August Pelagic Results 1992 - 1998

As you will see by studying the following charts, each trip is different, and even consecutive trips may produce very different bird lists, even when they visit the same localities offshore. Where there were hundreds of birds one day, there may be only a handful the next. Birds follow food offshore, and when their food source disappears, they do too. With this in mind, we cannot overstress the value of signing up for more than one pelagic trip when you come to the Outer Banks, particularly if you do not have many opportunities to visit the area. While it is rare, we are occasionally weathered out, and a second trip is good insurance for getting offshore during your visit. But even when the weather is good, another trip means that you have a better chance to see the birds that you want to see, particularly if you are looking for the less common species. Remember also, when you look at the following charts, that just because one or two Band-rumped Storm-Petrels were seen on one day does not mean that everyone on the boat saw them to their satisfaction. We always do our best to get everyone onboard "onto the birds", but in some cases the birds fly away quickly. While we do use fast boats and, in some cases, we can successfully pursue fleeing birds, there are some days when the sea conditions limit our movements and ability to get closer. With these things in mind, don't be discouraged, but do have realistic expectations before you get on the boat. And don't forget to study beforehand; pelagic birds often fly by for a close look, but they may not stay long enough for the trip leaders to point out all of their field marks.

August 1 - August 13

Location HNC HNC HNC HNC HNC HNC MNC HNC HNC HNC MNC HNC HNC HNC HNC HNC
Date 8/2/97 8/3/96 8/3/97 8/4/96 8/5/95 8/6/95 8/8/92 8/8/98 8/9/97 8/9/98 8/10/92 8/10/96 8/10/97 8/11/96 8/12/95 8/13/94
Black-capped Petrel 14 48 36 247 18 192 9 115 133 71 67 228 101 219 45 6
Trinidade (Herald) Petrel         1 prob.   1 1           1    
Cory's Shearwater 79 31 192 132 1423 43 945 733 66 536 54 697 55 221 1150 964
Greater Shearwater 89   241   84 2 26 183 27 112 1 9 21 5 100 19
Manx Shearwater                       2-4   2-3    
Sooty Shearwater                         1      
Audubon's Shearwater 359 60 155 34 1173 28 51 309 70 704 28 952 36 69 200 611
Wilson's Storm-Petrel 44 115 61 128 23 11 27 258 66 387 231 223 47 62 30 16
Leach's Storm-Petrel 5   2         11   5   7 10   2 1
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel 27 3 42 10 5 4 2 156 6 18 6 47 54 12 7 3
Swinhoe's Storm-Petrel               1                
Oceanodroma sp.                     6          
White-tailed Tropicbird   1   1 3     1         3      
Red-billed Tropicbird                               1
Masked Booby         1                      
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron               1                
Red-necked Phalarope       6 3 3 2 13   4 12 3     10  
Phalarope sp.                       16        
Pomarine Jaeger 10   12   4   22 5 3 3 5   4   1 1
Parasitic Jaeger           1 4                  
Long-tailed Jaeger 1           2                 3
Jaeger sp. 2   2       11 3 2 3       1 2 1
South Polar Skua               1         2      
Royal Tern 1             16   5            
Common Tern 5       10 Ö   3 1 21         2  
Arctic Tern                         1      
Least Tern                 1              
Bridled Tern 1 27 2 7 4 6   16   100 4 1   8 3  
Sooty Tern     1 1 20 3 1 5   5   13     1 5
Sterna sp. (dark)         3 3                 5 1
Black Tern   12   3 Ö Ö Ö 2 3 3 Ö Ö 1 Ö Ö 7
Blue-winged Warbler                   1            
Bottlenose Dolphin               73 35 15     40      
Atlantic Spotted Dolphin     7         20   42   1        
Risso's Dolphin     8                          
Pilot Whale 13             3 2 22            
Cuvier's Beaked Whale 2             15   14            
Sperm Whale                 1              

