2012
Winter Rates and Information
*Price
$160
per person per day
*Price for both trips President's Day Weekend $300
*Meeting time : 0600 at either Hatteras Landing
Marina in Hatteras, NC
or Wanchese, NC (we will
send
directions to you
via email with your confirmation)
*Limited to only 20 spaces per day (#'s limited for everyone's comfort)
Well heated
cabin.
Click here to see photos and learn more about
the possibilities.
Click
here to see the trip lists from Winter 2011
In the past,
nearly all of our NC winter trips have departed from Hatteras Inlet because it was
difficult for find a US Coast Guard inspected vessel available to run trips for
us departing from Oregon Inlet. This
is no longer an issue since we now have our own vessel for use on these trips.
Weather is often a factor on winter trips.
In some cases, strong winds force us to remain ashore for a day and or limit
the distance we can travel on a trip. With
this in mind, our winter trips always have a weather date to give
participants a good chance to get offshore.
In 2007 we took it a step further to include a weather port, and we will
continue with this option in 2012.
Our primary departure point for the winter trips will be Hatteras, NC. There are times , however,
when we will operate from Oregon Inlet, departing from Wanchese harbor.
When the
wind is blowing hard from the southwest, Hatteras Inlet can be quite rough and
the ocean waters on the leeward side of Hatteras Island are easier to reach from
Oregon Inlet. The resultant
upwelling off the north beach during these conditions is also attractive to a
variety of seabirds.
During most winter days, and particularly when there is large swell and or a
brisk northeasterly wind, Hatteras
is a better departure point than Oregon Inlet.
The inlet there is sheltered from the swell, and this allows us to run trips on
days we could not from Oregon Inlet or Va. Beach. We have seen
many Great Skuas closer to Hatteras Inlet than Oregon Inlet, even on trips that
have traveled north of Diamond Shoals. One of
our February Hatteras trips even found a Yellow-nosed Albatross just three miles
off Avon!
Over the years our North Carolina trips
have been very productive for seeing a variety of alcids, Great Skua, and other
seabirds not frequently seen on our spring and summer trips such as : Northern
Fulmar, Manx Shearwater, Red Phalarope, and Black-legged Kittiwake.
Last winter we saw record numbers of Dovekie from Hatteras with over 800 counted
in one day! While our trips off the Virginia Capes have been more consistent in
finding Dovekie and Atlantic Puffin, the waters near Cape Hatteras seem better
than those off the Virginia Capes for Great Skua and large numbers of Razorbill.
Although Virginia Beach is a more convenient departure point for many of
you, the breadth of the continental shelf makes these trips much longer in
duration than our trips from Hatteras or Oregon Inlets.
Good winter birding is much closer to shore here, in some cases, 40 or 50
miles closer than off the coast of Virginia.
With this in mind, our 2012 winter schedule will again focus our efforts on the
waters here in North Carolina.
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