Birdingonthe.Net Recent Postings from Seabird News > Home > Mail > Alerts Updated on Thursday, November 19 at 03:26 PM ET The most recently received Mail is at the top.	Green Kingfisher,©Dan Lane

19 Nov Yay Re: Laysan Albatross "AL" returns [Nate Dias ] 17 Nov Alaska pelagics 2010: Gulf of Alaska and the Aleutians [John Puschock ] 15 Nov Andrew's Pt., Rockport, MA Seawatch; 14 Nov. 2009 [Richard Heil ] 11 Nov Pelagic Trip #33 off Port MacDonnell South Australia 8th November 2009 [mariner ] 03 Nov Space Available on Sun, Nov. 8 Cape May Pelagic (8:00-4:00) ["Paul A. Guris" ] 28 Oct Vanuato Petrel [William Bourne ] 27 Oct Announcement: Extreme Gadfly Petrel Expeditions [Angus Wilson ] 28 Oct Re: Fwd: [Seabird-News:1136] Albatross Chicks Killed by Plastic [Ross Wanless ] 27 Oct Fwd: [Seabird-News:1136] Albatross Chicks Killed by Plastic [John Brodie-Good ] 26 Oct Albatross Chicks Killed by Plastic ["Paul A. Guris" ] 23 Oct Re: Oregon Seabirds [Angus Wilson ] 23 Oct Oregon Seabirds [Greg Gillson ] 21 Oct White-chinned Petrel in California [Michael Force ] 20 Oct Re: FW: White-chinned Petrel in California Oct. 18, 2009 -Half Moon Bay ["J. BRIAN PATTESON" ] 20 Oct FW: White-chinned Petrel in California Oct. 18, 2009 -Half Moon Bay [Kris Olson ] 20 Oct Pelagic trip report - the search for the Sooty Albatross continues [Ross Wanless ] 14 Oct Western Pacific Odyssey 2010 - lower prices! [John Brodie-Good ] 14 Oct Fiji Petrel paper; now available for download [Tony Pym ] 14 Oct Fiji Petrel paper; now available for download [Tony Pym ] 13 Oct Re: Vancouver Island Solander's Petrel [Joseph Morlan ] 13 Oct Re: Vancouver Island Solander's Petrel [JRZ ] 12 Oct Vancouver Island Solander's Petrel [Force ] 9 Oct Amazing seabird images up for grabs [Ross Wanless ] 28 Sep Re: Red-footed Booby, Southern California Bight [Force ] 28 Sep 25nm off Ponce Inlet, Daytona Beach FL [Robert Wallace ] 28 Sep Re: Tahiti Petrel in Costa Rica [JRZ ] 27 Sep Trip report: Gulf of Mexico (Alabama) Sept 20, 2009 pelagic [] 27 Sep Re: Tahiti Petrel in Costa Rica [Force ] 27 Sep Greater protection for UK seabirds [Tony Pym ] 26 Sep Re: Tahiti Petrel in Costa Rica [Gail Mackiernan ] 26 Sep Re: Tahiti Petrel in Costa Rica [Tony Pym ] 25 Sep Tahiti Petrel in Costa Rica [JRZ ] 24 Sep Monterey Seabirds trip reports [Roger Wolfe ] 21 Sep Re: Red-footed Booby, Southern California Bight ["Terry Hunefeld" ] 21 Sep Red-footed Booby, Southern California Bight [Force ] 21 Sep Dana Point California (Orange County) Pelagic Trip Report 9-19-09 [thunefeld ] 21 Sep More seabird records from Fiji [Tony Pym ] 21 Sep Re: Important Seabird Records from the Fiji Islands ["Chris Gaskin" ] 20 Sep Fiji Petrel Press Release [Tony Pym ] 20 Sep Records of seabirds - Fiji waters [Tony Pym ] 19 Sep SEARCHER SoCal Pelagic Live-aboard 5-day Deep Water Trip Report 9-2009 [thunefeld ] 19 Sep Re: Important Seabird Records from the Fiji Islands [mariner ] 18 Sep Agadir, Morocco pelagic trip results for 17 Sept 09 [George Armistead ] 18 Sep Important Seabird Records from the Fiji Islands [Tony Pym ] 18 Sep Fiji Petrel - more photographs [Tony Pym ] 16 Sep Trip report: 12 September 2009: Oregon ["Greg Gillson" ] 16 Sep Re: looking for records of some Thalassarche albatrosses ["Birds of the SW Atlantic Ocean & Antarctica" ] 16 Sep looking for records of some Thalassarche albatrosses ["Birds of the SW Atlantic Ocean & Antarctica" ] 16 Sep Seabird Vagrancy - Tufted Puffin in the UK [Angus Wilson ] 11 Sep The first observations of Fiji Petrel at sea [Tony Pym ] 07 Sep LTJA [Roger Wolfe ] 06 Sep BBC 'Extreme Pelagic' 2 day overnight to Hydrographer, Veatch and E. Atlantis Canyons; 3-4 September 2009. [Richard Heil ] 6 Sep Major southward passage of Long-tailed Skuas (jaegers) off NW Spain [Angus Wilson ] 5 Sep Buena Vista Audubon to auction off ticket aboard luxury live-aboard SEARCHER [thunefeld ] 4 Sep 'Sea Change' newsletter [Tony Pym ] 30 Aug Deep Water Zen SeaBirding Trip Report from Grande Aug 24-26, 2009 [thunefeld ] 29 Aug Andrew's Point, Rockport, MA Seawatch; 29 August 2009. [Richard Heil ] 25 Aug Trindade Petrel, Azores [Tony Pym ] 23 Aug Hatteras Pelagic Trip ADDED Sept. 12 (13); space on August 29, 30 ["J. BRIAN PATTESON" ] 23 Aug Trip results: 8 August 2009: Perpetua Bank, Oregon [Greg Gillson ] 19 Aug Southern California Upcoming Pelagics [Todd Mcgrath ] 18 Aug Sept 12 Alabama pelagic: Price reduction - last chance! [] 17 Aug Re: Mice and seabirds on Gough Island [Ross Wanless ] 14 Aug Mice and seabirds on Gough Island [William Bourne ] 13 Aug Re: Petition to UK Government on Gough Island mice killing Tristan Albatrosses... [Angus Wilson ] 13 Aug Petition to UK Government on Gough Island mice killing Tristan Albatrosses... [John Brodie-Good ] 13 Aug Gulf of Mexico (Alabama) pelagic, September 12 [] 7 Aug Record numbers of Wilson's Petrels off the UK ["ALLPORT, Gary" ] 4 Aug Complete breast-bands on Fea's Petrels [Tony Pym ] 4 Aug Re: COOKIN' IN THE COUNTIES: AUGUST 2, 2009 [Force ] 4 Aug Re: COOKIN' IN THE COUNTIES: AUGUST 2, 2009 ["Chris Gaskin" ] 2 Aug leaving the Cook's trail [Michael Force ] 02 Aug Australia-New Caledonia-Vanuatu cruise report posted [Gail Mackiernan ] 31 Jul Monterey Bay pelagics 31 July [Michael Force ] 31 Jul 138 Cook’s; 1 Stejneger’s Petrel - NEW TRIP THIS SUNDAY! [thunefeld ] 31 Jul Indian Ocean Seabird Expedition 2010 New! [John Brodie-Good ] Subject: Yay Re: Laysan Albatross "AL" returns From: Nate Dias <offshorebirder AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:26:48 -0800 (PST) That is great news!!!!!! You brought a tear to my eye with your post Bob. I had been worried by his injured leg during his last "visit". I have not seen Al for a few years, but I always try to keep up with his activities from afar. I love that bird more than most of the people I know (including relatives). Best Regards, Nate Dias - Charleston, SC Subject: Laysan Albatross "AL" returns From: "Robert J. Keiffer" Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:23:53 -0800 18 November 2009 - Tom Reid, from Point Arena, reports that the Point Arena Harbor master Assistant watched "AL", the famous Laysan Albatross, fly into Point Arena Cove at 9:00 AM this morning. The bird settled into resting just beyond the pier. This will be the 17th consecutive (known) "winter season" that the bird has returned to use the cove as safe haven for resting. Good Birding. Bob Keiffer ------------------------------------- Subject: "AL" historical arrival/departure dates From: "Robert J. Keiffer" Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:53:52 -0800 18 November 2009 - I have been asked for an update on "AL's" (Laysan Albatross) known arrival and departure dates so here they are: ????? to 28 February 1994 when first discovered by T.Easterla and J.Booker 30 Nov 1994 to 27 Mar 1995 report of two birds in synchronized flight 5 Dec 1995 to 14 Mar 1996 3 Dec 1996 to 26 Mar 1997 27 Nov 1997 to 8 Mar 1998 12 Dec 1998 to 21 Mar 1999 4 Dec 1999 to 12 Feb 2000 with a fly-by-the-cove (same bird?) on 2 Apr 2000 (G.Chaniot) 26 Nov 2000 to 26 Feb 2001 28 Nov 2001 to 24 Mar 2002 21 Nov 2002 to 12 Mar 2003 25 Nov 2003 to 28 Feb 2004 28 Nov 2004 to 21 Feb 2005 26-30 Nov 2005 to 19 Mar 2006 25 Nov 2006 to 16 Mar 2007 7 Dec 2007 to 5 Mar 2008 22 Nov 2008 to 23 Mar 2009 5:26 PM 18 Nov 2009 to time-will-tell Since Laysan Albatross are so long-lived (50+ years) it is absolutely unknown as to how many years prior to 1994 that this bird may have been using Point Arena Cove un-noticed. Again, this is probably the only place on the west coast (WA/OR/CA) where one can reliably see this species with the observer standing on solid ground (not on a boat). Good Birding. Bob Keiffer -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=. Subject: Alaska pelagics 2010: Gulf of Alaska and the Aleutians From: John Puschock <g_g_allin AT hotmail.com> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:20:24 +0000 Hi all, I have several Alaskan trips with pelagic birding opportunities planned in 2010. All of them are on the M/V Pukuk, 72-foot vessel (http://www.pukuk.com): 1) In May, the boat will travel from Homer to Adak for a cruise to Attu and then return to Dutch Harbor. The scheduled dates and prices for these repositioning cruises are as follows (dates may change by one day; prices include meals): Homer - Dutch Harbor; May 10-13; $600 Dutch Harbor - Adak; May 13-15; $400 Adak - Dutch Harbor; May 30-June 2; $600 The first two legs will largely be devoted to traveling without much stopping for birds and there may not be a leader on board, but an effort will be made for Whiskered Auklets as time permits. The Adak-Dutch Harbor leg will have at least one leader on board, (i.e., me) and more time will be devoted to birding with extra time spent in Seguam Pass, a Short-tailed Albatross hotspot. Whiskered Auklets are expected between Dutch Harbor and Adak. Red-legged Kittiwake and Mottled Petrel are possible. This is probably the cheapest (I probably should say 'least expensive' ) opportunity for these species short of working on a research or fishing boat. 2) There's still room for two on the cruise from Adak to Attu, May 16-30. Cruise time between Adak and Attu is about two days, so there would be about four days of cruising and about nine-and-a-half days at Attu. If the weather is 'too nice' while we're at Attu, there's also a possibility of taking a day to visit Stalemate Bank. Price is $8694 plus a fuel surcharge (estimated to be $700-950/person). Whiskered Auklets and four other auklet species are expected; Short-tailed Albatross, Mottled Petrel, Red-legged Kittiwake are possible. See http://www.zbirdtours.com/attu/attu_spring2010.htm for more info. 3) The Gulf of Alaska pelagic is Aug 19-22, leaving from and returning to Homer. Price is $1330 plus a fuel surcharge (estimated to be $200-300/person). We will be going to Portlock Bank and the continental shelf edge. Probable species include Short-tailed Albatross and Mottled Petrel among others. We'll also be looking for "good-for-Alaska" shearwaters (Pink-footed, Buller's, etc.) and South Polar Skua. Guest spotter Paul Lehman is scheduled to be onboard. See http://www.zbirdtours.com/pelagic/gulf_pelagic2010.htm for more info. As always, e-mail me if you have any questions, John Puschock Seattle, WA g_g_allin AT hotmail.com http://www.zbirdtours.com & http://www.birdtreks.com _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft's powerful SPAM protection. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141664/direct/01/ http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141664/direct/01/ -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=. Subject: Andrew's Pt., Rockport, MA Seawatch; 14 Nov. 2009 From: Richard Heil <rsheil AT comcast.net> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:01:44 -0500 SATURDAY, 14 NOVEMBER 2009: ANDREW'S POINT, ROCKPORT, MASSACHUSETTS Seawatch (0630-1415 hrs.) Weather: Overcast, periodic rain, winds NE 20-30 mph, becoming ESE 15-25 after 1200 hrs., 48-52. F. Seas: 10-16 feet; Visibility: Mostly very good (3+ miles) but down to about 3/4 mile at times in the afternoon in mod. fog and rain. Richard S. Heil; and Jeremiah Trimble, Marshall Iliff, Tim Spahr for most for the period. Common Eider (198) Harlequin Duck (32) Surf Scoter (70) White-winged Scoter (20) Black Scoter (15) Oldsquaw (470) Red-breasted Merganser (29) Red-throated Loon (374) Common Loon (44) Horned Grebe (1): Rarely seen moving here, although common along adjacent beach areas. Red-necked Grebe (4): 3 ads., 1-1W Northern Fulmar (4) All light morph. CORY'S SHEARWATER (1): Latest record; First November record. Greater Shearwater (660) SOOTY SHEARWATER (1) : Tie for 3rd latest record; latest is of one on 11/25/08. Northern Gannet (1350) : 80-90% adults Great Cormorant (4) Dunlin (1) Black-legged Kittiwake (283) : 253 ads., 30-1W. Bonaparte's Gull (104) LAUGHING GULL (3 ads.) : Third latest record, latest is of one adult on 11/30/08. Ring-billed Gull (1) Herring Gull (250) Great Black-backed Gull (90) Pomarine Jaeger (10) : At least 3 were adults. jaeger sp. (2) - distant. Common Murre (4) Thick-billed Murre (97) : Excellent flight; New November high count Razorbill (302) large alcid sp. (9) Black Guillemot (14) Richard S. Heil S. Peabody, MA rsheil AT comcast.net This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Pelagic Trip #33 off Port MacDonnell South Australia 8th November 2009 From: mariner <diomedea1 AT bigpond.com> Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:09:11 -0800 (PST) Pelagic day trips from Port MacDonnell are run monthly between September and May by the South Australian Ornithological Association on a non-profit basis. Boat : 'Remarkable' 16 metres, cray fishing and charter. Personnel : Mark Moody(Skipper), Jamie Moody(Mate) plus 12 birders. Synoptic Situation : A large blocking High of 1037 hPa was centred in the Tasman Sea. Weather : Cloudless, Wind calm to 5 knots ENE to NE. Sea : Rippled to calm sea with 1.5 metre SSW swell. Sea Temp. 14 C. Route: Sailed at 0600 and headed south to 'hotspot' at 38.4S 140.6E water depth 750 metres, then south again to 38.5S 140.6E depth 1100 metres.Maximum distance offshore 45 km. Returned to port at 1430. Inshore water depth to 200 metres Shy Albatross 15 Short-tailed Shearwater 50 Fluttering Shearwater 20 Australasian Gannet 20 Northern Giant Petrel 1 Over Shelf edge water depth 200 - 1100 metres Shy Albatross 400 Black-browed Albatross 3 Adult, 5 Immature all nominate race. Yellow-nosed Albatross 3 Immature Northern Giant Petrel 5 Great-winged Petrel 1 nominate race, 14 gouldi White-chinned Petrel 10 Fairy Prion 20 Prion Sp. 1 Sooty Shearwater 1 Short-tailed Shearwater 300 Wilson's Storm-petrel 20 Australasian Gannet 5 Crested Tern 40 Cetaceans : One pod of 30 Long-finned Pilot Whales Globicephala melas Notes : The lowest species diversity of any trip apart from one made in thick fog in 2004. The albatrosses were mostly settled on the sea due to calm or light winds. All the birds seemed to be well fed and did not show normal interest in the berley. Highlight of the trip was the close approach of the LF Pilot Whales some of which passed under our drifting boat. The trip was organised by Colin Rogers with Stuart Hull as recorder and chief berleyman. Neil Cheshire Encounter Bay, South Australia. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Space Available on Sun, Nov. 8 Cape May Pelagic (8:00-4:00) From: "Paul A. Guris" <paul AT paulagics.com> Date: Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:39:16 -0500 There is still room available on our special 8-hour pelagic trip on Sunday, November 8 for for the Waterbird Society's annual meeting. The trip runs from 8:00 AM to about 4:00 PM, and the cost is $84. The boat will be leavings from Wildwood Crest (see our web site for directions). Target birds at this time of year include Parasitic and Pomarine Jaeger, Black-legged Kittiwake, Red Phalarope, Manx and Greater Shearwater, Northern Gannet, and some of the less common gulls like Iceland, Glaucous, Lesser Black-backed, and Little. The captain has been involved with bird surveys being undertaken to assess risk from wind turbines, and should have good recent knowledge as to what's out there. We will be chumming along the way to bring in jaegers, gulls, and gannets. If you have a decent camera, you might want to bring it for what should be a great opportunity for close-up Northern Gannet photos. Especially for people not from the area, we'll also make an effort to see Great Cormorant. Contact us or go to our web site to sign up, or if you have any questions. Hope to see you aboard. -PAG Paul A. Guris See Life Paulagics P.O. Box 161 Green Lane, PA 18054 www.paulagics.com 215-234-6805 info AT paulagics.com --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Vanuato Petrel From: William Bourne <wrpbourne AT yahoo.co.uk> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:19:39 +0000 (GMT) It seems time that the history of the discovery of the Vanuatu Petrel Pterodroma occulta, discussed on 27 October, was explained. In 1962 I was working through the petrels in the American Museum of Natural History, New York, when Bob (later Sir Robert) Falla arrived and looked through the drawers ahead of me. After a while he called out "Look at this!" and there were the original Whitney South Sea Expedition specimens of the Vanuatu Petrel. We agreed that they were like the White-necked Petrel P. cervicalis but small- I am inclined to regard it as a race, but people are more generous in New Zealand. I asked if I could call it after him, but time passed, and I did not get round to it, until he reported them himself without a name in Notornis. I later tried to persuade Gerry Clark to come and look for it in his yacht Totorore, but he did not fancy the situation, and went off and got drowned at the Antipodes Islands instead. I wish other peoplke better luck.   Bill Bourne wrpbourne AT yahoo.co.uk --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Announcement: Extreme Gadfly Petrel Expeditions From: Angus Wilson <oceanwanderers AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:22:42 -0700 (PDT) Background: The following challenging pelagic expeditions are being organised as part of the on-going Tubenoses Project (Shirihai, H. & Bretagnolle, V. In prep. Illus. by Cox J. Albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters of the world: a handbook to their taxonomy, identification, ecology and conservation, A & C Black, London), and represent an effort to collect further data on the identification, variation, distribution and population sizes of some of the least known petrels on the planet. The expeditions listed below are non-commercial pelagic voyages with all participants, including the organisers, equally sharing the costs of chartering the vessels. The expeditions will be conducted in a similar manner to recent voyages that led to the rediscovery of Beck’s Petrel Pterodroma becki in 2007 in the Bismarck archipelago (Shirihai 2008), and the first pelagic observations of Zino’s Petrel Pterodroma madeira in April 2009, off Madeira (Shirihai 2009), and Fiji Petrel Pseudobulweria macgillivrayi, off Gau Island, Fiji (Shirihai et al. 2009). Up-coming expeditions (2009): (1) Search for the Jamaican Petrel (presumed extinct) off Jamaica: This voyage will run from 17th November to 1st December 2009, using a fast ocean-going boat. Depending on the weather conditions, we will spend 7 to 10 days at sea off Jamaica. The Jamaican Petrel had been described to science, when it promptly disappeared; its last confirmed record was in 1891, almost two decades after mongooses were believed introduced onto the main island of Jamaica. Hopes remain that a tiny population of Jamaican Petrels still survive in the extensive tracts of suitable forest habitat. Moreover, mongooses have not prevented Black-capped Petrels from breeding in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Several attempts have been made over the last decades to find the Jamaican Petrel on land, specifically in the Blue Mountains, without success. None of these expeditions have searched at sea, a proven strategy as described above. In preparation for this expedition, HS visited Jamaica (March-April 2009) to see habitats that might support a population of breeding petrels, and also viewed the breeding habitat of Black-capped Petrels in the Dominican Republic. HS and Vincent Bretagnolle have made a geographical survey (using satellite image maps and marine charts) and have analysed meteorological data for the region; parameters that contributed to the successful studies of Beck’s, Zino’s and Fiji Petrels at sea. From this analysis, a very specific oceanic corridor has been proposed that might be used by any Jamaican Petrels travelling to and from the island. The plan is to intensively search this area and to use 1.5 tons of chum that will be prepared by our ground team and a local fish factory. The material will be kept aboard ship in dedicated freezers. For logistical reasons, there is room for only 4 expedition members and currently there is only one spot available; the expedition share is US$7000. Please contact HS at albatross_shirihai AT hotmail.com to sign on, or for further information about the voyage, its plans and conditions. (2) Search for the recently rediscovered Vanuatu Petrel in the remote Banks Group: This two-week voyage, 13th to the 28th December 2009, will use a 72ft. expedition research vessel sailing out of the port of Santo, Vanuatu. The Vanuatu Petrel Pterodroma occulta was collected in January 1927, by Rollo Beck (Whitney South Sea Expedition), though it was overlooked as a White-necked Petrel P. cervicalis until Imber and Tennyson (2001) drew attention to the fact that the specimens were distinctly smaller and represented an unrecognised species. Since then an additional specimen was found ashore in eastern Australia in 1983. The first at- sea record was of a bird observed by HS in January 2006 between New Caledonia and Vanuatu. Then in 2007, two/three birds were sighted off southern Vanuatu. There is recent evidence (still unpublished) that suggests a breeding population on at least one island in Vanuatu. In December 2009 we shall try to obtain further data on this population, both at sea and on several islands in the remote Banks group. Dr. Vincent Bretagnolle, Dr. Orian Shirihai and HS are the organisers of this expedition. Besides studying petrels and other seabirds, the expedition will seek out some of the landbirds of the islands and also study tribal customs of the indigenous islanders, including the use of alternative medicines. Only 7 expedition members can be accommodated on the vessel, the remaining space will be occupied by a set of huge freezers that will store two tons of chum for use during the planned mass chumming operations. To date there are 5 on board, and two more are welcome, at US$7000 per person. This rate will be discounted for students and those from conservation bodies to US$5000 per person. Please contact directly HS at albatross_shirihai AT hotmail.com to sign up, or for further information about the voyage plans and conditions. Expeditions planned for 2010 & 2011 (further information will be posted nearer the times): 2010: Off Madeira: To study Zino’s Petrel at sea, 20th-30th June (with Hadoram Shirihai & Tony Pym, and the organisation of Madeira Wind Birds). Guadalupe Islands, Mexico: In search of the (believed extinct) Guadalupe Storm Petrel, March 2010 or 2011, with Hadoram Shirihai. 