Pelagic (birding) 9/9/07
I went on a birdwatching expedition the Joppa Flats Audubon Center scheduled through Newburyport Whalewatching yesterday. This was a smaller group of people (around 50) on a slightly smaller boat than I sailed on last time, and it had more rational hours - leaving at 8am, and scheduled to return at 6pm.
The weather was not our ally. We saw some good birds on the way out of the harbor, but once we reached the ocean, we had heavy seas (4-6' instead of the predicted 2-4'), which didn't make some of the passengers very happy. We also had very few seabirds, and many of those were seen only by a small number of those on board. Due to the waves, the threatening rain (which never really hit the boat), and the lack of birds and mammals, we headed back early, and were in port by 4pm.
I did see three life birds, including a Purple Finch! Finches are land birds, and it is actually not uncommon to see them a ways off shore during spring and fall migration. This finch was 27 miles offshore and a bit tired, and it landed on the boat - and then my own elbow! before heading back on its way.
I haven't checked the camera yet - I didn't take many bird pics, although I did try to get some of the 15+ harbor seals we saw. I'll let you know
Ocean birds:
On the ocean, we saw the following:
Northern Gannets - mostly 2nd year birds
Greater Shearwaters (some saw as many as 7, I saw only 2)
Red-necked Pharalope (life bird)
4 Parasitic Jaegers (possibly 8) (life bird), chasing gulls
many Black-backed and Herring Gulls
Several large skeins of Double-crested Cormorants headed south
We also saw a House Wren, the Purple Finch (immature) (a life bird), and a couple other unid'ed passerines
I saw 1 spout a couple times, but no actual whale flesh
Near and inside the breakwaters to the Merrimack River / Newburyport Harbor, we saw:
Many Common Terns (someone said they saw a Forster's Tern, but I didn't)
Many Bonaparte's Gulls, into winter plumage
Ring-billed Gulls
Common Eiders - males in eclipsed plumage as well as females
more Double-crested Cormorants and 1 Great Cormorant for comparison
Many peeps, including Semi-palmated Sandpipers and Sanderlings.
Eastern Phoebe (on the breakwater itself!)
Many Tree and Barn Swallows out over the water
Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets
3 Osprey
2 Northern Harriers
I saw at least 15 harbor seals on the way back
The weather was not our ally. We saw some good birds on the way out of the harbor, but once we reached the ocean, we had heavy seas (4-6' instead of the predicted 2-4'), which didn't make some of the passengers very happy. We also had very few seabirds, and many of those were seen only by a small number of those on board. Due to the waves, the threatening rain (which never really hit the boat), and the lack of birds and mammals, we headed back early, and were in port by 4pm.
I did see three life birds, including a Purple Finch! Finches are land birds, and it is actually not uncommon to see them a ways off shore during spring and fall migration. This finch was 27 miles offshore and a bit tired, and it landed on the boat - and then my own elbow! before heading back on its way.
I haven't checked the camera yet - I didn't take many bird pics, although I did try to get some of the 15+ harbor seals we saw. I'll let you know
Ocean birds:
On the ocean, we saw the following:
Northern Gannets - mostly 2nd year birds
Greater Shearwaters (some saw as many as 7, I saw only 2)
Red-necked Pharalope (life bird)
4 Parasitic Jaegers (possibly 8) (life bird), chasing gulls
many Black-backed and Herring Gulls
Several large skeins of Double-crested Cormorants headed south
We also saw a House Wren, the Purple Finch (immature) (a life bird), and a couple other unid'ed passerines
I saw 1 spout a couple times, but no actual whale flesh
Near and inside the breakwaters to the Merrimack River / Newburyport Harbor, we saw:
Many Common Terns (someone said they saw a Forster's Tern, but I didn't)
Many Bonaparte's Gulls, into winter plumage
Ring-billed Gulls
Common Eiders - males in eclipsed plumage as well as females
more Double-crested Cormorants and 1 Great Cormorant for comparison
Many peeps, including Semi-palmated Sandpipers and Sanderlings.
Eastern Phoebe (on the breakwater itself!)
Many Tree and Barn Swallows out over the water
Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets
3 Osprey
2 Northern Harriers
I saw at least 15 harbor seals on the way back