Date: 10/10/25 10:54 am From: Robert Ross <plumisl...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] Brookline Bird Club Pelagic Trip 9/29-30
I was fortunate to experience the BBC Pelagic trip last month. The trip far
exceeded my expectations. To the organizers, the spotters, the captain, the
crew, and my fellow passengers, thank you.,
I was a bit worried the trip might turn into a hurricane watch party, given
there were two hurricanes over the Atlantic during the weekend. Humberto
formed over the Southern middle of the ocean; Imelda formed just off Cuba
and the Caribbean. Imelda’s path was to lead it up to the East Coast of the
US. However, our captain wisely saw that the storms would take another day
post-trip to affect the area we planned to bird. How worried was I? I
packed a wetsuit. Seriously. As if there would be time...
We boarded the Helen H, a 100-foot charter fishing boat, in Hyannis Harbor
just before sunrise. The spotters or naturalists were Peter Flood, Marshall
Iliff, Robert Thoren, and Max Chalfin-Jacobs. The organizers were Naeem
Yusuff and Sebastian Jones (also the MC), and Captain Joe was at the helm.
I did not catch the names of the crew, but they were an integral part of
the trip. Apologies if I miss anyone. Thanks to all!
We headed southeast to the Hydrographer Canyon area, within the Northeast
Canyons and Seamount National Monument. This, from the NOAA Fisheries
website: "Because of the steep slopes of the canyons and seamounts,
oceanographic currents that encounter them create localized eddies and
result in upwelling. Currents lift nutrients, like nitrates and phosphates,
critical to the growth of phytoplankton from the deep to sunlit surface
waters. These nutrients fuel an eruption of phytoplankton and zooplankton
that form the base of the food chain. Aggregations of plankton draw large
schools of small fish and then larger animals that prey on these fish, such
as whales, sharks, tunas, and seabirds. Together, the geology, currents,
and productivity create diverse and vibrant ecosystems." Within the Gulf
Stream, we would search for warm water currents.
While I expected the wildlife of the outer ocean would be active because
the hurricanes were forcing warmer water up from the South, I learned I had
no idea. The first day was to prove impressive, while the night and the
second day also proved spectacular. As we headed out, I found a copy of
Howell and Zufelt's *Oceanic Birds of the World *on a table in the main
cabin. I studied it and learned that most gulls are not considered ocean
birds but coastal birds. This is because there is a demarcation line, not
clearly defined, where the gulls disappear and the ocean birds take over.
Gulls had followed us out of the harbor, and so I walked out the back of
the boat to see if I could spot the point we passed where the gulls no
longer appeared. The book only contains three gull species and three tern
species, and these are presented as the only or main pelagic species.
I have been on pelagic trips before, in the Gulf of Maine and further
north, and we had not managed to shake the great and lesser black-backed
gulls. I wondered if we would see these gulls throughout the trip. We did,
and we also saw laughing gulls and the ubiquitous herring and ring-billed
gulls. I walked to the back of the boat to watch in an attempt to witness
the point the gulls disappeared, and we only shook them late in the
afternoon of the first day.
I later read that American herring gulls migrate over the open ocean,
though many remain along the New England Coast all year, while ring-billed,
great, and lesser black-backed gulls migrate along the coast. Terns also
migrate along the coast, though we were to find gulls and terns well out to
sea.
From memory, the first seabirds we found were Corey's, Manx, and greater
shearwaters. Manx shearwaters were named for the Isle of Man, as they are
primarily birds of the Eastern Atlantic, though they are not rare in our
waters. There appears to be some uncertainty over whether a Scopoli's
shearwater was among the numerous Cory's. It would take a far better birder
than I to notice the difference. We also found red-necked phalaropes in
impressive numbers. I noticed some overlap with the gulls. However, when
pomarine and long-tailed jaegers appeared, gulls became scarce. Had we
traveled beyond the coastal zone?
Common terns also appeared in great numbers, with at least one black tern
among them, and these were found accompanying a large pod of short-nosed
common dolphins. The shearwaters were also hovering and chasing, hoping for
scraps or a missed fish the dolphins stirred up. A black-legged kittiwake
appeared. These gulls are one of only three gull species listed in Howell
and Zufelt's book. This is one of my favorite birds, as my grandfather once
took me to find one over Lake Michigan when I was 9-10 years old, and I
found the name fun to say. I was glad to see one on this trip. This
sighting and the fact that we never left the black-backed gulls behind, and
even found a herring gull late in the day, had me wondering how far out the
natural coastal zone extends.
In the distance, I believe I saw a Northern gannet, and later, when
checking eBird postings, I was gratified to discover others had seen it
too. Later in the day, a Sargasso shearwater, formerly named Audubon's
shearwater, was spotted off the port bow. Some wondered if there were more
among the many Manx shearwaters seen, as they are similar. Wilson's Storm
Petrels also appeared, along with a few Leach's, likely due to a chum slick
the crew ladled over the stern.
