June Pelagic

June 25 Brookline Bird Club Pelagic Hyannis to Nantucket Shoals area

Weather: A.M.: Overcast, NE winds 5-10 knots, 60-75 F. Clearing throughout the day. PM Sunny and pleasant.

Seas: 2-4 feet. Beaufort scale: 2

Visibility: Moderate to heavy fog in the AM. Visibility less that ½ mile at times. PM Clear to horizon.

Leaders: Marshall Iliff, Jeremiah Trimble, Steve “check out my cool iPad App” Mirick; Naeem Yusuff keeping the eBird list, and of course, Ida Giriunas.

The route aboard the “Helen H” with Captain Joe Huckameyer was nicely charted by Steve Mirick.

A full boat set off from Hyannis Harbor at 7AM, with overcast skies and a thick fog. In the early going, we had only frustratingly quick glimpses of birds disappearing into the haze. The epic “one that got away” was a skua, which was viewed for 20-30 seconds before vanishing. Photos were taken by Keith Mueller of Connecticut, and all were optimistic to be able to ID the bird. Unfortunately, after seeing the pictures, the concensus expert opinion was “skua in the fog.”

Skua in the fog. Photo by Keith Mueller

The skies cleared latter in the day, Captain Joe avoided the colder water over the Nantucket Shoals to minimize our time enshrouded in fog.

Our first shearwater of the day was a Cory's, a smattering of Cory's were seen throughout the day, all appeared to be the expected borealis subspecies. Cory's Shearwater are a warmer water bird, and their numbers fluctuate greatly year to year depending on the water temperatures. Initial reports seem to suggest that this is moderate Cory's year.

Cory's Shearwater, borealis Photo by Jeremiah Trimble

Steaming east into colder waters, slick of menhaden oil mixed with beef fat and fish chum was put out at about 10AM, attracting good numbers of Great Shearwaters and Wilson's Storm petrels, as well as a handful of Sooty Shearwaters.

Sooty Shearwater, Photo by Jeremiah Trimble

Great Shearwater, Photo by Jeremiah Trimble

Steaming away from the slick, a shout of “Leach's Storm-petrel” came over the ship's sound system – a handful of birds were seen well with their characteristic nighthawk type flight. The chumming technique on the BBC Pelagic trips has really evolved; the combination of fish oil with cubed chunks of beef fat has made getting these harder to see storm petrels a little easier. Four Leach's were initially seen, with an additional handful of Leach's seen throughout the rest of the day.

Leach's Storm-petrel, Photo by Naeem Yusuff

Soon afterwards, a light-morph Northern Fulmar appeared behind the boat, again attracted by the chum stream. Fulmars are more common in the winter; we were quite pleased to find this bird. The fulmar lingered behind the boat making pass after pass, giving all great looks.

Northern Fulmar, Photo by Naeem Yusuff

No that's a tubenose!, Photo by Naeem Yusuff

Pausing to look at the fulmar also gave all the chance to appreciate the ubiqitous Wilson's Storm-petrels dancing in the slick. The majority of these were in active wing molt (and therefore adults), but a few fresher birds were seen and likely represented juveniles hatched in the austral summer (our winter).

Fulmar and Wilson's Storm-petrels, Photo by Naeem Yusuff

Many of the Great Shearwaters were also in active wing molt, with multiple distinctive birds seen with missing greater coverts giving them a huge white band in the mid-wing--something not shown in most field guides.

Molting Great Shearwater, Photo by Naeem Yusuff

Perhaps the best bird of the day was missed by most on the boat. While steaming away, an alcid was flushed from the water and seen by a lucky few as it flew directly away from the boat. Depsite dozens on cameras on board, Keith Mueller of Connecticut was the only one quick enough to get photos. His images turned out to be diagnostic, showing the brownish cast to the back, slender bill, and importantly, the streaked flanks of Common Murre. Any alcid is unusual in these waters at this time of year, but Common Murre has been increasing on the breeding grounds and now has a dozen or more June records for Massachusetts. Still, this was a great rarity and a first for us on these summer trips -- too bad it flew off before most folks could get on it.

Common Murre, Photo by Keith Mueller

Steaming further east, a gill-net fishing boat was encountered, with a massive entourage of birds following. A conservative estimate of 250 gulls, with an additional 100 shearwater were seen taking advantage of by-catch.

Gill net fishing boat and gulls. Only part of entourage. Photo by Naeem Yusuff

We kept a respectful distance, and followed the fishing boat seeing an additional 2-3 Northern Fulmar, 2-3 Cory's Shearwater, 60 Sooty Shearwater, 40 Sooty Shearwater, as well as an cooperative Pomarine Jaeger. Rather than the typical fly-by view of the jaeger, this bird sat on the water several times, and gave several passes with great looks for all.

What a bruin! Pomarine Jaeger, Photo by Naeem Yusuff

We next encountered one of the more impressive spectacles I've observed in MA waters– a massive collection of bait fish had attracted tuna, stripped bass and bluefish, all actively feeding around the boat – in addition to a huge swarm of shearwaters. I was overwhelmed by trying to count them all, Marshall Iliff estimated 1200 shearwaters, roughly 8:1 Sooty:Great. Tuna, stripped bass and bluefish were seen breaching the surface.

Looks like a page from the Crossley Guide, except not edited. Photo by Naeem Yusuff

The crew of the Helen H got a couple of fishing lines into the water, but alas, no dinner was caught.

Next came our second jaeger of the day – an exceeding obliging Parasitic Jaeger was sitting on the water, then gave mulitple passes around the boat.

Parasitic Jaeger, Photo by Naeem Yusuff

Jaegers are powerful fliers, not even the Helen H can keep up with them in full flight, so we were fortunate to find both a pomarine and a parasitic which allowed such close study. Field guides show the length and thickness of the bill of jaegers being diagnostic, with the parasitic having a long slender bill, while the pomarine's is shorter and thicker. This is the first time I've seen them well enough to study the differences.

The return trip brought us past Monomoy Island, with about 70 grey seals including many young (resembling Harbor Seals) lounging on the beach. Common Eider, Double-crested Cormorant as well as a handful of gulls were the most common birds on the beach, and a few people espied a Piping Plover.

Over all, another highly sucessful BBC Pelagic! Join us for our next “extreme” pelagic, July 16 to the Hydrographer Canyon area in search of some of the warmer and deeper water specialties! Join us and get those pelagic birds.

Regards, Naeem Yusuff Cambridge, MA

The list (omitting the on-shore sightings from Hyannis Harbor and Monomoy Island). Participants on the trip who would like to have the eBird lists shared with them, please contact either me or Marshall Iliff.

Common Loon15

Northern Fulmar 2-3

Cory's Shearwater 12

Great Shearwater 376

Sooty Shearwater 1,303

Manx Shearwater 2

Wilson's Storm-Petrel 300

Leach's Storm-Petrel 8

Northern Gannet 1

Laughing Gull 2

Herring Gull 210

Great Black-backed Gull 225

Common Tern 4

skua sp. 1

Pomarine Jaeger 1

Parasitic Jaeger 1

Common Murre1