Hello everyone,
Brian Patteson sent out a message to everyone on his bulk e-mail list.
Apparently the message is too long to be sent to VA Birds because I
tried that and it hasn't shown up. Anyone who wants to see the whole
message, I'm happy to forward it. Anyway, he would like to know how
many people are interested in a pelagic out of Virginia Beach in
September. If there is enough interest he is willing to bring the boat
up for a few weeks. I've kept the pertinent parts of the message below.
Sue
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: July and August Hatteras Pelagic Update; Input Requested
Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2006 22:26:48 -0400
From: J. BRIAN PATTESON <patteson1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: J. BRIAN PATTESON <patteson1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Seabirding Contacts <brian@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
snip...
We plan to keep running weekly birding trips through September, with the
idea to relocate to Virginia Beach after mid September for a couple of
weeks. At this point, I would like some input about a number of
possibilities in order to firm up the rest of the schedule.
First, I would like to know how many people are truly interested in
trips to look for White-faced Storm-Petrel. We plan to do this in late
September from Virginia (probably 23 and 30), but if there is enough
interest, we might also run a couple of trips from Oregon Inlet, NC
prior to that. This species does not typically occur in the hot blue
Gulf Stream water to the south of Oregon Inlet, but rather is found in
the cooler water to the east and northeast. This means those trips do
not usually see Black-capped Petrels or other Pterodroma species or
tropicbirds. White-faced Storm-Petrels are rare enough that it
sometimes takes two or three days to find one, even in the appropriate
area.
Second, I would like to know how many keen photographers would be
interested in some dedicated "photo-pelagics." Over the years, I have
been fortunate enough to get some excellent images of many of the
seabirds here off Cape Hatteras. It took me many years to do it, but
with a little luck, I can provide photographers with many trips worth of
photo-ops in just a couple of days. The equipment available today makes
it possible to do quite well, with just a little e practice. By
spending time in the right areas and chumming for long periods, we can
have long sessions photographing seabirds. We might not see as many
birds as we would in a regular trip where we are more mobile, but the
possibility for rarities with the chum might be just as good and the
time with the common birds will be much greater. In late August and
September, the numbers of shearwaters and terns (Bridled and Sooty)
along the weed lines, along with the occasional juvenile Long-tailed
Jaeger, can be quite impressive. In July and early August, it can be a
good time to photograph Band-rumped Storm-Petrels and the occasional
tropicbird. I would like to operate the photo trips with six to ten
photographers. The cost would be $400/person for TWO DAYS (half that
if one day were weathered out.) If there is sufficient interest of six
or more participants for the same pair of days, we will try it this
summer.
Third, I would like to know how many people are interested in trips from
Virginia Beach around September 23 and 30. This time period has
produced White-faced Storm-Petrel in the past, as well as lots of
shearwaters, and sometimes jaegers (including Long-tailed.). We have
even seen Fea's Petrel and Trindade Petrel there in September (once
each- a long shot to say the least!)
Brian Patteson
Hatteras, NC
brian@xxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.seabirding.com/
(252) 986-1363
--
Susan A. Heath
George Mason University
Environmental Science Department
Fairfax, VA
Secretary, Virginia Avian Records Committee
Keeper, Virginia Comp List at www.virginiabirding.org