August 13 - August 27

Location HNC HNC MNC MNC MNC HNC HNC HNC MNC HNC MNC HNC MNC HNC
Date 8/13/95 8/14/94 8/15/98 8/16/93 8/16/98 8/20/94 8/23/97 8/24/96 8/24/97 8/25/96 8/25/97 8/26/95 8/27/93 8/27/95
Black-capped Petrel 57 8   13 141 74 255 153 538 24 17 40 46 14
Trinidade Petrel       1                    
Cory's Shearwater 144 617 132 755 353 103 118 409 174 171 420 345 675 130
Greater Shearwater 10 15 18 21 15 1   1 28 2 753 9 116 2
Manx Shearwater     1                      
Audubon's Shearwater 98 296 54 71 37 21 137 106 175 77 278 37 56 91
Wilson's Storm-Petrel 35 17 616 97 59 78 139 130 208 96 95 76 81 50
White-faced Storm-Petrel                         1  
Leach's Storm-Petrel       12       1     2      
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel 6 1 1 3 76 6 4 1 1 4     8 2
White-tailed Tropicbird 1     1       3       1    
Red-billed Tropicbird                           1
Northern Gannet                     1      
Masked Booby           1                
Red-necked Phalarope 3 5   39 11 7 4 16   28 3 2 1  
Phalarope sp.             1   1          
Pomarine Jaeger 1 4   2 4     1 5   8 1 4 1
Parasitic Jaeger   1     1     1     2      
Long-tailed Jaeger   2   1   1 1 5 1 5 7      
Jaeger sp.         1   1   5 2 1   1 1
South Polar Skua               3            
Skua sp.               1            
Royal Tern         12                  
Sandwich Tern         1                  
Common Tern Ö 3 5 38 28 29 2   1     Ö 31 Ö
Least Tern         2                  
Bridled Tern 3 3 18 14 14 7 68 18 4 28 3 1 11 13
Sooty Tern 2   2 2 1 2 23   6   23 9 6 21
Sterna sp. (dark)           4                
Black Tern Ö 1   1 14 64 76 28 76 139 14 Ö 13 Ö
Barn Swallow     2                      
Louisiana Waterthrush     1                      
Bottlenose Dolphin     12       11   3   27      
Atlantic Spotted Dolphin         10   4       6      
Pilot Whale     78   6       2   2      
Cuvier's Beaked Whale     9   7       2   2      

August 28 - August 31

Location HNC MNC MNC
Date 8/29/93 8/30/97 8/31/97
Black-capped Petrel 108 118 22
Trinidade Petrel     1
Cory's Shearwater 392 248 133
Greater Shearwater 3 29 16
Audubon's Shearwater 77 18 47
Wilson's Storm-Petrel 193 150 72
White-faced Storm-Petrel      
Leach's Storm-Petrel      
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel 4   1
White-tailed Tropicbird     2
Red-billed Tropicbird      
Northern Gannet      
Masked Booby      
Red-necked Phalarope 19 69 24
Red Phalarope   1  
Phalarope sp.      
Pomarine Jaeger   2 1
Parasitic Jaeger 1 3  
Long-tailed Jaeger   1 1
Jaeger sp.   1 1
South Polar Skua      
Skua sp.      
Sandwich Tern   6 11
Common Tern 11 5 17
Bridled Tern 25 23 33
Sooty Tern 4    
Sterna sp. (dark) 6    
Black Tern 48 47 Ö
Bottlenose Dolphin   Ö 27
Atlantic Spotted Dolphin      
Pilot Whale   Ö  
Cuvier's Beaked Whale     2

Ö = Seen but numbers not recorded.

Prob. = Probable, thought to be this species, but due to distance, lighting conditions, brevity of observation or a combination of these factors, not identified to species with 100% certainty (i.e., Trinidade Petrel prob. = dark Pterodroma, Fea's Petrel prob. = P. feae/madeira complex).

HNC= Hatteras, NC; MNC= Manteo, NC