2011-12: Chatham Islands: In search of the Magenta Pterodroma magentae and Chatham Island Petrel P. axillaris (tentatively scheduled for Dec), and most of the local land-bird endemics. With Tony Pym & Hadoram Shirihai. For further information please contact Tony (tony_pym AT hotmail.com). Juan Fernández archipelago, Chile: For the three endemic eastern tropical Pterodroma (during Nov-Dec), namely Juan Fernandez Petrel Pterodroma externa, Stejneger's Petrel Pterodroma longirostris and Defilippi’s Petrel Pterodroma defilippiana; with the organisation and co-leadership of Ross Wanless (and Hadoram Shirihai for the work on petrels at sea). We will also endeavour to see the landbird endemics. For further information please contact Ross (rosswanless AT gmail.com). Eastern Tropical Pacific off Peru: To study storm petrels (tentatively Jan 2011), with Hadoram Shirihai, and with the organisation of Gunnar Engblom (Kolibri Expeditions). For further information please contact Gunnar (kolibriexp AT gmail.com). Off Reunion, Indian Ocean: Seeking field knowledge on the poorly known Mascarene Petrel Pseudobulweria aterrima with Tony Pym and Hadoram Shirihai (expedition dates to be announced). Regular updates on these expeditions will be posted on Seabird-News (Angus Wilson and/or Tony Pym) and the website of Kolibri Expeditions (Gunnar Engblom). --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Re: Fwd: [Seabird-News:1136] Albatross Chicks Killed by Plastic From: Ross Wanless <rosswanless AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:31:03 +0200 Hi John et al The situation is pretty depressing, and those graphic images really bring home some nasty truths about our (collective) callous approach to the earth and the unintended impacts of that attitude. The good news is that enough chicks do fledge that the species is doing OK. The adults dying on longlines is far more serious, and your suggestion to support the Save the Albatross campaign is spot on. Of course I am biased, because that's now part of my job with BirdLife. But there are few more tangible way that birders can make a difference than by supporting causes like the STAC. Cheers Ross On Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 10:25 PM, John Brodie-Good wrote: > There sure are some grim sights on Midway sadly. Fishing floats being the > commonest contents of dead chicks, I saw plenty of other stuff in March this > year too, biros, toothbrushes, disposable razors including the fancy > multi-bladed ones, disposable lighters. perhaps the most shocking was a U.S. > type freshwater hook and float, presumably discarded into a West Coast river > which was then carried out to the ocean...tubenoses need all the help they > can get....don't give Xmas presents this year...make a donation to the Save > the Albatross fund instead...those guys are really trying to do something > and making some inroads at least > Aloha > John > > > > > Begin forwarded message: > > From: "Paul A. Guris" > Date: 26 October 2009 23:50:37 GMT > To: "Seabird-News, Post" > Subject: [Seabird-News:1136] Albatross Chicks Killed by Plastic > > > > A photographer documented dead albatross chicks on Midway, showing the > amount of plastic that some of them had in their systems.  It's a > disturbing set of photographers.  They can be seen at: > >     http://chrisjordan.com/current_set2.php?id=11 > > > -PAG > > Paul A. Guris > Green Lane, PA > www.paulagics.com > paul AT paulagics.com > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- Ross Wanless +27 73 675 3267 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Fwd: [Seabird-News:1136] Albatross Chicks Killed by Plastic From: John Brodie-Good <john.brodiegood AT btinternet.com> Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:25:42 +0000 There sure are some grim sights on Midway sadly. Fishing floats being the commonest contents of dead chicks, I saw plenty of other stuff in March this year too, biros, toothbrushes, disposable razors including the fancy multi-bladed ones, disposable lighters. perhaps the most shocking was a U.S. type freshwater hook and float, presumably discarded into a West Coast river which was then carried out to the ocean...tubenoses need all the help they can get....don't give Xmas presents this year...make a donation to the Save the Albatross fund instead...those guys are really trying to do something and making some inroads at least Aloha John Begin forwarded message: > From: "Paul A. Guris" > Date: 26 October 2009 23:50:37 GMT > To: "Seabird-News, Post" > Subject: [Seabird-News:1136] Albatross Chicks Killed by Plastic > > > > > A photographer documented dead albatross chicks on Midway, showing the > amount of plastic that some of them had in their systems. It's a > disturbing set of photographers. They can be seen at: > > http://chrisjordan.com/current_set2.php?id=11 > > > -PAG > > Paul A. Guris > Green Lane, PA > www.paulagics.com > paul AT paulagics.com > > > > > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Albatross Chicks Killed by Plastic From: "Paul A. Guris" <paul AT paulagics.com> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:50:37 -0400 A photographer documented dead albatross chicks on Midway, showing the amount of plastic that some of them had in their systems. It's a disturbing set of photographers. They can be seen at: http://chrisjordan.com/current_set2.php?id=11 -PAG Paul A. Guris Green Lane, PA www.paulagics.com paul AT paulagics.com --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Re: Oregon Seabirds From: Angus Wilson <gadflypetrel AT hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:32:49 -0700 (PDT) Greg, Good luck with the new blog - you have begun with some neat articles. I found the map showing the movement of that young Short-tailed Albatross along the US coastline (link below) particularly interesting. The bird seems to have stayed on the shelf pretty much all the time consistent with the use of inshore habitats by this species. Maybe I missed it, but was the bird traveling north or south? http://oregonseabirds.blogspot.com/2009/10/radio-tagged-short-tailed-albatross.html Angus Wilson New York City, USA http://oceanwanderersnews.blogspot.com/ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Oregon Seabirds From: Greg Gillson <greg AT thebirdguide.com> Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:01:54 -0700 (PDT) Friends, The Bird Guide Pelagics has create a blog to replace the mailing list we had. This allows us to send photos and archive the messages. As a sample of what you could expect to read on the blog, please see the recent postings below with topics of recent trip results, future trip announcements, status and distribution articles, ID pointers, and news concerning West Coast seabirds. Trip results: Perpetua Bank, October 3, 2009 Laysan Albatross search trip: Saturday, March 6, 2010 Manx Shearwater status in Oregon White-chinned Petrel in California Solander's Petrel in British Columbia Radio-tagged Short-tailed Albatross visits Oregon Take a look and bookmark this page: http://oregonseabirds.blogspot.com/ Greg Gillson The Bird Guide, Inc. http://thebirdguide.com/pelagics/ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: White-chinned Petrel in California From: Michael Force <pagodroma AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:27:31 -0700 (PDT) Hi birders, While on the subject of wandering White-chinned Petrels I thought people would be interested in the following unpublished sighting. Myself, Bob Pitman, Lisa Ballance and many others saw a White-chinned Petrel 22 September 2000 in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean about 650 nmi southwest of Puerto Angel, Oaxaca, Mexico. The bird followed the ship for almost half an hour and was carefully studied to eliminate any possibility of it being a Westland Petrel. I've seen many thousands in the Southern Hemisphere, but this is the first and only one I've seen north of the Equator. happy seabirding, Michael Force currently aboard NOAA ship McArthur IIjust west of Cabo San Lázaro, BCS pagodroma AT yahoo.com __________________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Canada Toolbar: Search from anywhere on the web, and bookmark your favourite sites. Download it now http://ca.toolbar.yahoo.com. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Re: FW: White-chinned Petrel in California Oct. 18, 2009 -Half Moon Bay From: "J. BRIAN PATTESON" <patteson1 AT embarqmail.com> Date: Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:47:53 -0400 There was also a White-chinned Petrel seen off Oregon Inlet, NC on two occasions in October 1996. The observer even got a photo, but it was a small image, taken on 35mm film w/ a 50mm lens. It certainly looked like a Procellaria petrel in that photo, but not surprisingly, it was not accepted by various records committee people who might not have ever seen a shearwater, let alone a big petrel. The observation was made by a birder working as a fisheries observer on a squid fishing boat, and the bird was seen twice a few days and miles apart. As I recall there were plenty of Greater Shearwaters around, similar to a condition we just had here off Hatteras over the weekend! Brian Patteson Hatteras, NC ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kris Olson" To: "Seabird News" Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 10:45 AM Subject: [Seabird-News:1129] FW: White-chinned Petrel in California Oct. 18, 2009 -Half Moon Bay > > Thought you might be intersted in this post from Alvaro Jaramillo. > (forwarded by Kris Olson) > > Subject: White-chinned Petrel in California. > From: Alvaro Jaramillo > Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:30:02 -0700 > > Folks > > I had the pleasure of being on a superb pelagic trip right out in > my > backyard, off Half Moon Bay, California yesterday. Sequoia Audubon > Society > (www.sequoia-audubon.org ).organized this > fantastic, trip - thanks Jennifer Rycenga and Gary Deghi for helping > to put > this together. To give you all some background, I have lived here over > a > dozen years and we have not had any pelagic trips until last week when > the > San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory (www.sfbbo.org ) > organized one as a fundraiser. This trip ended up finding three > species of > albatross, Black-footed, Laysan and the ultra rare Short-tailed > Albatross. > The latter is a highly endangered with just over 2000 individuals. The > Japanese are trying to establish the albatross on several other > islands to > minimize the chance of the entire breeding population being wiped out > by > volcanic activity or a typhoon. The bird we saw was one of these > translocated albatrosses which was sporting a satellite transmitter! > It has > been great fun learning more about the travels of this bird from the > researchers, as well as its history. Amazingly we saw it off central > California and a week later it was off Vancouver Island in BC! When > they > want to move, they go. > > We thought there was no way to top last Sunday's trip, yet we did! > Amazingly just after lunch time we saw a dark chocolate colored bird > with > pale bill that was coming up behind the boat. Obviously, in California > waters the default should be Flesh-footed Shearwater as the only thing > that > fits that general description. But it looked off, as it came in > closer, and > it became clear that this was a petrel in the genus Procellaria. It > was too > bulky, with a short tail, thick-neck and had the fulmar-like quality > of > looking down at an angle rather than keeping the bill straight ahead > as in > shearwaters. The default then becomes Parkinson's Petrel which has > been seen > in California, but that was wrong too!! This bird was too big, larger > than > Pink-footed Shearwater and had a dull yellow bill all the way to the > tip. I > have to admit that I had absolute goose bumps when I realized that > this was > a White-chinned Petrel, a species I know well from South America - but > in > California! We were wonderfully fortunate that the bird chose to do > some > close passes by the boat, and that with some quick chumming from Phil > the > deckhand we were able to get it interested enough in us to park itself > on > the water behind the boat. At this point all participants were able to > have > a look at the bird, and take in the features we were calling out to > identify > it. As well there were plenty of cameras on board and the bird was > duly > documented. Below is a quick site I put up with some of my photos: > > > > http://www.birdsofchile.com/WCPE.htm > > But have a look at these better photos from John Sterling and Kris > Olson: > > http://sterlingbirds.smugmug.com/Animals/rareCAbirds/9709670_qqVBK#685462293 > _S5g4e > > > http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristenolson/sets/72157622491284729/ > > > > > If accepted by the California Bird Records Committee this will become > the > first for the state. Not only that, it is only the second for the > continent. > The first being a bird found moribund on the Texas coast which was > taken to > a rehab place. The bird was photographed, and actually identified > years > later as being a White-chinned Petrel rather than a Sooty Shearwater > as it > was identified at the time. This Texas record has been contentious as > the > petrel is a real cold water species, and Texas waters do not offer it > the > habitat it prefers. Suggestions were made that it may have been a bird > brought in on a ship from the south, or at least ship assisted. No one > will > ever know of course what the history of the Texas bird really was. But > it > sure is nice to find a White-chinned Petrel in cold California waters, > side > by side with species like the Pink-footed Shearwater which share its > habitat > in the Humboldt Current off Chile and Peru. > > > This was one of those amazing birding moments, when all came together > and we > connected with a great bird which just brought absolute happiness to > our > gang of birders. We marveled at the bird and reflected how when trying > to > explain to a non-birder what is so exciting about birding, how > attempting to > explain this particular exciting moment in our birding lives would be > difficult. All of that ocean, so much of it, and one White-chinned > Petrel > happened to cross to the wrong hemisphere and we just happened to be > where > it was, the chances of that encounter boggle the mind. But it > happened, and > wonderful things of all types happen when birding. Aren't we lucky we > have > this hobby? > > > > Great birding, > > > > Alvaro > > > > Alvaro Jaramillo > > chucao AT coastside.net > > Half Moon Bay, California > > > > Field Guides - Birding Tours Worldwide > > www.fieldguides.com > > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: FW: White-chinned Petrel in California Oct. 18, 2009 -Half Moon Bay From: Kris Olson <kristenolson AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:45:59 -0700 (PDT) Thought you might be intersted in this post from Alvaro Jaramillo. (forwarded by Kris Olson) Subject: White-chinned Petrel in California. From: Alvaro Jaramillo Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:30:02 -0700 Folks I had the pleasure of being on a superb pelagic trip right out in my backyard, off Half Moon Bay, California yesterday. Sequoia Audubon Society (www.sequoia-audubon.org ).organized this fantastic, trip - thanks Jennifer Rycenga and Gary Deghi for helping to put this together. To give you all some background, I have lived here over a dozen years and we have not had any pelagic trips until last week when the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory (www.sfbbo.org ) organized one as a fundraiser. This trip ended up finding three species of albatross, Black-footed, Laysan and the ultra rare Short-tailed Albatross. The latter is a highly endangered with just over 2000 individuals. The Japanese are trying to establish the albatross on several other islands to minimize the chance of the entire breeding population being wiped out by volcanic activity or a typhoon. The bird we saw was one of these translocated albatrosses which was sporting a satellite transmitter! It has been great fun learning more about the travels of this bird from the researchers, as well as its history. Amazingly we saw it off central California and a week later it was off Vancouver Island in BC! When they want to move, they go. We thought there was no way to top last Sunday's trip, yet we did! Amazingly just after lunch time we saw a dark chocolate colored bird with pale bill that was coming up behind the boat. Obviously, in California waters the default should be Flesh-footed Shearwater as the only thing that fits that general description. But it looked off, as it came in closer, and it became clear that this was a petrel in the genus Procellaria. It was too bulky, with a short tail, thick-neck and had the fulmar-like quality of looking down at an angle rather than keeping the bill straight ahead as in shearwaters. The default then becomes Parkinson's Petrel which has been seen in California, but that was wrong too!! This bird was too big, larger than Pink-footed Shearwater and had a dull yellow bill all the way to the tip. I have to admit that I had absolute goose bumps when I realized that this was a White-chinned Petrel, a species I know well from South America - but in California! We were wonderfully fortunate that the bird chose to do some close passes by the boat, and that with some quick chumming from Phil the deckhand we were able to get it interested enough in us to park itself on the water behind the boat. At this point all participants were able to have a look at the bird, and take in the features we were calling out to identify it. As well there were plenty of cameras on board and the bird was duly documented. Below is a quick site I put up with some of my photos: http://www.birdsofchile.com/WCPE.htm But have a look at these better photos from John Sterling and Kris Olson: http://sterlingbirds.smugmug.com/Animals/rareCAbirds/9709670_qqVBK#685462293 _S5g4e http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristenolson/sets/72157622491284729/ If accepted by the California Bird Records Committee this will become the first for the state. Not only that, it is only the second for the continent. The first being a bird found moribund on the Texas coast which was taken to a rehab place. The bird was photographed, and actually identified years later as being a White-chinned Petrel rather than a Sooty Shearwater as it was identified at the time. This Texas record has been contentious as the petrel is a real cold water species, and Texas waters do not offer it the habitat it prefers. Suggestions were made that it may have been a bird brought in on a ship from the south, or at least ship assisted. No one will ever know of course what the history of the Texas bird really was. But it sure is nice to find a White-chinned Petrel in cold California waters, side by side with species like the Pink-footed Shearwater which share its habitat in the Humboldt Current off Chile and Peru. This was one of those amazing birding moments, when all came together and we connected with a great bird which just brought absolute happiness to our gang of birders. We marveled at the bird and reflected how when trying to explain to a non-birder what is so exciting about birding, how attempting to explain this particular exciting moment in our birding lives would be difficult. All of that ocean, so much of it, and one White-chinned Petrel happened to cross to the wrong hemisphere and we just happened to be where it was, the chances of that encounter boggle the mind. But it happened, and wonderful things of all types happen when birding. Aren't we lucky we have this hobby? Great birding, Alvaro Alvaro Jaramillo chucao AT coastside.net Half Moon Bay, California Field Guides - Birding Tours Worldwide www.fieldguides.com --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Pelagic trip report - the search for the Sooty Albatross continues From: Ross Wanless <rosswanless AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:58:29 +0200 Trip report for 2-day, deep ocean pelagic trip from Cape Town, by Ross Wanless 16-18 October 2009 Run by BirdLife South Africa’s Seabird Division Following the final evening event of the SOS Festival, 12 dedicated pelagic birders boarded the ketch Maharani at 11 pm and set off for a 2-night, 2-day deep water pelagic experience. The wind had calmed somewhat on Friday, but the sea was still very lumpy following an earlier, big storm. This slowed our progress south dramatically, and made for a very rough welcome for everyone onboard. Dawn on Saturday found most people in varying states of disarray, but fortunately the seas let up as the morning progressed, as did our collective and individual spirits. The birding was, however, superb, and we’d picked up Wandering and Northern Royal albatrosses before long. We came across a trawler as we neared the shelf-break, and added Spectacled Petrel and Black-bellied Storm-Petrels to the list of awesome specials. After enjoying the classic Cape pelagic spectacle behind the