First Boat Trip of Year: Jaeger, Shearwaters and Storm-petrels 5/26/24
My fishing captain friend invited me out for his second day of a sea bass tournament on Sunday. It was my first opportunity of the year to get out on the water, catch some fish and see some sea birds. It turned out to be a good day for fishing for all of us on board and a good first day of sea birding for me. We left the dock at five a.m. and headed out of Barnegat Inlet. We had fog all day, ranging from thick to about a mile of visibility, but the seas were calm. We made it to the first fishing spot around six a.m. and the fishing started out with a bang. It would slow as the day progressed and as we hopped around to other spots. We happily had our limit of sea bass and added some ling, or red hake, to our bounty.
Birds were scarce for most of the day, maybe because of the fog conditions, or maybe because we were not chumming. Early on though we had some Wilson’s storm-petrels flying around, making their skip-like dips on the water surface picking at food. These are the usual storm-petrels in our area and their numbers will continue to increase going into the summer. They will become a common sight out on the ocean and the challenge will be to pick out band-rumped and Leach’s storm-petrels on upcoming pelagic trips. Also, early on I saw two sooty shearwaters sitting on the water. They made a few passes by the boat in the fog and weren’t seen again during the day. I had seen one a few weeks early from shore at Island Beach State Park, but these were much better looks since I now was on their turf. Sooties are probably the most common shearwaters seen from shore in New Jersey. They also usually are the first to be seen here as they make their clockwise journey around the North Atlantic Ocean.
One of two sooty shearwaters flying by boat. © S. Weiss
Around 9 a.m. I had my first great shearwater of the year make a pass by the boat. It made one close pass up the starboard (right) side of the boat. That is when I got a good look at it with bare eyes. I had my camera slung around one shoulder but was actively fishing with both hands when it passed. It made a second pass back down the port (left) side of the boat on its way back. Since I did not have a fish on my line, I was able to tuck the rod handle under my armpit and fire off a few photos as it flew away from the boat. It did not return. Had we been chumming, I’m sure it would have hung around for a bit. Sea bass are bottom or wreck fish so chumming wouldn’t work with them, but would bring around unwanted sharks.
First of year great shearwater. © S. Weiss
Around 11 a.m. I was surprised when another bird came out of the fog overhead and flew around the boat a couple of times. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was a jaeger. I was still actively fishing, since it was a tournament and the captain expected my A-game. I still managed to put the rod down for a few seconds and fired as many shots of the bird as I could as it circled around the boat. It took several shots to get it in frame and in focus. The bird, like the others, flew off into the fog. Jaegers like to inspect a boat. They often fly over head and around the boat looking for scraps or other bird activity.
Pomarine jaeger. © S. Weiss
Notice the extensive white in the primaries above and below the wings. White is noticeable in the underwing coverts, creating the double flash appearance.
In this photo obvious size difference is seen. Long-tailed jaeger on left lacks long, central tail feathers. The bill sizes are also noticeable. The gonydeal angle of the pomarine on the right is more conspicuous. Also, notice the dark cap on both birds. On the pomarine, it extends below the bill, almost like a dark chin. It does not extend past the bill on the long-tailed.
This is the area on many gulls and other species where the lower bill angles up towards the tip. It ranges from conspicuous to inconspicuous by species. The gape line is where the upper and lower parts of the bill come together, and the black cap extends below it.
Fresh breeding adult pomarine jaeger in North Carolina, 5/22/22. © S. Weiss
Notice the twisted, spatula-shaped central tail feathers on this bird. Also, notice the lack of barring on the chest of this adult.
A very short while later the jaeger returned. It circled us again and even briefly landed on the water right behind the boat. It picked up and flew around a few more seconds before disappearing again, but for good this time. I took a bunch more photos, some out of focus but several good ones. My first impression was that it was a pomarine jaeger, but that determination would have to wait until I got home. The three jaegers often can be difficult to separate, except adults in fresh breeding plumage. I would have to look over my photos and likely consult some friends for a definitive identification. The rest of the day was mostly bird-less and the fish bite waned. On the way back I spotted my first black-crowned night heron of the year along the Island Beach jetty.
Black-crowned night heron. © S. Weiss
Later at home I was able to go through my photos and consult some field guides. The bulky size of the jaeger, its large bill with prominent hook, and a conspicuous gonydeal angle (see above photos) near the tip of its lower bill had me leaning towards pomarine jaeger. However, it was lacking the twisted spatula-shaped tail of a fresh breeding adult pomarine, and the long, pointed tail of a fresh adult long-tailed jaeger. I still reached out to my friend, Jason, who confirmed for me that it was a pomarine jaeger. He pointed out that the black cap of the bird extends below the gape (see above photos) and the white flashes can be seen in the underwing coverts. It turns out that this was a new Ocean County life bird for me, #335. A good day out on the water netted me a couple pounds of fresh fish and a few new year birds. I am looking forward to my next pelagic adventure.
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