New Hampshire Audubon advertised a pelagic birding trip in early June to Jeffrey's Ledge, an underwater glacial ridge 35km off the coast of New Hampshire. The trip departed in dense fog from Rye Harbor at 8am for an all-day birding excursion on the MV Granite State. Guided by NH Audubon leader Steve Mirick, we were two in a group of about fifty birders.
 |
| Sue and Jorge dressed for a day of pelagic birding. |
Steve advised us on seabirding etiquette: Shout out a description of what you see, (dark bird, flying low) and give an idea of direction and distance (2 o'clock, halfway to the horizon, moving left to right). To explain, if the forward direction of the boat is considered as noon, then 2:00 is 60 degrees off the starboard bow - you see? who knows what the "starboard bow" is? who can quickly calculate 60 degrees? so, 2 o'clock is a simple way to indicate direction.
Isles of Shoals
The first point of interest was the Isles of Shoals, six miles (10km) out in the Atlantic. A group of small rocky islands, "Shoals" is partly in Maine and partly in New Hampshire, with a centuries-long history of habitation, by fishermen, vacationers and seabirds.
 |
| Star Island Hotel seen from Gosport Harbor, Isles of Shoals, New Hampshire |
Other marine life
The boat's captain and crew were familiar with local marine life, and pointed out enormous basking sharks (Cetorhinus maximus), huge schools of young mackerel (Scomber scombrus) and minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). Cruising eastward through continued thick fog, we picked up very few seabirds - one lone Northern Fulmar, a pair of Red-necked Phalarope, and a fishing flock of Northern Gannet mixed with Herring and Black-backed Gulls.
 |
| Young Humpbacked Whale - Pinball's baby. |
Nearing Jeffrey's Ledge, the captain changed course to bring us close to a mother and baby Humpbacked Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). What a thrill to observe these enourmous mammals at close range. Biologists can recognize individual adults by unique patterns on the tail flukes - we were watching Pinball and her calf, born this winter off the Dominican Republic.
By early afternoon the fog finally lifted, revealing the pelagic birds that we had come out to Jeffrey's Ledge to see - Wilson's Petrels (Oceanites oceanicus), Sooty Shearwaters (Puffinus griseus), and one lone Parasitic Jaeger (
Part 2 - Machias Seal Island
Home to a vibrant colony of Atlantic Puffins, Machias Seal Island sits ten miles (15km) out to sea, in the Gulf of Maine. Claimed equally by the United States and Canada, the island is administered and inhabited by the Canadian Coast Guard. Access to the island is controlled, with only two tour companies landing each day - the US tour in the morning, the Canadian tour in the afternoon - every day from mid-May through August.
 |
| Cutler Harbor, 7am, awaiting the Barbara Frost. |
We sailed with the Bold Coast Charter company out of Cutler, Maine, with Captain Andrew Patterson on his sturdy Downeast fishing boat, the Barbara Frost. Our group numbered about 18, with a mix of birders, photographers and puffin enthusiasts. While his young assistant piloted the boat, Andy chatted about the seabirds, marine life in general, and how lucky we were to have a day with calm seas. Nearing the island, Razorbills (Alca torda), Common Murres (Uria aalge) and Atlantic Puffins (Fratercula arctica) were numerous in the water and air - "buzzing" back and forth on rapid wingbeats, floating in groups and diving for fish.
 |
| Machias Seal Island lighthouse and Coast Guard station, with two observation blinds visible as tiny gray boxes in front and to the right of the light house. (Razorbill flying by!) |
Ashore at Machias Seal Island, we again listened to a stern lecture about birding etiquette, this time delivered by the coastguardsman / resident naturalist, . Strict adherence to protocol is necessary to minimize human impact on the seabird colonies. Our group was divided in half, with one half heading directly for a one-hour session in the blinds, and the other half waiting behind to watch the wheeling Arctic Terns (Sterna paradisaea) and foraging warblers.
 |
| In the center of the photo, two of the observation blinds which were visible from the window of the blind we were using. |
Once inside the blind, we opened the window-covers, set up tripod and camera and began an amazing hour of puffin-watching. The birds were as close as three meters away and in constant motion - hopping from rock to rock, flying to a more distant perch, preening, vocalizing to each other - a tremendous clamor of activity. Razorbills and Atlantic Puffins were nearby, with the Common Murres a little more distant. None of the birds showed signs of feeding chicks in the nest burrows, so we guessed the pairs were incubating or had not yet laid eggs.
Our group of 18 was processed through the four blinds in two hours, marched back down to the boat ramp and sent on our way. Captain Andy clearly enjoys his work, taking time to guide the Barbara Frost on a prolonged tour through the waters around the island, pausing to watch Gray Seals (Halichoerus grypus) and Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina) and even giving us good looks at the poster bird of the spring...
A first ever breeding record of Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) was documented for Machias Seal Island this spring. The pair built a nest, laid an egg and incubated for several weeks - but the day before we arrived on the island, the resident naturalists said the egg was gone. The bird was still sitting on the nest as we motored by.
 |
| I loved the emerald green mosses in the maritime spruce-fir forest along the Western Head Trail, part of coastline under the stewardship of the Maine Coast Heritage Trust. - the rain forest of Maine! |
 |
| Maine coast palette |
 |
| View back towards Cutler from the Western Head trail |
No comments:
Post a Comment