trawler, we pushed SW in search of the nearest really deep water. Within 5 minutes of crossing into warm, deep waters we had our first of many Great-winged Petrels, and Soft-plumaged Petrels pitched up as well. There was some intense excitement as two small, pale stormies were sighted in the distance. Although there’s every chance that they were White-faced Storm-Petrels, definitive views were not achieved, and they got away. Chumming with oil and fish failed to bring in additional species, but certainly did allow for some great photo-ops. The seas had calmed to a very pleasant ride, and we passed Saturday night in comfort. By Sunday morning the winds were picking up from the SE, flattening the seas and pushing us homeward. We found a second trawler and again enjoyed some pretty amazing sights, including the addition of Antarctic Fulmar to trip and various life lists. A large albatross was found in the trawler’s wake, and most people were able to get onto it as it sped away. A few hasty photos confirmed that it was an immature Southern Royal Albatross, bringing the trip total to 7 albatross species! As we neared the shore we crossed paths with a humpbacked whale, and a few dusky dolphins played brief escorts as we neared Cape Town harbour. And as for the provocatively named ‘Search for the Sooty Albatross”, the name we gave to this pelagic trip, I guess the search goes on. During the trip we collected data cards for the new AS AT S (‘aysass’ = Atlas of Seabirds at Sea), which was officially launched on Friday night. You can see the of the second Maharani voyage at http://seabirds.adu.org.za/. Don’t be put off by the ‘African’ view of the home page map – the atlas is open to seabird records from any ocean in the world. You can download participation instructions, atlas data ‘cards’ and participate via the website. All data are freely available. Depending on availability of a suitable vessel, the BirdLife South Africa seabird and avitourism divisions will definitely be running similar trips in the future. Species seen 1 Swift Tern 2 Arctic Tern 3 Common Tern 4 Sandwich Tern 5 Hartlaub’s Gull 6 Cape/Kelp Gull 7 Sabine’s Gull 8 Subantarctica Skua 9 Long-tailed Jaeger 10 Cape Cormorant 11 African Penguin 12 Cape Gannet 13 Southern Royal Albatross 14 Northern Royal Albatross 15 Wandering Albatross 16 Shy-type (White-capped and Shy) Albatross 17 Black-browed Albatross 18 Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross 19 Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross 20 Southern Giant-Petrel 21 Northern Giant-Petrel 22 Antarctic Fulmar 23 Pintado Petrel 24 White-chinned Petrel 25 Spectacled Petrel 26 Soft-plumaged Petrel 27 Great-winged Petrel 28 Sooty Shearwater 29 Manx Shearwater 30 Great Shearwater 31 Wilson's Storm-Petrel 32 Black-bellied Storm-Petrel Thanks to the crew of the Maharani, and all the participants who made the festive and memorable trip possible. Cheers Ross -- Ross Wanless +27 73 675 3267 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Western Pacific Odyssey 2010 - lower prices! From: John Brodie-Good <john.brodiegood AT btinternet.com> Date: Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:01:35 +0100 Hi all, Just to let you know the ship's operator is allowing us to discount new bookings for next year's voyage by 15% or so, offering savings of up to GBP1200 / USD1900 per person. Full details here http://www.wildwings.co.uk/wpodyssey.html All the best John Brodie-Good --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Fiji Petrel paper; now available for download From: Tony Pym <tony_pym AT hotmail.com> Date: Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:14:02 +0100 The Fiji Petrel paper (see earlier postings) is now available on-line, and can be accessed and downloaded from the British Ornithologists' Club website and www.seabirding.co.uk The relevant pages are: www.boc-online.org/bulletin-downloads.htm or www.seabirding.co.uk/Notes-ArticlesContents.html Best regardsTony Pym _________________________________________________________________ Chat to your friends for free on selected mobiles http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/174426567/direct/01/ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Fiji Petrel paper; now available for download From: Tony Pym <tony_pym AT hotmail.com> Date: Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:14:02 +0100 The Fiji Petrel paper (see earlier postings) is now available on-line, and can be accessed and downloaded from the British Ornithologists' Club website and www.seabirding.co.uk The relevant pages are: www.boc-online.org/bulletin-downloads.htm or www.seabirding.co.uk/Notes-ArticlesContents.html Best regardsTony Pym _________________________________________________________________ Chat to your friends for free on selected mobiles http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/174426567/direct/01/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Vancouver Island Solander's Petrel From: Joseph Morlan <jmorlan AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:43:23 -0700 On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:19:56 -0700 (PDT), JRZ wrote: > >Hi Michael, and evryone else, > >does anyone know if the photos have been posted yet? These are the three photos that were discussed on ID frontiers: http://www.pbase.com/gregbirder/_from_others -- Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA jmorlan (at) ccsf.edu SF Birding Classes start Nov. 3 http://fog.ccsf.edu/~jmorlan/ California Bird Records Committee http://www.californiabirds.org/ Western Field Ornithologists http://www.westernfieldornithologists.org/ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Re: Vancouver Island Solander's Petrel From: JRZ <ebirdcr AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:19:56 -0700 (PDT) Hi Michael, and evryone else, does anyone know if the photos have been posted yet? thanks, JZ On Oct 12, 10:16 am, Force wrote: > Hi birders, > > Sharon Toochin's remarkable photos proves beyond a doubt the > occurrence of Solander's Petrel in North American waters. The two > primary id contenders, Murphy's Petrel and dark morph Kermadec Petrel, > are easily eliminated based on what can be seen in the photos. The > lack of white primary shafts on the upper surface eliminates Kermadec > as does the shape of the underwing flash. Some dark morph Kermadecs > lack these white primary shafts, and they are very dark overall with a > muted, if at all, white flash on the undersurface of the primaries. > The heavy bill, white under primary flash, rounded as opposed to > pointed, the dark-tipped under greater primary coverts, heavy chunky > body, thick heavy bill, and fairly long wedge-shaped tail also help to > confirm the bird as Solander's. The dark hood is also visible in the > photos. Murphy's can show a dark hood, but is transitory based on > light conditions, and is rarely, if ever, visible on the upperparts, > as it is on Solander's. The white feathering around the base of the > bill also fits Solander's. This latter character is usually of little > use under most field conditions; overall shape and size more so. These > characters were also pointed out by Joe Morlan and Greg Gillson. I > have some at-sea experience with the species in question having seen > about 250 Murphy's Petrels, 430 Kermadecs, but only 19 Solander's. > Many of the latter were in Alaskan waters, and one 190 nmi off Oregon, > but unfortunately, none were photographed, although the Alaskan birds > were well studied at close range by many experienced seabirders. > > happy seabirding > > Michael Force > currently aboard NOAA ship McArthur II > 15 NM south of Cabo San Quintín --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Vancouver Island Solander's Petrel From: Force <pagodroma AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:16:18 -0700 (PDT) Hi birders, Sharon Toochin's remarkable photos proves beyond a doubt the occurrence of Solander's Petrel in North American waters. The two primary id contenders, Murphy's Petrel and dark morph Kermadec Petrel, are easily eliminated based on what can be seen in the photos. The lack of white primary shafts on the upper surface eliminates Kermadec as does the shape of the underwing flash. Some dark morph Kermadecs lack these white primary shafts, and they are very dark overall with a muted, if at all, white flash on the undersurface of the primaries. The heavy bill, white under primary flash, rounded as opposed to pointed, the dark-tipped under greater primary coverts, heavy chunky body, thick heavy bill, and fairly long wedge-shaped tail also help to confirm the bird as Solander's. The dark hood is also visible in the photos. Murphy's can show a dark hood, but is transitory based on light conditions, and is rarely, if ever, visible on the upperparts, as it is on Solander's. The white feathering around the base of the bill also fits Solander's. This latter character is usually of little use under most field conditions; overall shape and size more so. These characters were also pointed out by Joe Morlan and Greg Gillson. I have some at-sea experience with the species in question having seen about 250 Murphy's Petrels, 430 Kermadecs, but only 19 Solander's. Many of the latter were in Alaskan waters, and one 190 nmi off Oregon, but unfortunately, none were photographed, although the Alaskan birds were well studied at close range by many experienced seabirders. happy seabirding Michael Force currently aboard NOAA ship McArthur II 15 NM south of Cabo San Quintín --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Amazing seabird images up for grabs From: Ross Wanless <rosswanless AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 9 Oct 2009 09:49:32 +0200 Hi all As part of a seabird festival in Cape Town, the Save the Albatross Campaign and the Seabird Division at BirdLife South Africa are running a seabird photo competition. The 10 finalist images are up for grabs on a bidding website: http://www.bidorbuy.co.za/seller/1430767/BirdLife The winner of the competition will be the image that goes for the highest bid. There are some pretty spectacular shots there, so have a look and if anything grabs you, put in a bid! All the money raised will go to our seabird conservation work (the hosting website have waived their fees & commissions entirely). You can also view the 'top 40' from the competition here: http://web.me.com/duncanpritchard/Site/Photos.html#grid The festival includes a 2-day deep ocean pelagic trip (fully booked), several free events, and if anyone is in Cape Town this time next year, you should think about checking things out. Enjoy! Cheers Ross -- Ross Wanless +27 73 675 3267 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Re: Red-footed Booby, Southern California Bight From: Force <pagodroma AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:43:05 -0700 (PDT) Hi Birders, A correction to my geographically-challenged post last week. The Red- footed Booby jumped ship off Point Dume, not Dana Point. One thing is certain, it is a moot point. There have been no recent reports as far as I know. We did see an immature Brown Booby off Santa Catalina on Sunday, as well as a Red-billed Tropicbird off San Clemente. An immature Rose-breasted Grosbeak briefly visited the ship today, also off San Clemente. happy seabirding, Michael currently aboard NOAA ship McArthur II On Sep 21, 11:21 am, Force wrote: > Hi seabirders, > > For the benefit of southern California seabirders, we kindly delivered > the Red-footed Booby to Santa Monica Bay. The bird spent the night on > the forward mast after coming on board the previous evening (20 > September) about 9.5 nautical miles ESE of Anacapa Island. We then > steamed to our next morning's starting position, about 2 nautical > miles southwest of Dana Point. The dark morph immature departed at > sunrise; it could be anywhere by now, but LA birders (and elsewhere) > should be on the lookout. No, it wasn't held against it's will, it was > simply doing what boobies do: ride ships. > > happy seabirding, > Michael Force > > currently aboard NOAA McArthur II > 6 nmi east of Santa Barbara Island --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: 25nm off Ponce Inlet, Daytona Beach FL From: Robert Wallace <chnuts AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:43:22 -0700 (PDT) Greetings - yesterday I took Michael Brothers, Mitchell Harris and Bob Singleton in my 31' Contender in hopes of catching an early sailfish and maybe seeing a few birds. We left port at dawn with 15 kt SW winds, but ethanol fuel problems kept me close to the beach until I could finally burn it out of the injectors. Seas were a little bumpy on the ride out, but we started seeing a few Cory's Shearwaters beyond about 10nm off. At 20 nm off, because of recent strong easterly winds, we found a warm water eddy (87.5F) of clear blue water from the Gulf Stream in very close to shore, in only 100' of water (the west edge is usually 40 nm off in 200+ foot depths). We released about 50 baby Loggerhead Turtles (Mike is the Director of the Ponce Inlet Marine Institute, the largest turtle recovery center on the east coast) in some patches of sargasso, and then our turtle karma kicked in. We put out lines and almost immediately saw a flock of Sooty Terns, very far inshore, working over a school of bait. We trolled over to them and were joined by at least 20 Spotted Dolphins. Underneath the terns were at least 30 Cory's Shearwaters. For the next 3 hours, over a distance of 10+ miles as we trolled north along the eddy, we were constantly surrounded by Sooty Terns, Cory's and Greater Shearwaters, either sitting on the water or feeding over schools of bonito (Little Tunny) pushing up small Spanish sardines. The numbers of Cory's were remarkable, the most I have ever seen at once, and the scene was very much like fishing the tuna schools 100nm on the other side of the Gulf Stream. Mixed in the flocks of shearwaters were Pom and Parasitic Jaegers, 2 pairs of Boobies, and a few Red-necked Phalaropes sitting on patches of sargasso. Surprisingly we found no Audubons Shearwaters. We only caught 1 small barracuda and never saw a sail. We did not target the bonito (the ballyhoo were much larger bait than the sardines they were feeding on). I thought for sure there would be a few sails or mahi with all of the bait in the area - it was the most birdage I have almost ever seen on any trip. On the return trip we dodged several thunderstorms, the leading edge of the first cold front of the year to reach this far south. On the inside of the frontal boundary, only 10nm offshore, we found a feeding flock of terns that contained Sooty, Bridled, Sandwich, Common, Black, and several Roseate Terns, a very rare bird in this area. In fact it was a Volusia County Bird for Michael, who has seen more species in Volusia than any other person, and only a few people have seen as many in any county in FL as he has in Volusia! We ended up with 11 species of terns (including Skimmer), missing only Arctic and Least, which are already gone for the season. The following is a list of species seen: Cory's Shearwater - 1200+ Greater Shearwater - 100+ Brown Booby - 3 Masked Booby - 1 Red-necked Phalarope - 4 Parasitic Jaeger - 3 Pomarine Jaeger - 2 Sooty Tern - 300++ Bridled Tern - 10+ Brown Noddy Roseate Tern Common Tern Forsters Tern Black Tern Sandwich Tern Royal Tern Caspian Tern Black Skimmer Bob Wallace New Smyrna Beach FL --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Re: Tahiti Petrel in Costa Rica From: JRZ <ebirdcr AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:09:07 -0700 (PDT) Thanks to everyone for their comments. Interesting to hear that the Tahiti Petrel is a regular out there off the Cental American coast. Tony, thanks for filling us in on Hadoram's schedule. Sounds like he's got his work cut out for him. The interim handbook should keep us happy until the final masterpiece is ready. I'm sure it will be well worth the wait. I've loved the quality of everything he's done so far. JZ On Sep 25, 8:50 am, JRZ wrote: > Hello everyone, > > a three day trip in Costa Rican Pacific waters (out to about 290 km > offshore, 86º 47' W between 9º 30' and 7º 55' N ) produced five > definite sightings of Tahiti Petrel (Psuedobulweria rostrata) a few of > which we were able to photograph well. Visit the this link to see > photos from the trip: > > http://pajareroscostarica.blogspot.com/ > > This would be a new species for Costa Rica. Although it has been > reported by researchers working in the eastern Pacific and is included > by S.N.G.Howell and S.Webb in their Guide to the Birds of Mexico as > being a fairly common to common visitor to waters near Clipperton and > Revillagigedo Islands, the species is not included on the AOU's main > check-list to the birds of North America, apparently because > definitive evidence is lacking that would exclude the possibility of > Phoenix Petrel (Pterodroma alba). We plan to publish a note that will > hopefully permit the AOU to finally list this species (along the lines > of what recently happened with Swallow-tailed Gull.) > > Scroll down through the entries at the link mentioned above to also > see an April trip report and photos for another 3 day pelagic sail off > the Pacific coast of Costa Rica that produced Christmas Shearwater and > a few other interesting sightings. > > Congartulations to Tony and the others for their finding of the Fiji > Petrel. Tony, was this the last piece of the puzzle, so to speak, for > Hadoram to conclude his work on the Procellariidae guide for > A.C.Black? Is publication now immenent? > > bye for now, > > Jim Zook --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Trip report: Gulf of Mexico (Alabama) Sept 20, 2009 pelagic From: swmavocet AT aol.com Date: Sun, 27 Sep 2009 12:34:08 -0400 After a weather-out on Sept 12, we were able to?try again on Sept 20.? We had a terrific time! ? We reached around 70 n.m. offshore into nice blue waters of 800 fathoms (4800 ft.) depth.? Seas were 1-2 ft. most of day with some 2-3 ft. and whitecaps thrown in along the southern part of the route. ? Species list: ? 6 Bridled Tern 9 Sooty Terns (mostly juv) 1 Band-rumped Storm-Petrel 6 Cory's Shearwaters 1 AUDUBON'S SHEARWATER (1st time since these trips started in 1996) 28+ Red-Red-necked Phalarope 1 Mag. Frigatebird several Barn Swallow 3 Great Egrets 7 Cattle Egrets 4 Little Blue Herons ? ? The non-birds were also well-represented by: ? 2 leatherback sea turtles 1 Bryde's Whale (yes, a whale!) 1 mola (sunfish) spotted and bottlenose dolphins yellowfin tuna many flying fish of evidently several species a couple waterspouts ? ? A couple sets of photos may be viewed at: ?http://www.flickr.com/photos/neonflamingos/sets/72157622428167386/show/ or http://www.pbase.com/swmavocet/sept_20_2009_pelagic ? ? ? All the best, ? Steve McConnell Hartselle, AL --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Re: Tahiti Petrel in Costa Rica From: Force <pagodroma AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 27 Sep 2009 06:12:29 -0700 (PDT) Nice photos! I've seen at least 21 Tahiti Petrels in Costa Rican waters over the years, and they're not that uncommon in waters far off the Central American coast, usually beyond 100 nmi. I agree with Howell and Webb's assessment of the status of Tahiti Petrel in the eastern tropical Pacific, and it does occur a lot farther east than some popular guides suggest. Phoenix and Tahiti Petrels appear quite different at sea, so the AOU's reluctance to include it is a bit odd. happy seabirding, Michael On Sep 25, 7:50 am, JRZ wrote: > Hello everyone, > > a three day trip in Costa Rican Pacific waters (out to about 290 km > offshore, 86º 47' W between 9º 30' and 7º 55' N ) produced five > definite sightings of Tahiti Petrel (Psuedobulweria rostrata) a few of > which we were able to photograph well. Visit the this link to see > photos from the trip: > > http://pajareroscostarica.blogspot.com/ > > This would be a new species for Costa Rica. Although it has been > reported by researchers working in the eastern Pacific and is included > by S.N.G.Howell and S.Webb in their Guide to the Birds of Mexico as > being a fairly common to common visitor to waters near Clipperton and > Revillagigedo Islands, the species is not included on the AOU's main > check-list to the birds of North America, apparently because > definitive evidence is lacking that would exclude the possibility of > Phoenix Petrel (Pterodroma alba). We plan to publish a note that will > hopefully permit the AOU to finally list this species (along the lines > of what recently happened with Swallow-tailed Gull.) > > Scroll down through the entries at the link mentioned above to also > see an April trip report and photos for another 3 day pelagic sail off > the Pacific coast of Costa Rica that produced Christmas Shearwater and > a few other interesting sightings. > > Congartulations to Tony and the others for their finding of the Fiji > Petrel. Tony, was this the last piece of the puzzle, so to speak, for > Hadoram to conclude his work on the Procellariidae guide for > A.C.Black? Is publication now immenent? > > bye for now, > > Jim Zook --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Greater protection for UK seabirds From: Tony Pym <tony_pym AT hotmail.com> Date: Sun, 27 Sep 2009 11:02:32 +0100 Seabirds are now given greater legal protection in Scottish waters. Protection areas on land were extended out to sea to help birds such as the guillemot, puffin and gannet. Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said: "It is vitally important that they receive suitable protection throughout their lives at sea and on land. A seabird's marine habitat is as crucial to its ability to survive as nesting sites on dry land." There are 31 extensions that will reach between one and four kilometres out to sea, depending on the species. The extended areas are around St Kilda, the Forth islands, parts of Shetland, Orkney and areas around the Highland and Aberdeenshire coastlines. Andrew Thin, chairman of Scottish Natural Heritage, said: "This is an important measure for the long-term conservation of seabird populations around our coasts. In recent years significant declines have been recorded in the breeding success and size of key Scottish colonies for many species." Stuart Housden, director of RSPB Scotland, said: "Seabirds on RSPB Scotland reserves have recently suffered a run of terrible breeding seasons and, although this year was better, it's vital that we do all we can to protect them and the food resources they need to prosper." The area extensions came into effect last Friday (following consultation last year) . _________________________________________________________________ Share your photos with Windows Live Photos – Free. http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/134665338/direct/01/ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Re: Tahiti Petrel in Costa Rica From: Gail Mackiernan <katahdinss AT comcast.net> Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2009 17:43:36 -0400 Very interesting observations -- and as Tony said, also very good photos. We will be looking for some of these as we pass through CR waters next month on our San Diego-Valpo cruise. It will be interesting to compare birds in November vs. those in April and September. Also much awaiting the book(s!) by Hadoram... Gail Mackiernan on 09/26/2009 11:33 AM, Tony Pym at tony_pym AT hotmail.com wrote: Hi Jim Excellent records from the seas of Costa Rica! Tahiti Petrel ranges right across the Pacific, within the tropical belt, from off the Philippines to now Costa Rica. I like the photos of the Wedge-rumped Storm Petrel and the Christmas Shearwater also. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Re: Tahiti Petrel in Costa Rica From: Tony Pym <tony_pym AT hotmail.com> Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2009 16:33:54 +0100 Hi Jim Excellent records from the seas of Costa Rica! Tahiti Petrel ranges right across the Pacific, within the tropical belt, from off the Philippines to now Costa Rica. I like the photos of the Wedge-rumped Storm Petrel and the Christmas Shearwater also. To answer your question, Hadoram is working on ‘Birds of the Western Palearctic: A Photographic Guide’ plus ‘Photographic Handbook of Birds of the World’. He has been asked to write a pocket-sized book (like his Whales, Dolphins and Seals) on seabirds…..and, then there’s ‘the Tubenoses project’ (this book’s title now to be ‘Albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters of the world: a handbook to their taxonomy, identification, ecology and conservation’). So, he has four books ‘underway’ (with various other authors) plus something like ten scientific papers at the moment – these papers include ‘Taxonomy, variation and conservation of the complex of gadfly petrels (Pterodroma feae, madeira, deserta) from the north- east Atlantic’ and ‘A new study of evolution and systematics of the genus Pseudobulweria’ and ‘Evolution, taxonomy and identification of the various populations of the P. brevipes- leucoptera complex’. (Vincent Bretagnolle is the main author, others involved also). He is well underway on another paper regarding the Pterodroma feae/madeira complex also. This one, an extensive and major identification article. He is currently in South America working on the Photographic Handbook. This time he’s away from home for six months, moving between Brazil, Guyana and (I think next is) Colombia. He returns to seabirds in a big way, end of the year, working with Vincent in the South Pacific. Many more seabird expeditions are in the planning stage, so the book does have a long way to go. I have seen some of the excellent artwork by John Cox, the photographs for the monograph are outstanding, and already the text content is superb; I would say ground-breaking on seabird knowledge. Now the bad news – to pull this amount of information together, plus the artwork/layout to be approved, is still some years away – at least three, maybe four, but this is the price we shall have to pay to await this masterpiece on the procellariids. Regards Tony > Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2009 07:50:09 -0700 > Subject: [Seabird-News:1107] Tahiti Petrel in Costa Rica > From: ebirdcr AT gmail.com > To: seabird-news AT googlegroups.com > > > Hello everyone, > > a three day trip in Costa Rican Pacific waters (out to about 290 km > offshore, 86º 47' W between 9º 30' and 7º 55' N ) produced five > definite sightings of Tahiti Petrel (Psuedobulweria rostrata) a few of > which we were able to photograph well. Visit the this link to see > photos from the trip: > > http://pajareroscostarica.blogspot.com/ > > This would be a new species for Costa Rica. Although it has been > reported by researchers working in the eastern Pacific and is included > by S.N.G.Howell and S.Webb in their Guide to the Birds of Mexico as > being a fairly common to common visitor to waters near Clipperton and > Revillagigedo Islands, the species is not included on the AOU's main > check-list to the birds of North America, apparently because > definitive evidence is lacking that would exclude the possibility of > Phoenix Petrel (Pterodroma alba). We plan to publish a note that will > hopefully permit the AOU to finally list this species (along the lines > of what recently happened with Swallow-tailed Gull.) > > Scroll down through the entries at the link mentioned above to also > see an April trip report and photos for another 3 day pelagic sail off > the Pacific coast of Costa Rica that produced Christmas Shearwater and > a few other interesting sightings. > > Congartulations to Tony and the others for their finding of the Fiji > Petrel. Tony, was this the last piece of the puzzle, so to speak, for > Hadoram to conclude his work on the Procellariidae guide for > A.C.Black? Is publication now immenent? > > bye for now, > > Jim Zook > > _________________________________________________________________ Get the best of MSN on your mobile http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/147991039/direct/01/ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Tahiti Petrel in Costa Rica From: JRZ <ebirdcr AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2009 07:50:09 -0700 (PDT) Hello everyone, a three day trip in Costa Rican Pacific waters (out to about 290 km offshore, 86º 47' W between 9º 30' and 7º 55' N ) produced five definite sightings of Tahiti Petrel (Psuedobulweria rostrata) a few of which we were able to photograph well. Visit the this link to see photos from the trip: http://pajareroscostarica.blogspot.com/ This would be a new species for Costa Rica. Although it has been reported by researchers working in the eastern Pacific and is included by S.N.G.Howell and S.Webb in their Guide to the Birds of Mexico as being a fairly common to common visitor to waters near Clipperton and Revillagigedo Islands, the species is not included on the AOU's main check-list to the birds of North America, apparently because definitive evidence is lacking that would exclude the possibility of Phoenix Petrel (Pterodroma alba). We plan to publish a note that will hopefully permit the AOU to finally list this species (along the lines of what recently happened with Swallow-tailed Gull.) Scroll down through the entries at the link mentioned above to also see an April trip report and photos for another 3 day pelagic sail off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica that produced Christmas Shearwater and a few other interesting sightings. Congartulations to Tony and the others for their finding of the Fiji Petrel. Tony, was this the last piece of the puzzle, so to speak, for Hadoram to conclude his work on the Procellariidae guide for A.C.Black? Is publication now immenent? bye for now, Jim Zook --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Monterey Seabirds trip reports From: Roger Wolfe <rogwolfe AT cruzio.com> Date: Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:54:54 -0700 Ahoy Seabirders, The Sept. 19 offshore trip report with photos by Don Roberson and Glen Tepke is up online at: http://www.montereyseabirds.com/SeabirdTripReport090919.htm Our trip on Sept. 20 was unforgettable thanks to the interaction we had with a group of five friendly Killer Whales/Orcas. In addition to Jeff Poklen's photos I shot some video that you will find in the report. My favorite part is at the end when one of the females approaches us closely and vocalizes out of her blowhole. Check it out at: http://www.montereyseabirds.com/SeabirdTripReport090920.htm Regards, Roger Wolfe for Monterey Seabirds Soquel Canyon, CA USA http://www.montereyseabirds.com --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Re: Red-footed Booby, Southern California Bight From: "Terry Hunefeld" <sdbirder AT fastmail.fm> Date: Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:33:44 -0700 Hey Mike Thanks for the booby report. Gosh, we may have missed it by only a day or two as we were on a pelagic out of Dana Point all day Saturday. On that trip the captain told me that the skipper of a marlin fishing boat saw a frigatebird 5 miles east of Avalon “a day or two after the hurricane blew through south of here about 2 weeks ago…â€� Moral of that story: “If you’re near the coast, keep looking up.â€� Best, W. Terry Hunefeld, Encinitas Life is short. Seabird often. In memory of Luke Cole “Come on out with us to see what’s out there.â€� Southern California Seabirding Trips Buena Vista Audubon Society http://www.SoCalBirding.com Los Coronados Islands, Channel Islands to the Edge of the Continental Shelf Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SoCalBirding ----- Original message ----- From: "Force" To: "Seabird News" Date: Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:21:28 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Seabird-News:1102] Red-footed Booby, Southern California Bight Hi seabirders, For the benefit of southern California seabirders, we kindly delivered the Red-footed Booby to Santa Monica Bay. The bird spent the night on the forward mast after coming on board the previous evening (20 September) about 9.5 nautical miles ESE of Anacapa Island. We then steamed to our next morning's starting position, about 2 nautical miles southwest of Dana Point. The dark morph immature departed at sunrise; it could be anywhere by now, but LA birders (and elsewhere) should be on the lookout. No, it wasn't held against it's will, it was simply doing what boobies do: ride ships. happy seabirding, Michael Force currently aboard NOAA McArthur II 6 nmi east of Santa Barbara Island Terry --- W. Terry Hunefeld, San Diego Life is short. Bird often. www.SoCalBirding.com Pelagic Seabirding Trips From San Diego to: 9-mile Bank Los Coronados Islands Cortes & Tanner Banks Channel Islands reply to: thunefeld AT gmail.com --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Red-footed Booby, Southern California Bight From: Force <pagodroma AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:21:28 -0700 (PDT) Hi seabirders, For the benefit of southern California seabirders, we kindly delivered the Red-footed Booby to Santa Monica Bay. The bird spent the night on the forward mast after coming on board the previous evening (20 September) about 9.5 nautical miles ESE of Anacapa Island. We then steamed to our next morning's starting position, about 2 nautical miles southwest of Dana Point. The dark morph immature departed at sunrise; it could be anywhere by now, but LA birders (and elsewhere) should be on the lookout. No, it wasn't held against it's will, it was simply doing what boobies do: ride ships. happy seabirding, Michael Force currently aboard NOAA McArthur II 6 nmi east of Santa Barbara Island --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Dana Point California (Orange County) Pelagic Trip Report 9-19-09 From: thunefeld <thunefeld AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:21:09 -0700 (PDT) Greetings, 43 birders sailed on the Ocean's Institute "Sea Explorer" from Dana Point on Saturday 19 SEP 2009 and saw a Fin Whale and Black Storm- petrel near Lasuen Knoll, a Red Phalarope 6 miles off Newport Beach, 3 Parasitic Jaegers off Aliso Creek tormenting a tern and a bunch more cool stuff. Trip report, photos and video or the dolphin leaping from the water are posted here: http://www.socalbirding.com/tripreports/danapointsep192009.html Sea Explorer is a fast, comfortable boat with plenty of room up top, on the bow and on the stern. The crew is friendly, helpful and extremely knowledgeable about sea life offshore Dana Point. Our next trip aboard Sea Explorer, sponsored by Sea & Sage Audubon, is January 23, 2010. We hope you’ll join us as we go in search of winter seabirds! Join us on a day trip from San Diego to the birdy Nine Mile Bank and the Coronados Islands to see the breeding Brown Booby colony on October 3, 2009. Details here: http://www.socalbirding.com/release/sandiegooct32009.html W. Terry Hunefeld, Encinitas Life is short. Seabird often. In memory of Luke Cole “Come on out with us to see what’s out there.” Southern California Seabirding Trips Buena Vista Audubon Society http://www.SoCalBirding.com Los Coronados Islands, Channel Islands to the Edge of the Continental Shelf Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SoCalBirding --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: More seabird records from Fiji From: Tony Pym <tony_pym AT hotmail.com> Date: Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:52:08 +0100 Hi Chris! Thanks for the further records. The list I posted was not meant to be complete, and was showing only those species that we had seen on the expeditions. The addition of Herald Petrel (from Neil) and Tropical Shearwater and Providence Petrel (from yourself) add to our conviction on the importance of this marine area. I heard that a birding group, about a month ago, had seen a Herald Petrel on a day pelagic off Taveuni. Tropical Shearwater (dichrous) is said to breed in Fiji, then there's gunax for you to consider also, from Vanuatu, which surely appears in the area (I wonder the taxonomic status of this form - the one specimen used by Austin et al for their 'Phylogeny of the small Puffinus' failed to yield DNA) - these small shearwaters really are a minefield! Last year Hadoram called a Providence Petrel from the deck, but nobody else saw the bird. There was some confusion at the time as a number of distant, larger petrels were over the chum. This bird did not go into our log (we had a protocol, with Fiji Petrel, that all four main observers had to have seen the bird and all were to be agreed on its identification). I agree with you that Murphy's and Providence can be a difficult call and Providence can be expected in Fijian waters. I realise I made one mistake regarding the range/ distance of breeding Murphy's. I wrote 2000 km to the east whereas the Austral Islands are actually more than 2000 miles from Fiji, so even further (that's unless there are breeding Murphy's closer, still undiscovered). I have Notornis 43, and was aware of the Murphy's skin in the Auckland Museum, the identification correct. It dates around 1900, is attributed to the Cook Islands, but I'm a little apprehensive of wording like 'the petrel was LIKELY to have been collected then from Raratonga or PERHAPS one of the other southern Cook Islands'. I assume the labelling is not precise. Dick Watling wrote to me last night confirming he has both Neil and your records, though is missing one paper. He will write to Neil direct for a reprint. Best regards Tony _________________________________________________________________ Use Hotmail to send and receive mail from your different email accounts. http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/167688463/direct/01/ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Re: Important Seabird Records from the Fiji Islands From: "Chris Gaskin" <chris.gaskin AT xtra.co.nz> Date: Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:33:21 +1200 Hi Tony, Birdlife Fiji were looking at producing an update on the Jenkins detailed report on Fiji seabirds; to help guide the excellent work Steve Cranwell and his team are doing in eradicating rats etc. on seabird islands in the group. Your list provides excellent data. I note you've left out Audubon's/Tropical shearwater and Providence petrel from your list. The following from a survey in Taveuni/northern Lau waters March 2009: Tropical shearwater P. bailloni dichrous (formerly Audubon's shearwater P. herminieri dichrous). Several seen between Yacata/Nukutolu and Taveuni. These matched Onley and Scofield's (2007) description of a P. b. dichrous specimen from Samoa, appeared to have much darker markings on the underwing than the Tongan bird in Jenkins (1973). The birds were seen foraging in the distinctive way of small shearwaters making them easy to pick up from a distance. Two of them flew close to the boat for good views. (I would suggest these are breeding in Fiji either on Taveuni or islands close by). See also Jenkins's notes in his Fiji paper. Providence petrel Pterodroma solandri. Seen between Yacata and Nukutolu Islands. I thought Murphy's petrel (P. ultima) when I first saw it; it was so grey, but have gone for solandri with worn plumage (Onley & Scofield 2007). This is the second confirmed record of Providence petrel for Fijian waters (D. Watling pers. comm.). (Given your sighting of Murphy's there might be a question mark over this ID, however I'm very familiar with MP from Pitcairn Islands and Morotiri (Australs) so comfortable with this bird being a PP). Also re. Murphy's petrel. According to Thibault/Bretagnolle's seabird atlas for French Polynesia and Pitcairn Islands (2007) the closest colonies for MPs would be the Australs. There is also the report on a specimen from Cook Islands - see Gill (1996) Notornis 43: 154-158. Gerald McCormack had a photo of what appeared to be a Murphy's petrel on his Cook Islands biodiversity website (no longer there). And, we saw a striking ashy-grey all-dark petrel just south of Raoul in May 2007 which contrasted with grey-faced petrels seen with it (ID couldn't be confirmed). Cheers Chris Chris Gaskin ----- Original Message ----- From: Tony Pym To: seabird-news AT googlegroups.com Sent: Saturday, September 19, 2009 12:19 AM Subject: [Seabird-News:1092] Important Seabird Records from the Fiji Islands The Fiji Petrel Expedition (see Seabird-News, 11 September 2009) recorded a number of other uncommon/rare seabird species in Fijiian waters, particularly during research between 12-22 May 2009. The observers aboard were Hadoram Shirihai, Tony Pym, Joerg Kretzschmar and Dick Watling. The significant records of tubenoses are listed below - these illustrate clearly why we consider this marine area a new and important 'hotspot' for seabirds: MURPHY'S PETREL: one photographed on 16 May. There are no known records from Fiji and the literature suggests this record is also the first for the Western Pacific. This is an extraordinary record of vagrancy for a species that breeds no closer than the western Tuamotu Archipelago (2000 km to the east of Fiji), with usual migration to the north and east of the breeding islands. KERMADEC PETREL: birds varied from very pale to all dark. We observed this species in 2005, 2008 and 2009 and believe it to be regular in Fiji waters, and that it may breed. PHOENIX PETREL: one on 21 May, is apparently the first confirmed record for Fiji waters. MOTTLED PETREL: this long-distance migrant moves from breeding grounds in New Zealand to the North Pacific, but has seldom been recorded in Fiji waters. It was seen (and photographed) almost daily during the expedition in 2009. WHITE-NECKED PETREL: one briefly inspected the chum on 18 July 2008. The bird might have been a Vanuatu Petrel P. occulta, although it was seen alongside several other species and considered too large. Both species can be expected in Fiji waters. BLACK-WINGED PETREL: two, one in heavy moult (14 May), the other fresh plumage (16 May). The species' status is uncertain in Fiji waters, where it is little known, despite breeding as close as New Caledonia, Tonga and the Kermadec Islands. GOULD'S PETREL: a few seen, almost daily during the expedition, amongst the many P. brevipes, with which it was considered conspecific in the past. All were P. l. caledonica. The paucity of records in Fiji waters may be attributable to a lack of knowledge in separating it from pale-phase P. brevipes. The possibility that P. leucoptera also breeds in Fiji cannot be excluded as apart from New Caledonia, Cabbage Tree Island (NSW, Australia), and possibly Vanuatu, the species has now been found breeding far to the east, in south-east (French) Polynesia (Bretagnolle et al. in prep.). COLLARED PETREL: numbers increased during the late afternoons, suggesting most were breeding birds returning to Gau. 10% were the dark-bellied morph. TAHITI PETREL: the most frequent petrel. Most are believed to breed in northern Fiji e.g. on Taveuni. PARKINSON'S (BLACK) PETREL: our observation on 17 May, of this New Zealand endemic breeder, is the first for Fiji waters. CHRISTMAS (KIRITIMATI) SHEARWATER: a bird seen en route to Gau, 12 May, is the second for Fiji waters. WEDGE-TAILED SHEARWATER: breeds on many islands in Fiji, but relatively few seen (c. 30), all were dark morph, and we are unaware of pale forms in the region. BULLER'S SHEARWATER: observed on two days during the 2009 expedition - only three previous records in Fiji waters. SOOTY SHEARWATER: few seen on most days during the expedition. Some showed quite dark underwings, had apparently short bills, and their feet projected beyond the tail in flight. We mistook some as Short-tailed Shearwaters, and these odd birds require future attention. Both shearwaters are regular in Fiji waters. FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER: surprisingly our 21 May sighting is only the second in Fiji waters; the first was a bird captured off Gau, also this year (February 2009). WILSON'S STORM PETREL: observed on four days, always at the chum. WHITE-FACED STORM PETREL: a single on 16 May had the pale, virtually whitish-grey, rump usually associated with P. (m.) albiclunis, which breeds on the Kermadec Islands, New Zealand and possibly Norfolk Island, Australia. WHITE-BELLIED STORM PETREL: we photographed the first for Fiji waters, in July 2008, off Taveuni Island. BLACK-BELLIED STORM PETREL: one on 16 May at the chum, the second confirmed record in Fiji waters. POLYNESIAN STORM PETREL: this attractive storm petrel was first recorded in Fiji from a bird taken on the nest in September 1876 on Kadavu Island. There were no further confirmed records until 19 July 2008 when we photographed a bird at chum, and then another was seen on 14 May 2009. MATSUDAIRA'S STORM PETREL: the first record for Fiji waters of this Japanese breeder (and Indo-Pacific migrant) was on 13 May. The closest region from where the species is regular is the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. Tony Pym ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ View your other email accounts from your Hotmail inbox. Add them now. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Fiji Petrel Press Release From: Tony Pym <tony_pym AT hotmail.com> Date: Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:01:35 +0100 The BirdLife press release, a week ago, was picked up by more than 1000 (!) media sources, including TV, radio, many national and regional newspapers, newswires, twitters and blogs. Included were the BBC, Sky News, AOL, USA Today and other nationals like the Daily Telegraph and The Australian. The plight of the Fiji Petrel was read, or heard, by tens of thousands of people throughout the world in one big effort. Also, two of the Fiji Petrel team were on TV and radio in the South Pacific and Australia, talking about current efforts to save the species. These forums helped promote the good work of BirdLife, NatureFiji and the BOC also. There are some good signs that more money will be donated and made available for further research to help this species; there may be only 50 birds surviving. Let's hope that all the publicity helps save this bird before it's too late.... Tony Pym _________________________________________________________________ Learn how to add other email accounts to Hotmail in 3 easy steps. http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/167688463/direct/01/ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Records of seabirds - Fiji waters From: Tony Pym <tony_pym AT hotmail.com> Date: Sun, 20 Sep 2009 11:58:11 +0100 Dear Neil Thank you for adding detail to the seabird records for Fiji waters. The status summary for each species remains correct (as written in my earlier posting to this newsgroup and the BBOC paper). The wording was carefully chosen, after reference to Jenkins. Dick Watling, author of 'Birds of Fiji' and co-author of the Fiji Petrel paper, furnished the statistics for each species. I have forwarded your note so he can verify the records are those already held. Best regards Tony _________________________________________________________________ Save time by using Hotmail to access your other email accounts. http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/167688463/direct/01/ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: SEARCHER SoCal Pelagic Live-aboard 5-day Deep Water Trip Report 9-2009 From: thunefeld <thunefeld AT gmail.com> Date: Sat, 19 Sep 2009 21:20:39 -0700 (PDT) Greetings, SEARCHER sailed September 7 to explore the waters of the Nine Mile Bank, wound through the Channel Islands, over the Rodriguez Dome and into the Southern California bight, past the San Juan Seamount, over the Bell Bank, Mushroom Bank and Sixty Mile Bank and returned to San Diego at sunrise on Friday September 11. It was a great trip, with perfect weather, great live-aboard quarters, a CRAVERI’S MURRELET, both races of Xantus’s Murrelet, a KILLER WHALE, an astounding 570 LEACH’S STORM-PETRELS of 3 races, Sabine's Gulls, 240 Buller's Shearwaters, two “SKUA-SLAM” days and tremendous “surround sound” whale shows. The trip report, species list, photos and video are posted at: http://www.socalbirding.com/tripreports/searchersep7112010.html The incredible YouTube Video only can be seen at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs_06nncr3U There are only 7 spaces left on our 48-hour live-aboard October 10-11 deep water trip on Grande as we go out to find tropicbirds and petrels: http://www.socalbirding.com/release/sandiegooct10112009.html W. Terry Hunefeld, Encinitas Life is short. Seabird often. In memory of Luke Cole “Come on out with us to see what’s out there.” Southern California Seabirding Trips Buena Vista Audubon Society http://www.SoCalBirding.com Los Coronados Islands, Channel Islands to the Edge of the Continental Shelf Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SoCalBirding --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Re: Important Seabird Records from the Fiji Islands From: mariner <diomedea1 AT bigpond.com> Date: Sat, 19 Sep 2009 20:38:57 -0700 (PDT) Tony, Congratulations to Hadoram, you and the others in the team for locating, photographing and describing the Fiji Petrel at sea - a well deserved reward for persistence and hardwork. The technique of a berley (chum) mega-blitz in a targeted area obviously works very well. A few comments on your impressive list of procellariiformes from someone who has also enjoyed the diversity of Fijian marine birds. For anyone interested in Fijian seabirds I would draw attention to the following publication:- Jenkins,J.A.F, 1986, The Seabirds of Fiji - An account based on the literature and recent observations. Australian Seabird Group Newsletter Special Issue No.25 p.1-70 This publication summarises seabird observations and status to 1984, gives a comprehensive review of the literature and provides a bibliography of 121 references. Capt.John Jenkins was a deck officer then master in vessels of the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand who spent most of his career in vessels trading between NZ, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa. He was a keen seabird observer who kept meticulous notes which he summarised, interpreted and published mainly in Notornis. Phoenix Petrel. Jenkins(1986) list 3 tentative sightings he made in Fijian waters, February,May and November. Mottled Petrel. Jenkins(1986) lists 4 (Austral) autumn records, March to May and one record in October. White-necked Petrel. Jenkins(1986) list 11 records, one Feb, one March, one Dec and the remainder in May/June. I recorded one at 17.3S 176.6S in eastern Fijian waters on 4 Jun'08.(Cheshire 2008) Black-winged Petrel. Fijian record of one photographed on board at 17.7S 176.6W 4 June'08 published Cheshire(2008). Jenkins and Cheshire (1982) showed that BWP can be expected at least in southern Fiji waters from November to June. Gould's Petrel. Jenkins (1986) lists 11 records. Bullers Shearwater. Cheshire(2008) gives three records from eastern Fijian waters and one close to Suva during May 2008. Wedge-tailed Shearwater. Jenkins(1979) gives detailed account of at sea distribution and migration in Fijian and Tongan area. Short-tailed Shearwater is usually seen in Fijian waters during the southern migration Sept-Nov when they are travelling SW in the SW Pacific on a broad front.The main northward migration on a much narrower front is mostly from New Caledonia westwards. Wilson's Storm Petrel. Not mentioned by Jenkins(1986). Although included in checklists of Fiji birds and to be expected in the area, your records may well be the first documented for Fiji. Herald Petrel. I had a good view of a pale phase bird at in eastern Fijian waters at 17.5S 176.8W, 4 June'08. Cheshire(2008) Ref. Jenkins,J.A.F. 1979. Observations on the Wedge-tailed Shearwater Puffinus pacificus in the South-west Pacific. Notornis 26:331-348. Jenkins,J.A.F., Cheshire N.G. 1982, The Black-winged Petrel Pterodroma nigripennis in the South-west Pacific and the Tasman Sea. Notornis 29:293-310. Jenkins,J.A.F 1986. As above Cheshire,N.G. 2008.Notes on Seabird Reports Received 2007/2008. Sea Swallow 57 : 6-15. Neil Cheshire Encounter Bay, South Australia.   . --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Agadir, Morocco pelagic trip results for 17 Sept 09 From: George Armistead <armistead.george AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:48:21 -0400 All, On 17 September I guided a short, nearshore pelagic trip from Agadir, Morocco aboard the 'Federika'. We left the dock about 7:30am and returned about 2pm. I tracked our route on a GPS for those interested, but basically we headed WNW from the dock and got out about 10 miles offshore, reaching ~18 fathoms in depth. Thankfully one doesn't need to go far here to find birds. We tried some drift chumming with limited success (attracting mostly gulls and terns). There were some decent sized schools of sardines with some Gannets, Cory's Shearwaters and a few Greater Shearwaters feeding over them. I had hoped for a couple more Macaronesian species and maybe some storm-petrels, but considering that the Federika doesn't break more than about 6 knots and that we never reached really deep water I was actually fairly pleased with what we saw. Weather was pleasant and very calm in the morning, with a westerly wind of about 15mph whipping up around noon. Species of interest were as follows: Cory’s Shearwater 320 Manx Shearwater 38 Balearic Shearwater 1 Sooty Shearwater 2 Greater Shearwater 8 Northern Gannet 280 Sabine’s Gull 2 Audouin’s Gull 35 Lesser Black-backed Gull X Yellow-legged Gull X Great Skua 1 Pomarine Jaeger 10 Parasitic Jaeger 2 Common Dolphin ~6 Best Regards, -George -- George L. Armistead Philadelphia, PA armistead.george AT gmail.com Field Guides Inc. Birding Tours Worldwide http://www.fieldguides.com/tours.html?area=guides&guide=ARMISTEAD_G --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Important Seabird Records from the Fiji Islands From: Tony Pym <tony_pym AT hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:19:35 +0100 The Fiji Petrel Expedition (see Seabird-News, 11 September 2009) recorded a number of other uncommon/rare seabird species in Fijiian waters, particularly during research between 12-22 May 2009. The observers aboard were Hadoram Shirihai, Tony Pym, Joerg Kretzschmar and Dick Watling. The significant records of tubenoses are listed below - these illustrate clearly why we consider this marine area a new and important 'hotspot' for seabirds: MURPHY'S PETREL: one photographed on 16 May. There are no known records from Fiji and the literature suggests this record is also the first for the Western Pacific. This is an extraordinary record of vagrancy for a species that breeds no closer than the western Tuamotu Archipelago (2000 km to the east of Fiji), with usual migration to the north and east of the breeding islands. KERMADEC PETREL: birds varied from very pale to all dark. We observed this species in 2005, 2008 and 2009 and believe it to be regular in Fiji waters, and that it may breed. PHOENIX PETREL: one on 21 May, is apparently the first confirmed record for Fiji waters. MOTTLED PETREL: this long-distance migrant moves from breeding grounds in New Zealand to the North Pacific, but has seldom been recorded in Fiji waters. It was seen (and photographed) almost daily during the expedition in 2009. WHITE-NECKED PETREL: one briefly inspected the chum on 18 July 2008. The bird might have been a Vanuatu Petrel P. occulta, although it was seen alongside several other species and considered too large. Both species can be expected in Fiji waters. BLACK-WINGED PETREL: two, one in heavy moult (14 May), the other fresh plumage (16 May). The species' status is uncertain in Fiji waters, where it is little known, despite breeding as close as New Caledonia, Tonga and the Kermadec Islands. GOULD'S PETREL: a few seen, almost daily during the expedition, amongst the many P. brevipes, with which it was considered conspecific in the past. All were P. l. caledonica. The paucity of records in Fiji waters may be attributable to a lack of knowledge in separating it from pale-phase P. brevipes. The possibility that P. leucoptera also breeds in Fiji cannot be excluded as apart from New Caledonia, Cabbage Tree Island (NSW, Australia), and possibly Vanuatu, the species has now been found breeding far to the east, in south-east (French) Polynesia (Bretagnolle et al. in prep.). COLLARED PETREL: numbers increased during the late afternoons, suggesting most were breeding birds returning to Gau. 10% were the dark-bellied morph. TAHITI PETREL: the most frequent petrel. Most are believed to breed in northern Fiji e.g. on Taveuni. PARKINSON'S (BLACK) PETREL: our observation on 17 May, of this New Zealand endemic breeder, is the first for Fiji waters. CHRISTMAS (KIRITIMATI) SHEARWATER: a bird seen en route to Gau, 12 May, is the second for Fiji waters. WEDGE-TAILED SHEARWATER: breeds on many islands in Fiji, but relatively few seen (c. 30), all were dark morph, and we are unaware of pale forms in the region. BULLER'S SHEARWATER: observed on two days during the 2009 expedition - only three previous records in Fiji waters. SOOTY SHEARWATER: few seen on most days during the expedition. Some showed quite dark underwings, had apparently short bills, and their feet projected beyond the tail in flight. We mistook some as Short-tailed Shearwaters, and these odd birds require future attention. Both shearwaters are regular in Fiji waters. FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER: surprisingly our 21 May sighting is only the second in Fiji waters; the first was a bird captured off Gau, also this year (February 2009). WILSON'S STORM PETREL: observed on four days, always at the chum. WHITE-FACED STORM PETREL: a single on 16 May had the pale, virtually whitish-grey, rump usually associated with P. (m.) albiclunis, which breeds on the Kermadec Islands, New Zealand and possibly Norfolk Island, Australia. WHITE-BELLIED STORM PETREL: we photographed the first for Fiji waters, in July 2008, off Taveuni Island. BLACK-BELLIED STORM PETREL: one on 16 May at the chum, the second confirmed record in Fiji waters. POLYNESIAN STORM PETREL: this attractive storm petrel was first recorded in Fiji from a bird taken on the nest in September 1876 on Kadavu Island. There were no further confirmed records until 19 July 2008 when we photographed a bird at chum, and then another was seen on 14 May 2009. MATSUDAIRA'S STORM PETREL: the first record for Fiji waters of this Japanese breeder (and Indo-Pacific migrant) was on 13 May. The closest region from where the species is regular is the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. Tony Pym _________________________________________________________________ View your other email accounts from your Hotmail inbox. Add them now. http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/167688463/direct/01/ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Fiji Petrel - more photographs From: Tony Pym <tony_pym AT hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:04:28 +0100 Further unique photographs of Fiji Petrel, taken on this year's expedition, have now been uploaded and can be seen here: http://www.seabirding.co.uk/FijiPetrelPhoto.htm Regards Tony Pym _________________________________________________________________ Save time by using Hotmail to access your other email accounts. http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/167688463/direct/01/ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Trip report: 12 September 2009: Oregon From: "Greg Gillson" <greg AT thebirdguide.com> Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:35:38 -0700 Report with photos: http://thebirdguide.com/pelagics/archive/09122009.htm Additional photos: http://www.pbase.com/gregbirder/gallery/20090912 Pelagic trip report: Saturday, September 12, 2009 11 hours From Newport, Oregon, to 30 miles west of Depoe Bay where we met up with the American Dynasty hake fishing fleet. Seas: large slow swell, smooth surface, winds 5-8 knots. Boat: Misty Captain Robert Waddell Newport Tradewinds Charter The Bird Guide, Inc. http://thebirdguide.com/ Guides: Greg Gillson, Tim Shelmerdine, David Mandell, Russ Namitz Oh, why can't more of our trips have such marvelously smooth seas! There are no words for such a insanely great trip! About 20 miles due west of Cape Foulweather (typically a very apt name given to it by Captain Cook), guide David Mandell spotted a MANX SHEARWATER sitting in a flock of birds which we snuck up on. At least half the boat spied this rare bird before it flushed with the rest of the flock of SOOTY and PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATERS and RHINOCEROS AUKLETS. Not 10 minutes later, in our very next flock of birds on the water, was an equally rare pair of the SCRIPPS'S race of XANTUS'S MURRELET! This time the birds remained for everyone to get great looks. Not to be outdone by those birds, an hour and a half later while we were birding alongside the American Dynasty hake fishing ship, a LAYSAN ALBATROSS overflew our boat! While fairly regular (~50% of trips) from late October into early May, this is one of the very few we have seen from June-September. Smiles and high-fives all around.... CASSIN'S and RHINOCEROS AUKLETS were everywhere. We encountered two flocks of FORK-TAILED STORM-PETRELS and had RED and RED-NECKED PHALAROPES give an identification clinic of side-by-side comparisons. Several close GRAY WHALES, HUMPBACK WHALES, HARBOR PORPOISES, and NORTHERN FUR SEALS highlighted the marine mammals, while giddy passengers were waving back at the out-of-the-water fins of several OCEAN SUNFISH. These included some frying pan-sized ones that jumped out of the water, and a huge one about 7 feet across from dorsal to ventral fin. One newer Oregon birder recorded TWENTY life birds, and Bob from Maine recorded an astounding TWENTY-SIX life birds on this pelagic trip! Truly, an insanely great trip! Northern Pintail 200 Surf Scoter 80 White-winged Scoter 80 Common Loon 10 Pacific Loon 5 Red-throated Loon 3 Black-footed Albatross 120 LAYSAN ALBATROSS 1 Northern Fulmar 135 Pink-footed Shearwater 650 Sooty Shearwater 500 Buller's Shearwater 1 MANX SHEARWATER 1 Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel 550 Brown Pelican 200 Double-crested Cormorant 2 Brandt's Cormorant 200 Pelagic Cormorant 100 Red-necked Phalarope 350 Red Phalarope 75 Heermann's Gull 120 California Gull 5000 Western Gull 80 Sabine's Gull 10 Common Tern 2 Common Murre 130 Pigeon Guillemot 15 Marbled Murrelet 25 XANTUS'S (SCRIPPS'S) MURRELET 2 Cassin's Auklet 600 Rhinoceros Auklet 850 South Polar Skua 5 Pomarine Jaeger 15 Parasitic Jaeger 5 Long-tailed Jaeger 6 jaeger (sp.) 8 HUMPBACK WHALE 2 Gray Whale 4 Harbor Porpoise 30 Harbor Seal 2 California Sea Lion 25 Steller's Sea Lion 8 ELEPHANT SEAL 1 NORTHERN FUR SEAL 5 Blue Shark 3 Ocean Sunfish 12 Moon Jelly Sea Nettle Greg Gillson The Bird Guide, Inc. greg AT thebirdguide.com http://thebirdguide.com --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Re: looking for records of some Thalassarche albatrosses From: "Birds of the SW Atlantic Ocean & Antarctica" <birds.swatlantic AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:55:20 -0300 Hello Dick I think is just a mishap.. as I am never posting anonymously and have posted here for a at least a couple years, also mentioning this project. My first post also included a paragraph on myself as some sort of introduction. I guess that while writing I kept it informal and forgot to write my full name :-) Hoping that this satisfies you regards Christian Savigny Project -Birds of the Southwest Atlantic & Antarctica- Hampton Hill, UK Mar del Plata, Argentina (and at sea 'round the sw atlantic & southern ocean for c.5 months a year :-) __________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 4431 (20090916) __________ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: looking for records of some Thalassarche albatrosses From: "Birds of the SW Atlantic Ocean & Antarctica" <birds.swatlantic AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:27:40 -0300 Hello :-) I am looking for unpublished observations of several albatross species for the maps of my book on southwest atlantic and antarctic birds. I'll acknowledge every single contribution. I believe this is a good chance to contribute with the region's knowledge as many (including myself) keep several notebooks of records and for many reasons (lack of time.. laziness.. etc. :-) there are always some observations that are never communicated to the birding community. The limits of the maps are 30ºS to 75ºS and from 20ºW to 75ºW Observations of the following will be highly appreciated (I need date, at least MONTH - coordinates, even roughly the DEGREES, or references to the coast.. etc. Descriptions and/or photos of the birds are useful to confirm species/races). 