September Pelagic Results 1993 - 1996

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.

Location MNC MNC MNC MNC MNC MNC MNC HNC HNC MNC MNC HNC HNC
Date 9/2/95 9/3/95 9/4/93 9/5/93 9/5/98 9/6/98 9/14/98 9/16/95 9/17/94 9/18/93 9/19/92 9/25/94 9/29/96
Pied-billed Grebe         4                
Great Blue Heron             1            
Black-capped Petrel 8 20 35 57 2 4 66 38 39 83 24 62 13
Trinidade Petrel   2                   2 prob.  
Fea's Petrel               1          
Cory's Shearwater 188 175 110 1354 126 190 501 500 1806 382 916 1400 888
Greater Shearwater   3 1 11 2 2   3 13 10 4 1 1
Manx Shearwater                         3-5
Audubon's Shearwater 179 85 60 70 22 79 92 45 161 123 139 200 289
Wilson's Storm-Petrel 104 58 22 186 20 77 60 7 29 147 22 57  
Leach's Storm-Petrel                       2  
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel     1                    
White-tailed Tropicbird                       1  
Red-billed Tropicbird 1                        
Tropicbird sp.               1          
Masked Booby                   1      
Brown Booby                 1        
Red-necked Phalarope 4 2 34 49 177 192 35 1 76 9 87 15  
Red Phalarope     1                    
Phalarope sp.   11                 11    
Pomarine Jaeger 3 1       3   4 1 3 6 9 13
Parasitic Jaeger         1   1 1 3       2
Long-tailed Jaeger 1     3 1 1     7       6
Jaeger sp.       1 2 3 2   4 2 1 1 3
South Polar Skua                     2    
Skua sp.               1          
Herring Gull         1   1            
Laughing Gull             3            
Sabine's Gull       1           1     2
Royal Tern             2            
Common Tern 4 3 25 7 100 19 15 ** 97 20   40 355
Arctic Tern       1 1                
Bridled Tern 2 1 18 34 91+ 24 13 1 41 33 42 1 2
Sooty Tern 1   88 59 3           4   7
Sterna sp. (dark)       10             13    
Sterna sp. (white)                 8        
Black Tern     4   250+ 208 108   4 8     3
Peregrine Falcon           1              
Eastern Kingbird           1              
American Redstart         2                
warbler sp.         2                
Bottlenose Dolphin         25 15+ 20            
Pilot Whale         20 89+              
Cuvier's Beacked Whale             1            
Sperm Whale         2-3                

** = 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