[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Offshore birding - Charleston, SC



South Carolina listers and pelagic enthusiasts,

I went with Nathan yesterday and had a very good day.
I got a lifer Parasitic Jaeger, decent photos of the jaeger and good photos
of the Cory's Shearwaters. I have been
out with Brian Patteson in NC and highly recommend his trips, but the trips
in SC on the Thunderstar should not be overlooked, especially if you are,
like me, intent on
building your SC life list. And, at $25.00, it's a great bargain. The looks
at a Parasitic Jaeger robbing the Black Terns were classic: it appeared that
the jaeger picked one tern out from the flock and followed it until it
disgorged, as the jaeger dipped suddenly and appeared to pick up something
from the surface. It was a tactic I had observed many times with Eagles and
Osprey, but I had never seen it with a jaeger. Very dramatic stuff. I found
the top of the Thunderstar to be a good viewing platform and a good way to
keep the birders and fisherman appropriately segregated.

Good birding,
See you at the spoil site on October 4,
Steve Compton
Summerville,SC
scompton@sc.rr.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nathan Dias" <dias@frane.vortex4.net>
To: <carolinabirds@duke.edu>
Sent: Sunday, September 21, 2003 7:14 PM
Subject: Offshore birding - Charleston, SC


> Saturday (9-20), a bunch of us took a headboat trip on the Thunderstar.
It was a below average day (Isabel?), but we did OK thanks to lots of
lookouts, chumming with Menhaden oil and a friendly Captain who jinked
towards birds.  We spent all of our (non-transit) time along the 300-400
foot dropoff 48-50 miles east-southeast of Charleston.  We saw:
>
> Black-capped Petrel - 1
> Cory's Shearwater - 60+
> Wilson's Storm-Petrel - 6
> Red Phalarope - 2
> Red-necked Phalarope - 8
> Parasitic Jaeger - 4
> Jaeger Species - 4
> Bridled Tern - 2
> Sooty Tern - 8 (2 imm.)
> Sandwich Tern - 6
> Caspian Tern - 28 (roughly)
> Royal Tern - 40 (roughly)
> Forster's Tern - 60 (roughly)
> Common Tern - 25 (roughly)
> Black Tern - 80 (roughly)
> Least Tern - 2
> Black Skimmer - 18
>
> 4 Loggerhead Sea Turtles
> 1 Hammerhead Shark circling the boat (8-9 footer)
> Atlantic Flying Fish
> Spotted Dolphin - 8
> Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin - couple of dozen
>
> Notably absent was Audubon's Shearwater.  Several times Cory's Shearwaters
came in close to eat the "released" undersize fish whose swim bladders kept
them on the surface.  After one stop, we motored over and cruised right
beside a sitting flock of Cory's.
>
> We got great long looks at a Parasitic Jaeger that cruised beside the boat
50 yards out.  It was on its way to persecute a flock of Black Terns we were
heading towards.  When we finally got close to the Terns, the Jaeger
accelerated and busted up the flock in impressive fashion. I wonder if the
Jeager was using us as a blind to sneak up on the Terns.
>
> Nathan Dias - Charleston, SC
>