Hatteras Pelagic, Part 2

    This past weekend, Jason, Chris and I returned for our second pelagic birding trip with Seabirding pelagics in Hatteras, NC.  We booked ourselves on the first four days of their 12-day spring blitz, May 20 through May 23.  Last year, my first experience there, we set the bar high with phenomenal birding.  This year, well, our hopes were high, but tempered.  The Stormy Petrel II sailed all four days, and it was a slog getting out to the Gulf Stream and back.  The only dry side of the boat at times was inside the cabin.  For most of the four days we were stuck in a west or southwesterly wind pattern, which is not ideal for offshore birding.  While I personally did not see any new life birds, the trip did provide us with some good views of pelagic birds that one can't see from shore.

The highlight birds of the four days were Leach's, band-rumped and Wilson's storm-petrels; one arctic tern; Cory's, Audubon's and two single sooty shearwaters; a few red-necked phalaropes; black-capped petrels, and a couple pomarine jaegers.  One of the jaegers followed the boat for most of the day, passing above the boat and feeding in the chum slick.

 Pomarine jaeger with intact tail spoon.  © S. Weiss

Pomarine jaeger.  © S. Weiss

What we lacked in diversity this year, became a learning experience in picking out band-rumped and Leach's storm-petrels from the more common Wilson's storm-petrels.  Band-rumped and Leach's storm-petrels are almost always only found over deep, warm waters.  All three birds are generally similar in appearance but are structurally different and each with unique flying and foraging habits.  The majority of storm-petrels feeding in the chum slick are Wilson's.  They are the shorter-winged of the three and their feet protrude past their tails.  Because of this, they pick at food along the surface with a skipping motion.  Band-rumpeds and Leach's are bigger, longer-winged and their feet are shorter, not sticking out past their tails.  Because of this they have to briefly land on the water to pick up food.  Their longer wings make them more suitable for gliding flight and they usually zip in and out of the Wilson's flock.  As Captain Brian stated multiple times, don't waste your time scanning the Wilson's with binoculars looking for the other birds.  When they are close to the boat it is much easier to watch the whole picture with the naked eye and find the interlopers based on their size and flight pattern.

Band-rumped storm-petrels.  © S. Weiss
In the bottom photo, the feet are clearly shorter than the tail.  The carpal wing bars do not extend to the leading edge of the wings as they do on a Leach's storm-petrel. 

Leach's storm-petrel.  © S. Weiss
The long wings and deeply notched tail are evident in the above photo, though not always the case in the field.  The carpal bars, not seen on this bird banking away, extend to the leading edge of the wings.

We got to see some marine life during the four days.  Some of us had a very brief look at a loggerhead sea turtle.  Bottlenose and Atlantic spotted dolphins popped up a few times.  On the last day, a few pilot whales were in the area, and one passed right along the front of the boat.  During one of the lulls in bird activity, Kate scooped up some Sargassum and showed the participants some of the tiny life that shelter within the floating seaweed.
   
Pilot whale (left) and one of about 13 species of flying fish (right) in the area.  © S. Weiss

 
Sargassum swimming crab (left) and pipefish (right).  © S. Weiss

A Portuguese man-o-war drifted close past the boat on the last day too.  Its neon-looking surface colors are a distraction to the dangerous web of tentacles dangling below the water.  As I write this, I learn that the surface part of the man-o-war is called the float or sail.  Half the population is left-handed and the other is right-handed.  The same wind will blow each in a different direction based on its handed orientation.  This guarantees that only half the population could ever possibly be blown ashore.  🤔

Portuguese man-o-war.  © S. Weiss
Left-handed or right-handed?  I don't know.



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