Hatteras Pelagic, Part 1
Welcome to Birds & Other Nature Sightings. This past weekend I returned to Hatteras, North Carolina with a couple of friends for four days of pelagic birding on the Gulf Stream. Before I share my sightings from this trip, I'll recap last year's trip. Last year my friends, Jason and Chris, and I spent four days from May 23 to May 26 with Seabirding pelagics aboard the Stormy Petrel II. Jason and Chris had done several trips on the Stormy Petrel II in the past, but this was my first experience. The crew of the Stormy Petrel II, captain Brian and Kate, his second in command, are renowned for these pelagic trips and are experts at identifying the birds and marine life. During their spring blitz, the boat heads out each morning to the Gulf Stream and spends the day at a slow troll with a chum block in tow. You never know what you might see on a daily basis. For a first timer, I had a phenomenal trip. I saw 11 new life birds, and the s...