[Bristol-Birds] Hatteras Field Trip

The attendence of  members on our Hatteras/Outer Banks field this past 
weekend was rather poor.  Intitially, 6 signed up to go.  Then, before the 
deadline 
to send in reservation money for the pelagic trip, two dropped out for 
financial reasons.  Eventually, one more had to drop out due to a serious 
family 
health situation.  Thus, three of us were left....and we went!  When we arrived 
in 
Buxton in the afternoon, it was a bit windy but OK.  After getting settled we 
did a little birding.  On Saturday we were up early for our all day pelagic 
trip.  It was windy when we set sail, and eventually the winds produced  8-12 
foot waves with heavy rain falling at times.  We did see some good birds, 
however, and returned to shore with a decent list.  On Sunday, I had to leave 
early 
due to a health problem in my own family, but we birded until noon on Pea 
Island.  Lois Cox and Wilma Boy stayed on until Tuesday.  Here is the list from 
our abbreviated and poorly attended trip, which includes birds going to and 
coming back from Hatteras:  (app. means approximate number due to the 
possibility 
of repetitive sightings)     Pied-billed Grebe, Black-capped Petrel (20+), 
Cory's Shearwater (app. 10), Audubon's Shearwater ( app. 3), Wilson's 
Storm-Petrel (app. 10), Brown Pelican (at least 100), Double-crested Cormorants 
(many), 
Anhinga (1), Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, 
Tricolored Heron, White Ibis (several), Mute Swan (4), Snow Goose (1), Canada 
Goose, American Black Duck,  Mallard, Northern Pintail (at least 1000), 
American 
Wigeon, Turkey Vulture, Northern Harrier, Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, 
American Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, American Coot, Black-bellied Plover, 
Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, American Avocet (11), Lesser Yellowlegs, Willet, 
Sanderling, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Pomarine Jaeger (1), Laughing Gull, 
Ring-billed 
Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Caspian Tern, Royal Tern, Common 
Tern, Rock Dove, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Pileated Woodpecker, 
Eastern Phoebe (1 possible at sea), Tree Swallow (many), Blue Jay, American 
Crow, 
Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Gray Catbird, Cedar Waxwing, European 
Starling, Northern Parula, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Palm Warbler, Northern 
Cardinal, 
Rufous-sided Towhee, Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, 
Boat-tailed Grackle and House Sparrow.  We also were graced with visits by 
Spotted Dolphins (the deep sea version of the porpoise) and Mahi Mahi (caught 
by the 
ship's captain) a spectacularly beautiful fish with  a back of briliant blue 
changing to lime green and then yellow as you scanned torward its belly and 
gracefully streamlined.  At the Gulf Stream we encountered Sargassum Weed 
floating, and the samples brought on board harbored tiny Sargassum Fish.  A 
great 
experience in spite of the heavy seas!
John Moyle        Glen Alpine Road           Kingsport, Sullivan County



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