Our spotters located a sperm whale on the surface. The boat captain said
this was a once-in-a-million sighting, as they are typically much further
out in the ocean. This was likely a juvenile, and it allowed us to
approach. Then, a school of pilot whales appeared. We also saw a humpback
in the distance and minke, grey, and fin whales. We would find several pods
of pilot whales, infamous for their tendency to strand themselves on Cape
Cod beaches.
Several pods of bottlenose dolphins and Risso dolphins were also found. The
commons and the bottlenose played with the ship, slicing through the wake
and around and under the boat. The bottlenose also breached in pairs,
jumping clear of the water as they flipped over the boat’s wake. It was fun
to see the animals play around with the boat, and their synchronicity was
impressive. Their speed in the water was exhilarating.
The waves heading out were gentle and not atypical. Around 5 PM, we came to
an area where the sea was still. This is the famous calm before the storm.
The water was like glass. There were small streams of cirrus clouds above
us, still no sign of the larger clouds and waves the hurricanes would bring.
This is where we decided to spend the night. We were going to drift freely
all night and let the current carry us. There were bunk beds on board, and
I chose one in the hold, next to the engine room. Bad choice.
What I did not know was that the crew planned to fish all night. The
fishing started around 10 PM. They drew in a school of yellowfin tuna by
chumming. These are the second-largest tunas in the ocean, reaching up to
800 pounds, although 50-100 pounds is more typical. The crew caught 14 more
that night, two swordfish, and a bluefin tuna, the ocean’s largest tuna
species. Bluefin can reach 2000 pounds. Their fish was around 200. It took
over an hour to get onto the boat. A beautiful mahi-mahi, perhaps the most
colorful fish in the ocean, was also caught.
About midnight, we were suddenly engulfed in a bird migration. The wind
direction was Southwesterly, aiding the migration. Hundreds of birds
appeared in the ship’s lights, including warblers, passerines, herons,
bitterns, and more. Several landed on the boat to rest, and they bounced
around among all of us. They had no fear. We fed them nuts and fruits. We
were migrating with them. I knew birds migrated at night and knew they
waited for just such wind, but this is impossible to see from land. Over
the ocean, with ships positioned in the midst of it, was a very rare
opportunity.
Rarities included a prothonotary warbler, a Connecticut warbler, and a cave
swallow. Hundreds of red-necked phalaropes and shorebirds circled the boat,
as if they were hoping for a place to land. A pine warbler landed on the
boat and stayed with us the entire next day. No one knew how to tell it; we
were going the wrong way as we headed north. The poor thing had to fly over
the same waters twice! It messed up; it trusted us.
I slept perhaps three hours, with the constant humming of the engines.
Every time the crew caught a fish, it was banging its tail on the deck hard
and fast, and the hold sounded like a cannon battle. The crew later laughed
when I mentioned it and said, “Yes, the sound reverberates through the
aluminum of the ship.” That and the engine noise meant sleep was nearly
impossible. It also felt, with the ship rolling all night, that I would be
thrown out of the bunk with every roll.
Many species of birds live their entire lives on the open ocean.
Occasionally, a few come close to shore and can be seen with scopes and
binoculars. However, many rarely come into coastal waters, and these birds
can only be found well offshore. These include several species of petrels,
shearwaters, skuas, and more. The hurricanes can blow in birds more
commonly found in the Eastern, Southern, and mid-Atlantic, native to
offshore of the UK, France, Spain, Africa, and Central and South America.
This meant we might see a bird not native to New England.
The rarest bird we found was a Barolo Shearwater. These are rarely seen
birds native to the ocean near the Azores, Madeira, and Canary Islands.
This was a thrilling find and is believed to be only the seventh report of
this bird in our near waters. It was hard to get a photo, though, as these
smaller shearwaters are very fast and elusive, unlike the larger
shearwaters, which are often not as skittish around human activity. The
Barolo's speed perhaps explained why it was found so far outside of its
range. We also found large flocks of the expected species, and more,
listing over 60 in all.
The second day, the ocean changed dramatically. Now we had huge, long,
rolling waves, some 40-50 feet high, and we drove right over them. Behind
the boat, the ocean would rise above the horizon and then fall into gradual
deep valleys. On the horizon line, we could see waves well over 100 feet
peeking over the Nantucket Shoals, and the white tips would flash like
lightning across the horizon line.
We kept the storm at a distance, with our engines at full speed, and we
skirted away from the approaching storms. Finally, the captain said it was
time to get back to shore. We got back to Hyannis around 5:30 PM yesterday.
As we neared the Cape, it was a bright sunny day with no clouds. Three
passengers got deathly seasick from the rolling waves and had to be tended
to. I am sure they were the happiest people to get off the boat.
If you have considered joining the Brookline Bird Club on a pelagic trip, I
highly recommend it. These present a rare opportunity, and traveling with
accomplished birders meant few species would escape our search. Do not plan
on sleeping much; however, it is worth it, as some of the most thrilling
actions happened in the early morning hours. Ours was a committed, if
sleepless, group of birders of all ages. The crew had parting gifts, a bag
of yellowfin tuna steaks. They were delicious.
