm-Petrel- 11/ 0
Wilson=92s Storm-Petrel- 58/ 171
storm-petrel sp.- 0/ 1
WHITE-TAILED TROPICBIRD- two on July 15
Pomarine Jaeger- 3/ 1
Parasitic Jaeger- 1/ 0
jaeger sp.- 0/ 1
Sooty Tern- 38/ 29
Bridled Tern- 4+/ 10
Black Tern- 0/ 1
nighthawk sp. 0/ 1
Blue Marlin- one caught and released on July 15
Loggerhead Sea Turtle- 2/ 0
Cuvier=92s Beaked Whale- six or seven on July 16
Mesoplodon sp.- 0/ 4


Our next pelagic trips are On July 29 and 30 from Hatteras, NC aboard
the BIG boat, the MISS HATTERAS. She is not as fast as the Country Girl, b=
ut she
is fast enough, and has many features the Country Girl lacks such as a
walk-around bow, with a spacious pulpit, a large upper deck, a large
cabin, and a full service galley. Many great birds have been seen WELL
from this boat, including dozens of Herald Petrels and tropicbirds, many
Fea's Petrels, at least three Bermuda Petrels, and the first
photographed Swinhoe's Storm-Petrel for the western North Atlantic.
Hatteras is the closest port to the Gulf Stream north of Florida.

ALSO: August 5, 6 from Hatteras

            August 26, 27 from Hatteras

            September 9, 10 from Hatteras

All of these trips have an excellent chance for Black-capped Petrel, 
Cory's, Greater, and Audubon's Shearwaters, Wilson's Storm-Petrel, 
Pomarine Jaeger, and Bridled and Sooty Terns. Leach's Storm-Petrels are 
likely through early August and Band-rumped Storm-Petrels are regular 
through late August. Any of these dates can offer the possibility of 
rarer species like Herald (Trinidade) Petrel, Fea's Petrel, Bermuda 
Petrel, White-tailed Tropicbird, Red-billed Tropicbird, and Masked 
Booby. Bridled and Sooty Terns are most common in late August and early 
September, at which time we also regularly see Long-tailed Jaegers.  

Each Hatteras trip (separate trips each Saturday and Sunday) is $85/
person.

We also have several trips from Manteo aboard the Country Girl, which 
is a very fast boat, and which is better located for looking for White-
faced Storm-Petrels, which we feel are more likely east and northeast 
of Oregon Inlet than farther south. The White-faced Storm-Petrel trips 
are offered in two day sets, so as to maximize the chances for finding 
this rare but regular visitor from the eastern Atlantic. We also offer 
Gulf Steam trips on days before or following the White-faced searches 
in order to find certain species which will probably not be present on 
those two day sets. The list of birds for Oregon Inlet Gulf Stream 
trips is similar to that for the Hatteras trips above. The WFSP trips 
are unlikely to find any Pterodromas, tropicbirds, or boobies, and Band-
rumped Storm-Petrel is not as likely there either. If we succeed in 
showing everyone a White-faced Storm-Petrel on Day One, then Day Two 
will go to the Gulf Stream. I just talked to Capt. Allan Foreman of the 
County Girl the other day, and he told me that he has already seen one 
White-faced Storm-Petrel on a fishing trip east of Oregon Inlet. This 
is very early, so maybe it will be a good season for White-faceds.  

Manteo trips on the Country Girl are as follows-

Saturday- August 12- Gulf Stream
Sunday, Monday- Aug. 13, 14- WFSP search

Saturday- August 19- Gulf Stream
Sunday, Monday- August 20, 21- WFSP search

Saturday, Sunday- Sept. 2, 3- WFSP search
Monday- Sept. 4- Gulf Stream

Each Manteo Gulf Stream trip is $95/ person and the WFSP sets are each
$195/ person.

A wealth of information about these trips including directions, 
recommendations for lodging, and dozens of lists from past trips can be 
found at our website- http://www.patteson.com/. At our site we also 
have an extensive collection of quality images of pelagic seabirds, 
including those of the only Bermuda Petrels photographed AT SEA, all on 
our trips.  

The recently added Bermuda Petrel photos from May 26 this year are the 
best yet taken of the species.  

We hope that many of you are still able to join us on some of this 
summer's pelagic trips. If you'd rather talk to me on the phone about a 
trip, please call me at (252) 986-1363 during the evenings between 7 
and  9 PM.  

Thanks,

Brian Patteson
Hatteras, NC
brian@patteson.com





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