1.. Shy albatross (or shy albatross "type") Thalassarche cauta (other than the published obs. by White et al. for Falklands-Malvinas) 2.. White capped albatross Thalassarche steadi (other than the South Georgia record) 3.. Salvin's albatross Thalassarche salvini (other than G. Robertson's at P. Deseado) 4.. Buller's albatross Thalassarche bulleri (other than Curtis, and mine :-) also need evidences, photo - video etc whithin the region) Thanks a million for your kind attention and any help you can provide Cheers! Chris PS: I'll be JAN-FEB-MAR in a row aboard the M/V Antarctic Dream during the Antarctic season, in case anyone has booked..or is thinking of booking a cabin there :-) __________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 4431 (20090916) __________ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Seabird Vagrancy - Tufted Puffin in the UK From: Angus Wilson <gadflypetrel AT hotmail.com> Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:11:07 -0700 (PDT) Birders further afield might be interested to know that earlier today, an alternate-plumaged adult TUFTED PUFFIN that was seen by a handful of observers and also photographed on The Swale in Kent, England. This is a large tidal inlet in the outer reaches of the Thames Estuary. As I understand it, the bird was viewed from the seawall hide at the Kent Wildlife Trust Oare Marshes reserve for 15-20 mins but don't know if it has been resighted. Photos have been posted on the Surfbirds Britain & Ireland Stop Press gallery and the story has already made the national papers. Pending acceptance, this would be the first UK record. There is a prior Western Palearctic record from Sweden (adult, Laholmsbukten Bay, Lagoset, Halland, 1 & 8 June 1994). Cheers, Angus Wilson New York City, USA --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: The first observations of Fiji Petrel at sea From: Tony Pym <tony_pym AT hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 01:38:42 +0100 We are pleased to announce that this year's 'Fiji Petrel Pelagic Expedition 2009' was successful in finding the species off Gau Island, Fiji (this being the only site where a few birds have grounded in the past; the vast majority dead or moribund after hitting village roofs). Our sightings constitute the first unequivocal records of Fiji Petrel at sea; eight were seen over an eleven-day period. The full results, with superb photographs of this near-mythical species, have been under embargo until now awaiting publication of our paper in the Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club (The first observations of Fiji Petrel Pseudobulweria macgillivrayi at sea: off Gau Island, Fiji, in May 2009 Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 129:129-148). SUMMARY.-The first unambiguous observations of Fiji Petrel Pseudobulweria macgillivrayi at sea are documented with photographs. The species' behaviour, jizz and flight are described, together with comments on confusion species, especially Bulwer's Bulweria bulwerii and Jouanin's Petrels B. fallax, and Christmas (Kiritimati) Shearwater Puffinus nativitatis. Preparations for the expedition, why a given sea area was chosen, the 'recipe' and use of 'chum' as an attractant, and the methods used for counting petrels are explained. The four preserved specimens of Fiji Petrel were studied in detail and records of grounded birds, from the only known location, Gau Island, Fiji, were reviewed and their ages re-examined. The accruing data permit us to speculate on this petrel's breeding season, which is highly relevant to the future conservation of this Critically Endangered species. For those wishing to read more and to order a copy of the September bulletin, please go to the website of The British Ornithologists' Club; www.boc-online.org (under Publications). BirdLife International has issued a press release on this significant development today. This includes some chosen photographs of Fiji Petrel taken at sea. Please see; www.birdlife.org/news/news/2009/09/fiji_petrel_discovery.html Additionally, two photographs have been uploaded today to; www.seabirding.co.uk/FijiPetrelPhoto.htm It is our intention to place the full paper, with all photographs, on the websites www.seabirding.co.uk and www.naturefiji.org when appropriate. The expedition was organised by NatureFiji-MareqetiViti in partnership with The National Trust of Fiji as a component of its larger Fiji Petrel Project. Best regards Hadoram Shirihai, Tony Pym, Jörg Kretzschmar, Kolinio Moce and Dick Watling _________________________________________________________________ Learn how to add other email accounts to Hotmail in 3 easy steps. http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/167688463/direct/01/ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: LTJA From: Roger Wolfe <rogwolfe AT cruzio.com> Date: Mon, 07 Sep 2009 06:51:09 -0700 Here on the west coast of North America we too have seen record numbers of Long-tailed Jaegers. On the Aug. 23 Monterey Seabirds 12 hour offshore trip Don Roberson kept a running tally of 176 LTJA. See trip report at:http://www.montereyseabirds.com/SeabirdTripReport090823.htm On the Aug. 16 eight hour trip he counted 107 LTJA:http://www.montereyseabirds.com/SeabirdTripReport090816.htm All that has changed however. On Sat. Sept. 5 we did not record a single LTJA on the day. (That trip report is still in the works). It was a great opportunity to study LTJAs in a variety of ages and color morphs. Regards, Roger Wolfe Soquel Canyon, CA USA Date: Sun, Sep 6 2009 8:50 am From: Angus Wilson Currently excellent seawatching off northwestern Spain at the moment and I couldn't resist cross-posting this summary from Daniel Velasco sent to the WestPalBirds list. Estaca de Bares is the northmost point of the Spanish mainland and offers a great location to sample migrants following the shelf edge around the Bay of Biscay before turning southwards again into the Atlantic proper. It would be interesting to know what conditions have brought on this amazing influx of skuas. Is this normal passage that has been pushed within sight of land? Cheers, Angus Wilson ******************************* Seabird movement continues off NW Spain Posted by: "daniel lopez velasco" dskater20 AT hotmail.com subruficollis2003 Sat Sep 5, 2009 4:49 am (PDT) Hi, The unprecedented influx of adult Long-tailed Skuas continues off NW Spain, with an amazing 181 birds seen yesterday heading west from Estaca de Bares (Galicia), amongst more than 600 skuas. 29 LT Skuas were also seen from Punta la Vaca (Asturias) 2 days ago, with 14 birds seen yesterday. More than 350 LT Skuas have been seen in a couple of days off NW Spain, an incredible number considering that there are only 31 accepted records in the country until 2006. Other interesting seabirds seen yesterday include another (perhaps the same bird seen last week?) Fea´s type Petrel at Estaca de Bares and a Wilson´s Petrel at Punta la Vaca, apart from many Great Shearwaters and several Sabine´s Gulls. Daniel L. Velasco --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: BBC 'Extreme Pelagic' 2 day overnight to Hydrographer, Veatch and E. Atlantis Canyons; 3-4 September 2009. From: Richard Heil <rsheil AT comcast.net> Date: Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:24:48 -0400 3-4 SEPTEMBER 2009: BROOKLINE BIRD CLUB's "EXTREME PELAGIC" from HYANNIS, MASSACHUSETTS to HYDROGRAPHER, VEATCH & EAST ATLANTIS CANYONS and vicinity, via NANTUCKET SHOALS Richard S. Heil Roughly 40 participants plus leaders Rick Heil, Jeremiah Trimble, Mark Flaherty, and Ian Davies, along with trip organizer Ida Giriunas, joined Captain Joe Huckameyer and the able crew of the 100 foot 'Helen H' for our first overnight trip of the 'Extreme Pelagic" series. To say it was merely a success would be a dramatic understatement! We either tied, slashed or surpased the state records for White-faced Storm-Petrel, Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, Bridled Tern, and Long-tailed Jaeger! Indeed, we are rapidly learning that these 'warmer water seabirds' are regular and expected in New England waters around the offshore canyons and shelf break, and beyond, and that these Massachusetts offshore waters are probably the best anywhere for finding White-faced Storm-Petrels on this side of the North Atlantic. See below for trip photos. Course: Thursday, 3 Sep.: Hyannis (depart c. 0530) across Nantucket Shoals to Hydrographer Canyon, then east and south of the canyon (off the shelf to water 6800 feet deep, 79.5 F water temp) before working west to anchor after dark in Veatch Canyon. While traversing the shoals we encountered an amazing concentration of birds in one area, including hundreds of shearwaters, thousands of terns, and numerous jaegers. One mixed flock of seven jaegers first seen on the water (Long-tailed and Parasitic together) initially caused confusion among the leaders until photos could later be sorted and critically analyzed. What is a pelagic without a good jaeger conundrum? Friday, 4 Sep.: Veatch Canyon south and then east to East Atlantis Canyon and beyond (all in water 77-78 F, to 5400 feet deep), then north to Muskeget Channel and return to Hyannis (arriving c. 1715). Weather: Thurs. 9/3: Mostly cloudy to overcast, E winds 8-15 mph, 70's; Fri., 9/4: mostly overcast, showers, NNE winds 10-20 mph, 70's; seas both days 2-4 foot, at times even 1-2 foot. Visibility: Very good to excellent for most of the trip, except fair to good in showers and occ. light fog generally in cooler waters. Common Eider (3): 3 females - Muskeget Channel -9/4. White-winged Scoter (1): 1 - Muskeget Channel - 9/4. Common Loon (9): 8 - Nantucket Shoal - 9/3 ; 1 - S. of Muskeget Channel - 9/4. Cory's Shearwater (408): 395 - Nantucket Shoals, 4 - Hydrographer Canyon vic. - 9/3; 4 - Veatch/East Atlantis Canyons, 5 - S. of Muskeget Channel - 9/4: Many Cory's throughout the trip were scrutinized for possible 'Scoploli's Shearwater (C. d. diomedea), but all viewed critically appeared to be borealis. Greater Shearwater (1377): 1320 - Nantucket Shoals, 12 - Hydrographer Canyon vic. - 9/3; 39 - Veatch/East Atlantis Canyons vic., 6 - S. of Muskeget Channel - 9/4. Sooty Shearwater (15) - All from Nantucket Shoals. Manx Shearwater (20) - All from Nantucket Shoals. Audubon's Shearwater (28): 25 - Hydrographer Canyon vic. - 9/3 ( *** New State High Count, cf., 19 - W. Atlantis/Atlantis Canyons - 7/18/09); 3 - Veatch/East Atlantis Canyons vic. - 9/4. Wilson's Storm-Petrel (563): 137 - - Nantucket Shoals, 111 - Hydrographer Canyon vic. - 9/3; 290 - Veatch/East Atlantis Canyons vic., 25 - S. of Muskeget Channel - 9/4. WHITE-FACED STORM-PETREL (6): 3 - Hydrographer Canyon vic. - 9/3 (all roughly vicinity of 40 02.9 N, 69 02.0 W in 67.2 F water); 3 - Veatch/East Atlantis Canyons vic. (1 - 39 50.2 N, 69 44.1 W; 1 - 39 50.0 N, 69 45.7 W; 1 - 39 50.2 N, 69 48.9 W; all of these on 9/4 in water 77-78 F.) - 9/4. ***Three each day both tie the prior single day high count for Massachusetts, but six detected in two days in a narrow cruise track in adjacent but different waters (along with other numerous records in the past) indicates the routine, albeit low density presence of this species here in the August-September window. Leach's Storm-Petrel (50): 46 - Hydrographer Canyon vic. - 9/3; 4 - Veatch/East Atlantis Canyons vic.- 9/4. BAND-RUMPED STORM-PETREL (8): 4 - Hydrographer Canyon vic. - 9/3; 4 - Veatch/East Atlantis Canyons vic.- 9/4 ; ***Four each day both tie the prior single day high count for Massachusetts. Northern Gannet (5 sub-adults) - Nantucket Shoals. Double-crested Cormorant (20+) - Muskeget Channel. Whimbrel (3) : 2 migrating S - Hydrographer Canyon vic. - 9/3; 1 migrating S at dawn- Veatch Canyon - 9/4. HUDSONIAN GODWIT (62): A remarkable and amazing observation!!!; a single flock observed migrating south low over the water beyond the shelf edge nearly 100 miles SE of Nantucket on 9/4! Next stop South America in a couple of days of non-stop flight? Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jrtrimble/3888764888/ Calidris sp. (2) - Nantucket Shoals - 9/3 Red-necked Phalarope (16) - Nantucket Shoals - 9/3. phalarope sp. (2) - Nantucket Shoals - 9/3. Laughing Gull (365): 5 - Nantucket Shoals - 9/3 ; 360(overwhelming majority juvs.) - Muskeget Channel - 9/4. Herring Gull (47): 40 - Nantucket Shoals - 9/3 ; 7 - Muskeget Channel - 9/4. Great Black-backed Gull (21): 15 - Nantucket Shoals - 9/3 ; 6 - Muskeget Channel - 9/4. BRIDLED TERN (5; 2 adults, 3 imms.): *** New state high count; All roughly 2-3 miles SW of East Atlantis Canyon on 9/4 in an area of 77 F water and abundant Sargassum Weed near 39 55.9 N, 69 59.1 W. Spectacular close views were had of an adult sitting on a floating board (from hich perch he reached under the board and snagged a fish!), then 3 immatures (1S/juvs) at one point flying together, then a second adult-like bird later. Least Tern (2): 1 - Hyannis - 9/3; 1 juv. - Muskeget Channel - 9/4. Black Tern (94): 93 - Nantucket Sound to Nantucket Shoals - 9/3; 1 - Muskeget Channel - 9/4. Roseate Tern (15+): - Nantucket Shoals - 9/3. Common Tern (2385+): 2300+ - Nantucket Shoals - 9/3. ; 85 - Muskeget Channel - 9/4. Forster's Tern (1) - Nantucket Shoals - 9/3. Sterna sp. (560+) - Nantucket Shoals - 9/3. Pomarine Jaeger (7): 5 - Nantucket Shoals; 1 - Hydrographer Canyon vic. - 9/3 ; 1 - S. of Muskeget Channel - 9/4. Parasitic Jaeger (5+): 3+ - Nantucket Shoals - 9/3 ; 2 - Muskeget Channel - 9/4. Long-tailed Jaeger (7+): *** New State High Count; 6+(1 juv., 5 sub-ads.) - Nantucket Shoals (1 juv.) - Hydrographer Canyon vic. - 9/3. jaeger sp. (14+): 11+ - - Nantucket Shoals, 3 - Hydrographer Canyon vic. - 9/3. Mammals and other marine life: Fin Whale (1) - Nantucket Shoals on 9/3. Humpback Whale (1) - Nantucket Shoals on 9/3. possible Sperm Whale (1) - Hydrographer Canyon vic. - 9/3 bottlenosed whale sp./possible Cuvier's (1) - Hydrographer Canyon vic. - 9/3 Gray Grampus/Risso's Dolphin (40+) - Hydrographer Canyon vic. - 9/3 Offshore Bottlenosed Dolphin (150+): 30 - Hydrographer Canyon vic. - 9/3 ; 120 - Veatch/East Atlantis Canyons vic.- 9/4. Short-beaked Common Dolphin (80+) - Nantucket Shoals - 9/3. Harbor Porpoise (7+) Nantucket Shoals - 9/3. Ocean Sunfish (3) Blue Shark (2) manta ray sp. (1) numerous flying fish Yellowfin Tuna (1) - Caught by crew in Veatch Canyon. Skipjack (1) - Caught by crew in Veatch Canyon. Trip photos here: Jeremiah Trimble day 1: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jrtrimble/sets/72157622246514420/ day 2: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jrtrimble/sets/72157622121873035/ Ian Davies: http://www.flickr.com/photos/54107105 AT N00/sets/72157622130703953/ John Hoye: http://picasaweb.google.com/hoye1x/CanyonPelagicBBC# Thanks to Ida Giriunas for organizing these trips and to the many birders whose participation gets us out there to find new discoveries! Richard S. Heil S. Peabody, MA rsheil AT comcast.net --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Major southward passage of Long-tailed Skuas (jaegers) off NW Spain From: Angus Wilson <gadflypetrel AT hotmail.com> Date: Sun, 6 Sep 2009 08:50:03 -0700 (PDT) Currently excellent seawatching off northwestern Spain at the moment and I couldn't resist cross-posting this summary from Daniel Velasco sent to the WestPalBirds list. Estaca de Bares is the northmost point of the Spanish mainland and offers a great location to sample migrants following the shelf edge around the Bay of Biscay before turning southwards again into the Atlantic proper. It would be interesting to know what conditions have brought on this amazing influx of skuas. Is this normal passage that has been pushed within sight of land? Cheers, Angus Wilson ******************************* Seabird movement continues off NW Spain Posted by: "daniel lopez velasco" dskater20 AT hotmail.com subruficollis2003 Sat Sep 5, 2009 4:49 am (PDT) Hi, The unprecedented influx of adult Long-tailed Skuas continues off NW Spain, with an amazing 181 birds seen yesterday heading west from Estaca de Bares (Galicia), amongst more than 600 skuas. 29 LT Skuas were also seen from Punta la Vaca (Asturias) 2 days ago, with 14 birds seen yesterday. More than 350 LT Skuas have been seen in a couple of days off NW Spain, an incredible number considering that there are only 31 accepted records in the country until 2006. Other interesting seabirds seen yesterday include another (perhaps the same bird seen last week?) Fea´s type Petrel at Estaca de Bares and a Wilson´s Petrel at Punta la Vaca, apart from many Great Shearwaters and several Sabine´s Gulls. Daniel L. Velasco --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Buena Vista Audubon to auction off ticket aboard luxury live-aboard SEARCHER From: thunefeld <thunefeld AT gmail.com> Date: Sat, 5 Sep 2009 10:39:22 -0700 (PDT) Are you up for adventure? Would you like to see a Cook’s Petrel, Red- tailed Tropicbird and Craveri’s Murrelet., Ashy Storm-Petrel and Least Storm-Petrel? A passenger on the magical September 7-11 SEARCHER pelagic trip had a family emergency and generously donated his $1015 ticket to the Buena Vista Audubon Society WHO WILL AUCTION IT OFF THIS WEEKEND. This is your opportunity to see great seabirds at a discounted price (and for a good cause) aboard the luxury live-aboard SEARCHER, sailing this Monday (Labor Day aSept 7) at noon from San Diego to the bird- rich Channel Islands, then to the famous-for-rarities San Juan Seamount, then out to the deep water off the Continental Shelf down to the Mexican border (where SEARCHER’S crew saw a COOK’S PETREL a few days ago) arriving back at the dock in San Diego Friday morning September 11 at dawn. THE TICKET IS UP FOR AUCTION NOW AND BIDS ARE BEING TAKEN NOW. Per the wishes of the donor, all proceeds are generously donated to the Buena Vista Audubon Society (BVAS). The ticket will be awarded Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time OR SOONER if in the judgment of BVAS a satisfactory bid comes in from a bidder who needs the additional time to make plans (airline reservations, travel, etc). Please email your bid to thunefeld AT gmail.com. All bidders will be updated by email of most recent bid, thereby enabling bidders to increase their bid. If you provide your cell phone number in the bid, you will also receive updates in real time by text. BVAS reserves the right to accept any bid at any time and end the auction early if it judges acceptance of an early bid to be in its best interest. We will play no favorites - it is the intent of BVAS and the intent of the donor to obtain the maximum contribution for BVAS. IF NO BID IS ACCEPTED BY SUNDAY AT 6:00 P.M. PACIFIC TIME, THE HIGHEST BIDDER AT THAT TIME WILL WIN THIS ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME LEGEND PELAGIC TRIP. A MasterCard or Visa deposit of $200 will secure the high bid, balance payable at the dock in a check payable to BVAS. You may also call me, Terry Hunefeld, at (760) 908 3453 if you have any questions. Deep water pelagic experts Ned Brinkley (Editor of North American Birds) and Todd McGrath will lead the September 7-11 Searcher trip assisted by 40-years-on-the-Pacific-birder Dave Povey (more than 70 San Diego area pelagic Christmas bird counts under his belt) and pelagic seabirding enthusiast Terry Hunefeld. September SEARCHER trips from 2003-2008 have amassed an amazing list of species seen: Black-footed Albatross, Northern Fulmar, Bulwer’s Petrel, Murphy's Petrel, Cook's Petrel, Hawaiian Petrel, Flesh-footed Shearwater, Buller’s Shearwater, Pink-Footed Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Black-vented Shearwater, Least Storm-Petrel, Leach's Storm- Petrel, Ashy Storm-Petrel, Black Storm-Petrel, Red-billed Tropicbird, Red-necked Phalarope, Red Phalarope, South Polar Skua, Pomarine Jaeger, Parasitic Jaeger, Long-tailed Jaeger, Sabine's Gull, Arctic Tern, Pigeon Guillemot, Common Murre, Xantus's Murrelet, Craveri’s Murrelet, Cassin's Auklet, Rhinoceros Auklet. Learn more about this incredible trip: http://socalbirding.com/release/searchersep711.html Terry Hunefeld, Grand Rapids Michigan (home of Gerald Ford and Amway) until September 6. At sea on SEARCHER Sept 7-11. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: 'Sea Change' newsletter From: Tony Pym <tony_pym AT hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 4 Sep 2009 11:44:14 +0100 The newsletter of BirdLife's Global Seabird Progamme (Sea Change) has now been published and can be accessed here: http://www.birdlife.org/seabirds/downloads/Seachange_issue5_August09.pdf Regards Tony Pym _________________________________________________________________ Learn how to add other email accounts to Hotmail in 3 easy steps. http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/167688463/direct/01/ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Deep Water Zen SeaBirding Trip Report from Grande Aug 24-26, 2009 From: thunefeld <thunefeld AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:26:24 -0700 (PDT) Greetings, Changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes, nothing remains quite the same as 44 birders departed San Diego aboard Grande August 24 to spend 48 hours out to 150 miles offshore exploring the edge of the Continental Shelf to see just what seabirds might be seen out there. Our motto was, “There’s just too much to see, waiting in front of me, and I know that I just can't go wrong.” The trip report, trip track, trip photos and trip lists are posted: http://www.socalbirding.com/tripreports/sandiegoaug24262009.html EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: A first-of-its-kind trip video is posted on the site starring Todd McGrath, Jon Feenstra, Dave Povey, Tom Blackman, Jimmy McMorran (fishing), Wes Fritz, Bruce Rideout, Neil Gilbert, Steve N.G. Howell, John Garrett, Matt Sadowski, Todd Easterla, John Sterling and others in a wonderful, dazy, zen-like day deep-water seabirding off the coast of San Diego. W. Terry Hunefeld Grand Rapids, Michigan until Sept 6 Searcher Deep Water Pelagic Sept 7-11 Life is short. Seabird often. In memory of Luke Cole “Come on out with us to see what’s out there.” Southern California Seabirding Trips Buena Vista Audubon Society http://www.SoCalBirding.com Los Coronados Islands, Channel Islands to the Edge of the Continental Shelf Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SoCalBirding --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Andrew's Point, Rockport, MA Seawatch; 29 August 2009. From: Richard Heil <rsheil AT comcast.net> Date: Sat, 29 Aug 2009 19:58:13 -0400 SATURDAY, 29 AUGUST 2009: ANDREW'S POINT, ROCKPORT, MASSACHUSETTS Seawatch (0600-1700 hrs.) Weather: Overcast, rain (heavy at times), E>NE>NNE winds 22-40 mph, 58-61 F; Remnants of Tropical Storm "Danny" still well south of Cape Cod at end of period. Seas: 4-8 feet; Visibility: poor to very good in variable fog and rain. Richard S. Heil American Black Duck (2) Common Eider (14) Surf Scoter (1f.) White-winged Scoter (2) Common Loon (2): One in breeding plumage. Cory's Shearwater (432): New all time high count by large margin; Many seen at close range all appeared to be borealis. Greater Shearwater (3060) Sooty Shearwater (1710): New all time high count by large margin. Manx Shearwater (115): New all time high count; cf., 64 on 8/12/1998. shearwater sp. (250+): distant. Wilson's Storm-Petrel (34) Leach's Storm-Petrel (2) Northern Gannet (300) Double-crested Cormorant (35) Semipalmated Plover (1) Spotted Sandpiper (1) Whimbrel (1) Ruddy Turnstone (1) Sanderling (2) Semipalmated Sandpiper (1) Least Sandpiper (7+) peep sp. (8) Black-legged Kittiwake (3): 2 ads., 1 juv. Laughing Gull (136): 115 ads., 21 juvs. Ring-billed Gull (3) Herring Gull (70+) Great Black-backed Gull (50+) CASPIAN TERN (3 ads.): 5th record here. Black Tern (3) Roseate Tern (89): 2nd highest count, cf., 225 on 8/24/2005. Common Tern (580): 2nd highest count, cf., 1800 0n 8/24/05. Pomarine Jaeger (1 imm.) Parasitic Jaeger (8): Including 3 light adults. jaeger sp. (3) ATLANTIC PUFFIN (1): Actually regular here in August. Eastern Phoebe (1): Flew in high off the water from the north Tree Swallow (200+): many foraging far out over the sea. Bank Swallow (4) Barn Swallow (6) Richard S. Heil S. Peabody, MA rsheil AT comcast.net This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Trindade Petrel, Azores From: Tony Pym <tony_pym AT hotmail.com> Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2009 10:02:56 +0100 A dark-phase Trindade Petrel, the fifth for the Azores, was seen off Faial a few days back. Photos are here: http://azores.seawatching.net/photoref.php?s_id=191&b_id=8144&stat=0 Records have been in the months of May, July, August and October (mirroring the Carolinas). Regards Tony Pym _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live Messenger: Celebrate 10 amazing years with free winks and emoticons. http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/157562755/direct/01/ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Hatteras Pelagic Trip ADDED Sept. 12 (13); space on August 29, 30 From: "J. BRIAN PATTESON" <patteson1 AT embarqmail.com> Date: Sun, 23 Aug 2009 16:19:03 -0500 We were supposed to be out looking for White-faced Storm-Petrels over the last three days, but Hurricane Bill caused me to abort the mission. Even though the storm passed far offshore, there were hazardous conditions on the bar that were not worth the risk for Saturday, leaving us w/ a shot at maybe two days, and at best marginal weather for Sunday. Instead, we ran a Gulf Stream trip here from Hatteras on August 21, where we had actaully seen a White-faced Storm-Petrel on August 17. There were no real surprises, but we had good looks at the regularly occurring species and there were great photo ops. Our next trips here will head to the Gulf Stream from Hatteras on August 29 and 30. August 29 is nearly full, but we have plenty of space on August 30. We have also added a trip here on September 12, with a weather date the following day. Although it is not the best time of year to see a Fea's Petrel or European Storm-Petrel, late August and September can rival late May and early June in terms of species diversity and the potential for seeing a rarity. Compared to mid summer, there is more likelihood of shifting winds, which is one of the key factors that make the spring trips interesting. Late summer is also time for the northward dispersal of Bridled and Sooty Terns and the southbound migration of phalaropes, jaegers, and Sabine's Gulls. Some years there can be large numbers of shearwaters massing on or near the Continental Shelf, and this makes a good situation for seeing jaegers and sometimes South Polar Skua or Masked Booby. We have seen both White-tailed and Red-billed Tropicbirds on a number of late summer trips, and we have seen four species of gadfly petrels during this period, with sightings of Bermuda Petrel on August 28, 2006 and September 22, 2007! I enjoy running these late summer trips every bit is much as the spring trips because the potential for a surprise is so high and the dynamic with birds is so different. Instead of drifting or cruising around trying to lure passing tubenoses, jaegers, and skuas into our chum slick, we are usually on the move, scanning hard for birds feeding under natural conditions: Audubon's Shearwaters, Bridled Terns, and Long-tailed Jaegers around mats of Sargasso Weed or Cory's Shearwaters, Sooty Terns and other species chasing baitfish under attack by tunas or billfish. Sometimes the fish and marine mammals can be just as exciting to see as the birds. Recent highlights have included a pod of Cuvier's Beaked Whales surfacing right beside the boat, a breeding frenzy of Atlantic Spotted Dolphins, and a group of Atlantic Sailfish chasing a bait ball under the boat! Photographic opportunities can abound on these trips. Bridled Terns perched on flotsam and resting shearwaters often allow a close approach, and Wilson's Storm-Petrels sometimes feed on chum just a few feet off the rail. Whether it's your first pelagic trip or your fortieth, late summer holds promise for a memorable experience offshore, far from the troubles of land. It is a good time to enjoy some close looks at some birds you might not see every year. So forget about those fall warblers or shorebirds for a day or two and get on the boat with us for a change of scenery. There are no bushes for the birds to hide in and telescopes are not necessary. And most days there are no biting insects. It is well worth the price of admission. Birds seen on previous Gulf Stream trips between August 25 and September 25: Trindade (Herald) Petrel, Fea's Petrel, Bermuda Petrel, Black-capped Petrel, Cory's Shearwater, Greater Shearwater, Manx Shearwater, Audubon's Shearwater, Wilson's Storm-Petrel, Leach's Storm-Petrel, Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, White-tailed Tropicbird, Red-billed Tropicbird, Masked Booby, Brown Booby, Red-necked Phalarope, Red Phalarope, Sabine's Gull, Sooty Tern, Bridled Tern, South Polar Skua, Pomarine Jaeger, Parasitic Jaeger, Long-tailed Jaeger. For previous trip lists with species tallies, see http://www.seabirding.com/bpitrip.htm Brian Patteson Hatteras, NC brian AT patteson.com http://www.seabirding.com/ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Trip results: 8 August 2009: Perpetua Bank, Oregon From: Greg Gillson <greg AT thebirdguide.com> Date: Sun, 23 Aug 2009 08:47:21 -0700 (PDT) http://thebirdguide.com/pelagics/archive/08082009.htm The full report is above. Additional photos are at: http://www.pbase.com/gregbirder/20090808 Highlights include: 500 Black-footed Albatross 600 Pink-footed Shearwater 10 Buller's Shearwater 700 Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel 9 South Polar Skua 3 Long-tailed Jaeger 1 Humpback Whale 80 Blue Shark 30 Salmon Shark Greg Gillson The Bird Guide, Inc. greg AT thebirdguide.com http://thebirdguide.com --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Southern California Upcoming Pelagics From: Todd Mcgrath <toddamcgrath AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 19 Aug 2009 01:28:36 -0700 (PDT) Birders, There are still a number of SoCal pelagic trip trips left on the schedule for this fall. So far 2009 has been a most memorable year for pelagics off SoCal with trips in 2009 reporting such sought after species as Laysan Albatross, Cook’s Petrel (3 in May and 136 in July), Manx Shearwater, Flesh-footed Shearwater, Wilson’s Storm-petrel, Red- billed Tropicbird, Blue-footed Booby, South Polar Skua, Long-tailed Jaeger, Xantus’s Murrelet (both subspecies), Parakeet Auklet (3 trips) and Horned Puffin. And it’s only August, with the bulk of the fall seabird migration yet to come! Experts can debate what is causing this influx of species into our area, but whatever the reason, this is the year to get offshore. I have cleared as many weekends on my schedule as possible, and when I am not leading trips in SoCal, I will be on as many Shearwater Journeys trips as I can manage (some as a guest leader, others as a participant). Shearwater Journeys trips have already recorded hundreds of Cook’s Petrels and a handful of Hawaiian Petrels from both Monterey and Bodega Bay. I would advise Bodega Bay (preferred) or Albacore grounds trips from Monterey for petrels, but any fall Shearwater Journeys trip can find a rarity, and a day on Monterey Bay with Debi will always be memorable. After over 100 days on the bay, I still get excited every trip. Check the full schedule at shearwaterjourneys.com. Debi has added a Bodega trip for Sept 5 to look for rarities, and I’m pleased to be helping Debi out as a guest leader on this trip. As always there will be a collection of top notch leaders and birders onboard. Of course there are also a variety of upcoming trips here in SoCal. The next trip on the schedule with space available is the 8 hour trip on the Condor Express Sept 26th. This LA Audubon trip will head out past the Channel Islands at the peak of fall seabird migration. This trip will likely not get deep enough for Cook’s Petrels, but will be in the “zone” for rare shearwaters, storm-petrels and all the usual fall migrants. Cost is $115. Our 2 other 8 hour trips on the Condor Express this year produced Parakeet Auklets and Horned Puffin, proving that you don’t have to go to the edge of the shelf to find goodies. The only accepted SoCal record for Streaked Shearwater was Sept in this area, and there was a bulweria type petrel (likely a Bulwer’s) photographed off Santa Cruz Island a couple of years ago. Capt Matt and the Condor crew always do a great job, and they have been on a hot streak this year. I will put the LA Audubon contact information at the bottom of this report. The Capt of the Condor Express has also agreed to run a 12-13 hour trip to the shelf edge November 7th. This trip will cost $195 and will head either due west to Arguello Canyon, or to the San Juan Seamount, depending on weather and sea surface temps. Either place could produce Stejneger’s Petrel (with a cluster of records Oct-Nov) just to the north. Call the SeaLanding at 888-77WHALE to make a reservation. A more detailed description of this trip will be up on SoCal birding in a day or two. NOTE: YOU MUST RESERVE THROUGH LA AUDUBON FOR THE SEPT 26 TRIP. Terry “Tuna” Hunefeld and Buena Vista Audubon also have a great series of overnight and day trips aboard the Grande this fall. Red-billed Tropicbird has been seen on every overnight Grande trip, and the day trips to the Coronados combine some great San Diego pelagic birding with a taste of Mexico. All the Southern CA trips are described in detail at Socalbirding.com I hope you can join us for some trips this year. So far this has been the best year of SoCal pelagic birding in my 10 years doing trips, and there is still a lot of time at sea left this year. Todd McGrath Skua AT msn.com Calabasas CA and wherever the boat is Los Angeles Audubon Pelagic Reservation Instructions 2009 Option 1 –Mail Mail your check or Credit Card information and a SASE (for trip confirmation and information flyer) for each trip requested to: Los Angeles Audubon - Pelagics P.O. Box 931057 Los Angeles, CA 90093-1057. Option 2 –Call, pay with Credit Card Call Los Angeles Audubon at (323) 876-0202 (Mon. - Thur.) 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Option 3 –Email or Fax, pay with Credit Card E-Mail reservation request to: peltrip AT laaudubon.org Fax reservation request to: (323) 876-7609 You may now use Mastercard | Visa | Discover cards to charge your trip. Provide the cardholder’s billing name, card number, expiration date, and the last 3 numbers (security code) from the reverse of your card. Provide the name(s), mailing address, contact telephone number, and email address (if used) for each person requesting a reservation. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Sept 12 Alabama pelagic: Price reduction - last chance! From: swmavocet AT aol.com Date: Tue, 18 Aug 2009 23:11:19 -0400 Folks, ? With only a few days remaining to avoid a cancellation, there are presently only 5 people signed up for the Sept 12 Orange Beach pelagic - we need 10 more to fill out the boat. I know of a few more still deciding.? I hope this note tips the scales! ? Unbelievably, I was able to acquire some significant pelagic-stimulus funds this week.? What does this mean?? Bottomline, I am able to announce the per person trip price has been dropped from $192 to $135!!!!? Yes, you read correctly.? This price is basically the same?as six years ago in 2003, our last trip prior to this year!!!!??At the risk of sounding like a politician-salesman, you are unlikely to EVER see this kind of price again for a 12 hr, 140 mile roundtrip gulf pelagic trip!!! ? If this new price changes your mind, please forward your check to me immediately at the address below.? If I don't have 15 checks by Monday, Aug 24, the trip will be cancelled.? As always, it's first-come, first-served.? At these prices I expect more than 10 responses so you'd be wise to act quickly. ? For those who already sent in their check, I will obviously refund the difference if the trip goes off.? Your price is also $135 and your spot is secure.? ? Please act fast!? I'm glad to answer any questions you might have. ? Please forward this note to others you think might be interested. ? Steve McConnell 29 Village Drive NE Hartselle, AL? 35640 256-773-8560 - h 256-340-5378 - w 256-318-2072 - c swmavocet AT aol.com ? ? --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Re: Mice and seabirds on Gough Island From: Ross Wanless <rosswanless AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 17 Aug 2009 09:42:35 +0200 Hi Bill The damage appears mostly restricted to the winter months. We are indeed deeply concerned about the inappropriate rarity of the smaller species on Gough, but the reality is that the smaller spp are inordinately difficult to work on, and the evidence from Tristan albies and Atlantic Petrels (impacts on chicks from April-Oct and August-December, respectively) is more than sufficient motivation for doing an eradication. Research efforts are now concentrated on practical issues relating to eradications, rather than on widening the search for impacts on other species. Not that we don't care, just that there are limited resources. I have grave concern about the mouse impacts on the other winter breeders, esp Grey and Great-winged petrels, and the White-bellied SP (or possibly an odd race of Black-bellied SP lacking the black belly). Cheers Ross On Fri, Aug 14, 2009 at 12:44 PM, William Bourne wrote: > Apropos the message about signing a petition for the removal of mice eating > the albatrosses from Gough Island on 14 August, I saw no evidence for damage > to albatrosses when I was there in 1979, but I formed the impression that > they were already causing severe harm to the the storm- and diving-petrels, > in fact I was unable to find any evidence of breeding but sucked eggs, and I > wondered whether they were only surviving in the cliffs and on offshore > islets. This is also a serious consideration as some are endemic races, and > it is surprising that little has been said about them. > > Bill Bourne > > > > -- Ross Wanless +27 73 675 3267 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to seabird-news AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to seabird-news+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/seabird-news?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Mice and seabirds on Gough Island From: William Bourne <wrpbourne AT yahoo.co.uk> Date: Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:44:51 +0000 (GMT) Apropos the message about signing a petition for the removal of mice eating the albatrosses from Gough Island on 14 August, I saw no evidence for damage to albatrosses when I was there in 1979, but I formed the impression that they were already causing severe harm to the the storm- and diving-petrels, in fact I was unable to find any evidence of breeding but sucked eggs, and I wondered whether they were only surviving in the cliffs and on offshore islets. This is also a serious consideration as some are endemic races, and it is surprising that little has been said about them.   Bill Bourne --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to Seabird-News AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to Seabird-News+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Seabird-News?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Re: Petition to UK Government on Gough Island mice killing Tristan Albatrosses... From: Angus Wilson <gadflypetrel AT hotmail.com> Date: Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:23:27 -0400 Here, here! For UK citizens and expats, the petition takes a minute or two to complete. Let's hope it reaches receptive eyes at 10 Downing Street. It is hard to argue against removal of introduced mammals from seabird nesting islands as a most worthwhile outlet for dwindling conservation funds. The necessary expertise and technology is quite clearly available (much of it developed in NZ) and as outlined in a recent posting by Chris Gaskin, the results can be nearly instantaneous and spectacular. Here is a link to an old posting of mine on the dreaded albatross munching mice. oceanwanderersnews.blogspot.com/2008/05/of-mice-and-men-enlarged-rodents.html Cheers, Angus Wilson New York City, USA _________________________________________________________________ Express your personality in color! Preview and select themes for Hotmail®. http://www.windowslive-hotmail.com/LearnMore/personalize.aspx?ocid=PID23391::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HYGN_express:082009 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to Seabird-News AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to Seabird-News+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Seabird-News?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Petition to UK Government on Gough Island mice killing Tristan Albatrosses... From: John Brodie-Good <john.brodiegood AT btinternet.com> Date: Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:32:15 +0100 Hi all, Essential for all Brits at least,it only takes a few seconds to sign up, help persuade our dear government to fund the much needed mice eradication on Gough Island, for which the infamous Kiwi rat and cat catchers say they can do too. Cheers John Brodie-Good >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: Keith Betton >> To: Keith Betton >> Sent: Saturday, August 08, 2009 6:25 AM >> Subject: Petition to UK Government on Gough Island mice killing >> Tristan Albatross chicks >> >> Dear colleague >> >> Please help to motivate the Government to take notice of this >> problem by signing this petition. >> http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Territories/ >> >> In the South Atlantic, on a remote British island that is one of >> the world's most important seabird breeding colonies more than a >> million albatross, shearwater and petrel chicks, some goose-sized >> and weighing more than 20lbs, are being eaten alive every year - by >> mice. >> The mice are descendants of the British House Mouse. >> >> The mice attack at night, singly or in groups, gnawing into the >> chicks' bodies when they sit on the nest, and eventually kill them >> through blood loss or destruction of vital organs. >> It is thought it might eventually drive some of the 22 species of >> birds that breed on Gough to extinction >> >> There are fears that the UK Government is not placing enough of its >> financial resources into its Overseas Territory to save and >> enhance wildlife for which we have a clear responsibility. This >> petition draws attention to a British problem that can and should >> be solved by the British Government, and in particular the threat >> to the Tristan Albatross - a critically endangered species. >> >> Thanks >> >> Keith Betton >> --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to Seabird-News AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to Seabird-News+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Seabird-News?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Gulf of Mexico (Alabama) pelagic, September 12 From: swmavocet AT aol.com Date: Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:55:40 -0400 Folks, ? This note is a trolling attempt for a few more participants to fill out our September 12 boat departing from Orange Beach, Alabama.? The target location is once again the 500+ fathom waters off the Alabama continental shelf.? In June we found several storm-petrels but the lack of blue water and feeding activity conspired to skunk our attempts to find other goodies.? ? This 12 hr trip is $192 since we go 70+ miles offshore and spend several hours in deepwater, weather allowing of course. ? Past results may be seen at:? http://www.aosbirds.org/documents/PelagicTripSummary.pdf ? As you can see we've never taken a trip during the first half of September so there's no way to predict what will be found (but I would bet against a Cook's Petrel!).? ? If you have interest in this trip, please contact me ASAP at the email below.? Without several more participants, I will be forced to cancel the trip on Aug 21.? If the price?is the deciding factor that?keeps you from signing up, I would like to know that?also. ? I have no personal financial interest in this trip.? All $$ goes to captain, mate, and operating expenses. ? Thank you. ? STeve McConnell Hartselle, AL swmavocet AT aol.com --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to Seabird-News AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to Seabird-News+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Seabird-News?