Very special pelagic birds on 8/29/15

The above White-faced Storm-Petrel is a highly sought after bird for dedicated North American bird listers. We saw 4 on Sat morning, 8/29/15, while offshore fishing on the Snow Goose with Captain Ed Sigda, and anglers Michael Fritz, Mike Sigda and me.

Even more unusual, but too far for photos was a White-tailed Tropicbird and 2 Long-tailed Jaegers, one of which was chasing a White-faced Storm-Petrel. Other good pelagic birds included Bridled Terns, Red-necked Phalaropes, and Red Phalaropes. Below are two more White-faced pics, plus a pic of the White Marlin we caught and carefully released.

Pelagic Birding in the Wilmington Canyon

On June 16, 2015, five of us went offshore fishing, and three of us being birders, enjoyed the pelagic birds,  most of which were attracted by the chum we put out. I began the trip taking the Cape May-Lewes ferry to NJ the evening before we left (first pic), and ended it taking the ferry back to Lewes (last 2 pics). And yes, we did catch some fish...10 Yellowfin Tuna.

If you have the desire to go pelagic birding, but do not care to fish, there are offshore trips dedicated to just birding. One experienced company that has trips going out of Lewes, is See Life Paulagics, run by Paul and Anita Guris.

 Lighthouse on outer breakwater at Lewes

 Long-tailed Jaeger

 Pomerine Jaeger

 Cory's Shearwater

 Great Shearwater

 Mike Fritz taking underwater video of Great Shearwaters diving for our chum

 Osprey on nest at Lewes ferry terminal

Baby Osprey in nest

Pelagic Birds Out of Lewes, DE, May 29, 2015

On an offshore fishing trip today, we* observed many pelagic birds rarely seen from land in Delaware. More or less in order of appearance they were:
Manx Shearwater, Cory's Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Great Shearwater, Wilson's Storm-Petrel, Pomarine Jaeger, and Arctic Tern.

We also had delightful views of the following marine mammals: Pilot Whales, Common Dolphin, Rizzo's Dolphin, as well as good views of Mako and Hammerhead Sharks, Mola Mola (Ocean Sunfish), and over 50 Portuguese Man-of-War Jellyfish.

And yes we also caught some tasty fish, but as this is a bird blog........I will limit my comments to saying the sushi will be great :)

* Our fishing/birding team was Ed Sigda (boat owner), Mike Fritz (from Cape May) and me.

Winter Pelagic Birding Trip out of Lewes

I am posting this for our OLLI birding class participants because several of you asked me about local pelagic birding.

I have been on many of these winter trips, and have enjoyed them immensely. My personal highlight has been the thousands of Dovekies encountered. Concerned about winter cold? Don't be, because the sea is actually keeping temps well above 32 deg F. Concerned about rough seas? If it is too rough the trip will not go, and usually you will be notified 24 hrs in advance..... and you will get a full refund. If you are prone to motion sickness, but still want to go, check with your doctor for his recommendations. "The patch" works very well for Sally, but does require a prescription.

The trips are run by long time pelagic birder Paul Guris of See Life Paulagics . His web site has an abundance of information on pelagic birding, but for a quick easy read about the upcoming Jan 31, 2015 pelagic trip, following is Paul's post on de-birds:

"We have scheduled a pelagic out of Lewes, DE aboard the 110' Thelma Dale V
on Saturday, January 31.  The trip is scheduled from 6:00 AM - 6:00 PM and
the cost is $175.

Target species include Dovekie, Atlantic Puffin, Razorbill, Common &
Thick-billed Murres, Northern Fulmar, Red Phalarope, Black-legged
Kittiwake, Iceland, Glaucous, and Lesser Black-backed Gulls, all of which
have been found on past trips.  We also expect to see more common birds
like loons, cormorants, sea ducks, Gannets, and Bonaparte's Gull.  Possible
cetaceans we've seen in winter before include Fin, Minke, and Humpback
Whales and Common Dolphin.

We will carry chum to try to keep a flock of gulls behind the boat all
day.  These in turn attract other birds that are curious about what’s going
on.  Be sure to bring your camera.  The Gannets come in so close on most
trips that they can be well photographed even with a short lens or even a
quick point and shoot!

This boat is spacious and stable with a birdable upper decked, heated
cabin, and separate men's and ladies facilities. The captain and mates are
experienced with birding trips, and as always we'll have multiple leaders
to help find and get people on the birds.


To make a reservation or for more information, contact us by phone at
215-234-6805 or e-mail us at info@paulagics.com."

Many thanks for such an enthusiastic Fall 2014 Osher class

Sally and I have been working on the cumulative bird list for this fall's Osher Lifelong Learning class in Lewes, DE, and I will post it soon.

In the meantime, to get you adventuresome, attached are 2 pictures from offshore birding (and fishing). They are of Wilson's Storm-petrels, a bird about the size of a Purple Martin. It spends 90+% of its life at sea, only coming ashore to breed on Southern hemisphere islands. They can usually be seen from shore at Cape Henlopen in mid summer, but much better from a boat.

Nikon Binoculars with expert advice

Paul Guris is a good and trusted birding friend. He operates a pelagic birding operation, with his optics page listed at paulagics.com. Check out his link and talk to Paul or Anita if you have an interest in upgrading your current optics. I have had many great pelagic birding trips with Paul and Anita, and they are both very honest and expert birders, and offer excellent Nikon optics. Best, Bill

Birds of the Ocean, aka Pelagic Birds

I love them. So unique, so well adapted to a harsh environment, and seemingly a bit more out of harms way from humans. Above pic is of a molting Wilson's Storm Petrel, walking on water, not far off the Delaware coast.

In our remaining classes, I will try to provide added information on how to observe and enjoy this very special group of birds.

Bill