Date: 9/23/25 3:15 pm From: Sandra Barbier via groups.io <sandabar10...> Subject: Re: [labird] Red Phalarope and Sabine's Gulls on Saturday's Venice pelagic trip
Thanks. The Sabine's Gulls are indeed beautiful and the pictures were
great. I have a lasting memory of a photo of an oiled gannet in the water
beside the hull of a ship during the Horizon spill. I loved seeing your
photos of one flying and well. Also a magnificent bird.
On Tue, Sep 23, 2025 at 7:39 AM Paul Dickson via groups.io <paul=
<morrisdickson.com...> wrote:
> Wow! Congratulations.
> Your well timed offshore trip reveals these Arctic breeding, continental
> overfly migrants like sea ducks later in fall, that are passing over our
> heads. We are currently assisting a USFWS research group based in Alaska
> with Red Phalarope studies. Their satellite transmitters indicate a wide
> span of winter range for Red Phalarope in the Pacific from some that go no
> further south than waters off California to their furthest tracked migrants
> reaching the Pacific region of the Galapagos. These fall migrants that you
> found could be bound for either southern ocean after a center NA
> overflight. Fascinating! We are working on better methods of satellite
> transmitter attachments as the technology in transmitter development races
> to smaller, longer lasting and richer in data transmitters. Perhaps
> phalarope and arctic gulls like these in the Gulf could be tagged and
> monitored and their further pelagic secrets unlocked. Doing so reveals the
> critical stopover habitats, in this case sea conditions, diets and
> energetics so to allow conservation to work for them. Ocean health is still
> a conservation frontier. We are studying Red Phalarope dietary profiles
> and pathology at Pinola Aviary. We have already discovered that like
> eiders, Red Phalarope are susceptible to avian pox. As this virus is
> ubiquitous and freely transmitted by wild birds inland, this would explain
> why Red Phalarope, like sea ducks, don’t have a pattern of stopping
> inland. Those that do are less likely to survive inland pathogens to which
> they have no immunities thus not get back to breed and pass on inland
> stopover genetic information.
> That must have been a very exciting moment of discovery!
> Paul D
>
>
> From: <labird...> <labird...> On Behalf Of Paul Conover via
> groups.io
> Sent: Monday, September 22, 2025 8:41 PM
> To: LABIRD list <labird...>
> Subject: [labird] Red Phalarope and Sabine's Gulls on Saturday's Venice
> pelagic trip
>
> Posted for Van who's having tech issues:Begin forwarded message:
>
>
> From:
> James Remsen <najames...><mailto:<najames...>> >
>
> Subject:
> Red Phalarope and Sabine's Gulls on Saturday's Venice pelagic trip
>
>
> Date:
> September 22, 2025 at 1:30:04 PM CDT
>
>
> To:
> LABIRD <labird...><mailto:<labird...>> >
>
>
> LABIRD: Saturday's Venice pelagic trip produced stunning views of two
> top-tier rarities that were state birds or lifers for almost everyone on
> board: Red Phalarope and Sabine's Gulls. Not all photos have been uploaded
> yet. Here's the full trip report:
>
> https://ebird.org/tripreport/414205<https://ebird.org/tripreport/414205> >
> Van Remsen
>
> ===================
>
> Dr. J. V. Remsen
> Emeritus Prof. of Natural Science and Curator of Birds
> Museum of Natural Science/Dept. Biological Sciences
> LSU, Baton Rouge, LA 70803
> najames<at>LSU.edu<http://LSU.edu> >
>
>
>
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>
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