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Record numbers of Wilson's Petrels off the UK From: "ALLPORT, Gary" <gallport AT audubon.org> Date: Fri, 7 Aug 2009 11:22:29 -0400 Dear All I thought the group might find the news items below clipped from the Bird Guides bird news service weekly report for 6th August in the UK of interest. All the best Gary Allport ================ Bird of the Week ================ For so many years, the words "Wilson's Petrel" were uttered in almost the same hushed, reverential tones as Pallid Harrier, Pallas's Sandgrouse and Houbara Bustard. One of those almost mythical species that was near-impossible to see and, for good measure, was thought to be a pretty tough identification call. Single birds were seen from (amongst other places) St. Ives in Cornwall, one of the country's best seawatching headlands, in 1967, 1970 and 1978 and then, on perhaps the most famous seawatch of the modern era, one or two birds appeared amongst a wreck of Storm Petrels in the Cornish bay on 3rd September 1983. From then on, the status of Wilson's Storm-petrel began to change. The genuinely pioneering pelagic trips into the Western Approaches, led by fearless seabird guru Peter Harrison aboard the MV Chalice in 1987 and 1988, opened up everyone's eyes to the extent of just how "common" this seabird gem actually was: some 70 were seen on trips in August 1987 and around 100 were notched up the following year. Pelagic jaunts on Scillonian III followed and more and more birders began to get to grips with the species. Interestingly though, in 1989, Irish birders read of a record from August 1974 of an amazing 46 birds some 40km southwest of Dursey Island. Plainly the genie may have been out of the bottle for some time prior to the 1980s after all. Throughout the 1990s and on into the 2000s, more and more trips have been organised into British and Irish waters and Wilson's have become part and parcel of the midsummer to early autumn calendar. Leading the way are the resident birders on Scilly who have worked hard to establish regular summer occurrence patterns for the species, and their counterparts in Cornwall and across Ireland have shown how to find them too. There are also accepted records for Northumberland and even Shetland. But all records have to be re-written after August 1st, an amazing day of Wilson's Storm-petrel activity. Goodness knows how many could have been recorded on top of the 62 we know about. Top of the list comes Bridges of Ross in County Clare, with a remarkable day total of 27 birds, followed by Brandon Point in County Kerry where 15 were counted. Birders at sea around the Seven Stones reef, off the Isles of Scilly, scored at least 10 birds on their all-day pelagic trip, while a pelagic out of Padstow (Cornwall) produced five, with two more seen for the early starters who left St. Ives at the crack of dawn. And not to be outdone were the land-based seawatchers! Two birds lingered for three hours or so near Porthgwarra (Cornwall) while a single bird was noted from Strumble Head (Pembrokeshire). A quite extraordinary day. (with thanks to Ed Carty for information regarding the sighting off Dursey Island.) --------------------- The week at a glance --------------------- - Record single day for WILSON'S STORM-PETREL - BLACK-BROWED ALBATROSS reported again in Cornwall - Possible YELKOUAN SHEARWATER in Cornwall Warm days and windy days. Sunny days and soggy days. Cool days and muggy days. This week was, once again, a typically mixed-up bag of weather with plenty of bright spells along the east coast and plenty of cloud and rain across parts of southern and western Britain and Ireland. Even on the warm days, some parts of the country had a distinct, early autumn, evening nip in the air and the bird news through the week also began to ease itself towards the new season, with a decent array of classic, very early, autumn arrivals making landfall. There was no chance though of any landfall as far as the main event of the week is concerned. August 1st 2009 will enter the record books as the best day ever for WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS in the waters around the Irish west coast and the far southwest of England, with Bridges of Ross leading the way. This tremendous seawatching outpost in County Clare mustered an astonishing 27 birds throughout the course of the day, smashing any previous land-based records for the species within our waters by around a dozen birds or so. In County Kerry, off Brandon Point, another 15 birds were added to the total, while birders at sea around the Seven Stones reef off the Isles of Scilly scored at least 10 birds on their all-day pelagic trip. A pelagic out of Padstow (Cornwall) produced another five, with two more seen for the early starters who left St. Ives at the crack of dawn. Land-based seawatchers produced two Wilson's lingering (for up to three hours) near Porthgwarra (Cornwall) with the birders at Strumble Head (Pembrokeshire) adding a final bird to make the day's tally an incredible 62 birds. Other seabirds worthy of special note included a report of the immature BLACK-BROWED ALBATROSS again off Porthgwarra on 2nd, with possible YELKOUAN SHEARWATERS, both off them also from Porthgwarra, seen on 1st and 3rd. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to Seabird-News AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to Seabird-News+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Seabird-News?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Complete breast-bands on Fea's Petrels From: Tony Pym <tony_pym AT hotmail.com> Date: Tue, 4 Aug 2009 21:47:01 +0100 Re. Norway Pterodroma - caution on identification of P. mollis/feae, based on breast-bands. Further to Bill Bourne's and my notes on Pterodromas in the North Atlantic with complete breast-bands, reference was made to Bernie Zonfrillo seeing such a bird. I can add this was reported as Bird Notes from Madeira (Bocagiana 117:1-9) where Paul Jepson and Bernie reported two birds as possible Soft-plumaged Petrels (mollis), but Frank Zino considered these records dubious ''on the basis that some Fea's have extensive breast-bands with a gap as little as 10mm which may appear as a complete breast-band'' Tony Pym _________________________________________________________________ Upgrade to Internet Explorer 8 Optimised for MSN. http://extras.uk.msn.com/internet-explorer-8/?ocid=T010MSN07A0716U --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to Seabird-News AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to Seabird-News+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Seabird-News?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Re: COOKIN' IN THE COUNTIES: AUGUST 2, 2009 From: Force <pagodroma AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 4 Aug 2009 09:23:42 -0700 (PDT) Thanks Chris for passing on this information. I suppose the work on the Chatham Islands and the resultant increase in Chatham Island Petrel populations had a lot to do with our finding one in the eastern Pacific. The increase in breeding populations underscores the need for further at-sea surveys away from the breeding grounds to help fill in the big picture. Kudos to the dedicated staff of the NZ Dept of Conservation! happy seabirding Michael On Aug 3, 9:58 pm, "Chris Gaskin" wrote: > Hi Debbie, > > Actually the eradication of cats was the first of two important conservation > steps towards protecting Cook's Petrels on Little Barrier Island, their main > breeding colony. Breeding success of Cook's Petrels on Little Barrier Island > climbed from 5% to around 60% after rat (Pacific rat) eradication by NZ's > Department of Conservation in 2006. > > See: Rayner, M.J., Hauber, M.E., Clout, M.N. (2007). Breeding habitat of the > Cook's Petrel (Pterodroma cookii) on Little Barrier (Hauturu): implications > for the conservation of a New Zealand endemic. Emu, 107, 59-69 > > There are still some islands in the Hauraki Gulf to go but the eradication > of predators (rats mainly) on key islands has led to some quite rapid > changes in seabird populations. For example, increases in areas abundance > and colonization of new breeding areas have also been observed for > White-faced Storm Petrels, Northern Diving Petrels, Little and Fluttering > Shearwaters, and Grey-faced Petrels on the Mokohinau Islands following rat > eradication in 1990. > > Happy seabirding. > > Chris > > PS - hope you can organise another standing ovation when more of NZ's > endemics make their way to your waters, this time for the Department of > Conservation itself, where hard-working staff struggle to protect NZ's > precious biodiversity with ever-diminishing resources. > > Chris Gaskin > Pterodroma Pelagics > >  www.nzseabirds.com > > -----Original Message----- > From: Seabird-News AT googlegroups.com [mailto:Seabird-News AT googlegroups.com] > > On Behalf Of Debra Shearwater > Sent: Tuesday, 4 August 2009 4:18 p.m. > To: Debi Shearwater > Subject: [Seabird-News:1048] COOKIN' IN THE COUNTIES: AUGUST 2, 2009 > > Howdy, Seabirders, > > The full species list for MONTEREY, SANTA CRUZ AND SAN MATEO COUNTIES and > trip report for Shearwater Journeys' Cook's Petrel chase trip from Monterey > on August 2 is available at: > > http://shearwaterjourneys.blogspot.com/2009/08/cookin-in-counties.html > > Currently, we have spaces available for another dedicated chase trip this > Thursday, August 6, departing from Monterey at 6 am.  At this time the trip > has enough seabirders subscribed for the trip to GO. Reservations are > necessary. Please email Debra Shearwater, as below. > > Pterodromas forever, > > Debi > > Debra Shearwater > > Shearwater Journeys, Inc. > > PO Box 190 > > Hollister, CA 95024 > > 831.637.8527 > > d... AT shearwaterjourneys.com > > www.shearwaterjourneys.com > > www.shearwaterjourneys.blogspot.com > > **Antarctica, South Georgia, & The Falkland Islands, January 5-24, 2010* > > Shearwater Journeys' Exclusive Charter > > Waiting list available --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to Seabird-News AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to Seabird-News+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Seabird-News?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Re: COOKIN' IN THE COUNTIES: AUGUST 2, 2009 From: "Chris Gaskin" <CHRIS.GASKIN AT xtra.co.nz> Date: Tue, 4 Aug 2009 16:58:00 +1200 Hi Debbie, Actually the eradication of cats was the first of two important conservation steps towards protecting Cook's Petrels on Little Barrier Island, their main breeding colony. Breeding success of Cook's Petrels on Little Barrier Island climbed from 5% to around 60% after rat (Pacific rat) eradication by NZ's Department of Conservation in 2006. See: Rayner, M.J., Hauber, M.E., Clout, M.N. (2007). Breeding habitat of the Cook's Petrel (Pterodroma cookii) on Little Barrier (Hauturu): implications for the conservation of a New Zealand endemic. Emu, 107, 59-69 There are still some islands in the Hauraki Gulf to go but the eradication of predators (rats mainly) on key islands has led to some quite rapid changes in seabird populations. For example, increases in areas abundance and colonization of new breeding areas have also been observed for White-faced Storm Petrels, Northern Diving Petrels, Little and Fluttering Shearwaters, and Grey-faced Petrels on the Mokohinau Islands following rat eradication in 1990. Happy seabirding. Chris PS - hope you can organise another standing ovation when more of NZ's endemics make their way to your waters, this time for the Department of Conservation itself, where hard-working staff struggle to protect NZ's precious biodiversity with ever-diminishing resources. Chris Gaskin Pterodroma Pelagics www.nzseabirds.com -----Original Message----- From: Seabird-News AT googlegroups.com [mailto:Seabird-News AT googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Debra Shearwater Sent: Tuesday, 4 August 2009 4:18 p.m. To: Debi Shearwater Subject: [Seabird-News:1048] COOKIN' IN THE COUNTIES: AUGUST 2, 2009 Howdy, Seabirders, The full species list for MONTEREY, SANTA CRUZ AND SAN MATEO COUNTIES and trip report for Shearwater Journeys' Cook's Petrel chase trip from Monterey on August 2 is available at: http://shearwaterjourneys.blogspot.com/2009/08/cookin-in-counties.html Currently, we have spaces available for another dedicated chase trip this Thursday, August 6, departing from Monterey at 6 am. At this time the trip has enough seabirders subscribed for the trip to GO. Reservations are necessary. Please email Debra Shearwater, as below. Pterodromas forever, Debi Debra Shearwater Shearwater Journeys, Inc. PO Box 190 Hollister, CA 95024 831.637.8527 debi AT shearwaterjourneys.com www.shearwaterjourneys.com www.shearwaterjourneys.blogspot.com **Antarctica, South Georgia, & The Falkland Islands, January 5-24, 2010* Shearwater Journeys' Exclusive Charter Waiting list available --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to Seabird-News AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to Seabird-News+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Seabird-News?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: leaving the Cook's trail From: Michael Force <pagodroma AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2009 21:22:14 -0700 (PDT) Hi Birders, After two days of three-digit numbers of Cook's Petrels off Monterey Bay, all it took was a 90 NM jog to the north, and all I could find on Sunday was a trickle of 36 birds, from about 181 NM W of Point Santa Cruz to 100 NM W of Pigeon Point. Have they passed through or are we now working away from their main passage route? Every single bird that wasn't sitting on the water was flying northwesterly. A Hawaiian Petrel made a close leisurely pass across the bow 144 NM W of Point Santa Cruz. Very little else out here: a couple of Black-footed Albatrosses, a handful of Leach's Storm-Petrels, and another flock of southbound Whimbrel. We're now heading eastwards to the Gulf of the Farallones and I'm getting ready to count murres. happy seabirding, Michael Force currently aboard NOAA ship McArthur II 100 NM west of Pigeon Point pagodroma AT yahoo.com __________________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Canada Toolbar: Search from anywhere on the web, and bookmark your favourite sites. Download it now http://ca.toolbar.yahoo.com. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to Seabird-News AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to Seabird-News+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Seabird-News?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Australia-New Caledonia-Vanuatu cruise report posted From: Gail Mackiernan <katahdinss AT comcast.net> Date: Sun, 02 Aug 2009 08:01:29 -0400 Hi Seabirders, We have just posted the trip report from our December 08 cruise from Sydney out to Efate (Vanuatu) onto the Surfbirds web site www.surfbirds.com. We had quite a good selection of tubenoses on this passage, although albatrosses were conspicuous by their absence! Have to warn you that it also contains some (gasp!) land bird sightings from the various islands we visited, including the almost-mythical Ouvea Parakeet. Since we had been to New Caledonia before, we didn't go for the Kagu again -- good thing as it heaved with rain the whole day! Have great sea-birding (sure wish we were in Monterey today, good luck Debi!) Gail Mackiernan and Barry Cooper Silver Spring, MD --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to Seabird-News AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to Seabird-News+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Seabird-News?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Monterey Bay pelagics 31 July From: Michael Force <pagodroma AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:41:01 -0700 (PDT) Birders, Continuing our hydrographic/biological survey of the central California coast found us today(Friday) working southwest from about 9 to 50 NM southwest of Cypress Point. Lots of Cook's Petrels around, as Debi Shearwater's spectacular pelagic trip also found (see her report). I saw a total of 179, almost all concentrated in a relatively small area from around 25 to 35 NM southwest of Cypress Point over water deeper than 1100 fathoms. Then, the large rafts and small wheeling flocks vanished. Either that or we simply steamed beyond their favoured location. In a flock of about 40 Cook's was a nice Stejneger's Petrel, hardly surprising considering how many Cook's are around. Long-tailed Jaegers are on the move and there was also the first Arctic Tern for this survey. happy seabirding, Michael Michael Force currently aboard NOAA ship McArthur IIabout 60 NM southwest of Cypress Point, CA pagodroma AT yahoo.com __________________________________________________________________ Connect with friends from any web browser - no download required. Try the new Yahoo! Canada Messenger for the Web BETA at http://ca.messenger.yahoo.com/webmessengerpromo.php --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to Seabird-News AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to Seabird-News+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Seabird-News?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: 138 Cook’s; 1 Stejneger’s Petrel - NEW TRIP THIS SUNDAY! From: thunefeld <thunefeld AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:11:54 -0700 (PDT) Greetings I received a phone call today (Friday July 31) from Todd McGrath who was on Monterey Bay with Debi Shearwater. A research vessel in the Monterey sea valley recorded a Stejneger's Petrel today and Debi’s trip saw 138 Cook’s Petrels and 120 Long-tailed Jaegers - all within 15 miles from Point Sur. This is shaping up to be the biggest Cook’s Petrel year in history, now with a Stejneger’s Petrel to chase. This just in from Todd to CalBirds: “There will be a trip Sunday Aug 2 heading back into the bay to look for these and others. There were 138 Cook's and 120 LT jaegers today plus lots of other birds. email Debi or call her at (650) 401-7236. cost will be approx same as bay trip, but check with Debi. This is the chance of a lifetime, and most of the leaders from today are going as participants. Hope to see you Sun. Todd Mcgrath Sitting in my car skua AT msn” The next of Debi’s trips with space available is August 7 from Monterey Bay and this is the year to be on a Debi Shearwater trip if you wish to see pterodromas. Her Fort Bragg trips have incredible success ratios for finding Hawaiian Petrel. Debi will not be home or in the office during the next week, so email her for space availability on upcoming trips. Debi’s email: debi AT shearwaterjourneys.com Debi’s Trip Schedule: http://www.shearwaterjourneys.com/schedule.shtml Shearwater Journeys: http://socalbirding.com/shearwaterjourneys.html The 48-hour August 24-26 Grande trip from San Diego is sold out. Two more 48-hour deep water trips are scheduled out of San Diego, one for Oct, one for Nov. October is filling fast. Details: http://socalbirding.com/upcomingtrips.html The September 7-11 deep-water trip aboard the live-aboard SEARCHER may have one spot available and provides your best chance of seeing these rarities in this exceptional year for SoCal seabirding - call Celia to get the last spot or a place on the wait list. Details: http://socalbirding.com/upcomingtrips/searchersep711.html Pterodromas forever, W. Terry Hunefeld, Encinitas Life is short. Seabird often. In memory of Luke Cole “Come on out with us to see what’s out there.” Southern California Seabirding Trips Buena Vista Audubon Society http://www.SoCalBirding.com Los Coronados Islands, Channel Islands to the Edge of the Continental Shelf Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SoCalBirding --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to Seabird-News AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to Seabird-News+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Seabird-News?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- Subject: Indian Ocean Seabird Expedition 2010 New! From: John Brodie-Good <john.brodiegood AT btinternet.com> Date: Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:56:52 +0100 Hi all, We are now marketing another world first pelagic, this one put together by Richard Baxter in Australia. A circumnavigation of the Indian Ocean available in three legs on an ocean-going yacht..... Leg 1 Broome - Christmas Island 5th September 2010 8 days Already waitlist only however the waitlist is still open..... Leg 2 Christmas Island to Mauritius 16th September 2010 28 days via Cocos-Keeling, Rodriques, Reunion and Round Island Places available Leg 3 Mauritius to Fremantle via Heard and McDonald Islands 14th October 2010 35 days This sector is especially aimed at Aussie birders but there are two places still available. Full details including a full colour PDF can be found here > > > http://www.wildwings.co.uk/indianocean.html > > Serious enquiries to tours AT wildwings.co.uk (Any Aussie/Kiwi enquiries I will re-direct to Richard). Cheers John Brodie-Good WildWings UK --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Seabird News" group. To post to this group, send email to Seabird-News AT googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to Seabird-News+unsubscribe AT googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Seabird-News?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---