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--=====================_245773453==.ALT Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable 23 August 2010 Halifax Pelagic Trip Results - 22 August Dave Currie has asked me to post the list of=20 sightings from yesterday=92s Halifax pelagic trip=20 out of Eastern Passage. We (14 of us) departed=20 the wharf at 0600, and returned at 1900. We=20 headed east for 40 km, and spent much of the day=20 drifting in the gentle swells, with a charming=20 chum slick spread out behind us. The weather was=20 fabulous, sunny and nearly calm, the air=20 temperature above 25 C, and the ocean temperature=20 between 22 and 23, unusually warm. Our bird list (sightings well away from Halifax Harbour): - Northern Gannet =96 12+, all immatures - Northern Fulmar =96 1 - Cory=92s Shearwater =96 1 (but seen by only one=20 member of the group =96 not me, alas) - Great Shearwater =96 200+, with a maximum of 120=20 in view at one time. The birds were often just=20 centimetres from the boat, and put on an amazing=20 show. Note: the American Ornithologists=92 Union,=20 in its just-published Fifty-First Supplement to=20 the Check-List of North American Birds, has=20 changed the name of Greater Shearwater to Great=20 Shearwater. The reason? "The name was modified=20 to conform to general worldwide usage." - Sooty Shearwater =96 6+ - Manx Shearwater =96 8+ - Wilson=92s Storm-Petrel =96 20+ - Leach=92s Storm-Petrel =96 4, including several=20 side-by-side comparisons with Wilson=92s S-P - Red-necked Phalarope =96 12+ - Red Phalarope =96 1 or 2, including one which=20 remained near the boat for several hours with 4=20 Red-necked Phalaropes, making comparison very easy - Black-legged Kittiwake =96 2 adults - Ring-billed Gull =96 1 second-summer bird, most unexpected so far out - Herring Gull =96 50+, all ages - Great Black-backed Gull =96 25+, all ages - Common Tern =96 5, adults and juveniles - Arctic Tern =96 1 adult - Great Skua =96 1 subadult, near us for several=20 hours. It spent most of this time spent sitting=20 on the water, drifting with the chum slick for=20 several hours, but it made three nice fly-passes of the boat - Pomarine Jaeger =96 2 adults Total: 19 species Non-avian List: - Blue Shark =96 3, with two taken on board for=20 tag-and-release. The one that "got away=20 (actually refused to bite the bait) was very=20 large, and swam close to and under the boat=20 several times. Even when we couldn't see the=20 large shark the birds seemed very aware of its=20 presence, and avoided the area where the shark=20 was (presumably) active. Other smaller sharks=20 also kept their distance, which helped explain why we caught only two. - Orca =96 2 !!!, though at some distance - Humpback Whale =96 1 - Atlantic White-sided Dolphin =96 several=20 sightings, including one group that raced by (and=20 under!) the boat while we were drifting. - Yellow-finned Tuna =96 a nice feeding frenzy,=20 with tuna leaping out of the water Our thanks to Dave Currie for organising this fun=20 outing. His second (and last) pelagic trip of=20 this season is scheduled for 6 September, and=20 while the trip is full (and there is a short=20 waiting list), I=92m sure he wouldn=92t mind if you=20 wished to have your name added to the waiting list. Dave=92s e-mail is: david_currie@ns.sympatico.ca Cheers, Blake ----------------------------------------------------------------------------= - Blake Maybank maybank@ns.sympatico.ca 902-852-2077 Editor, "Nova Scotia Birds" http://nsbs.chebucto.org Organiser, Maritimes Nature Travel Club http://tinyurl.com/naturetravel author, "Birding Sites of Nova Scotia" http://tinyurl.com/birdingns Downloadable Nova Scotia Maps for inside front and back covers: http://tinyurl.com/mr627d White's Lake, Nova Scotia, Canada =20 --=====================_245773453==.ALT Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html> <body> <font face=3D"Times New Roman, Times">23 August 2010<br><br> <u>Halifax Pelagic Trip Results - 22 August<br><br> </u>Dave Currie has asked me to post the list of sightings from yesterday=92s Halifax pelagic trip out of Eastern Passage. We (14 of us) departed the wharf at 0600, and returned at 1900. We headed east for 40 km, and spent much of the day drifting in the gentle swells, with a charming chum slick spread out behind us. The weather was fabulous, sunny and nearly calm, the air temperature above 25 C, and the ocean temperature between 22 and 23, unusually warm.<br><br> <u>Our bird list</u> (sightings well away from Halifax Harbour):<br><br> - Northern Gannet =96 12+, all immatures<br><br> - Northern Fulmar =96 1<br><br> - Cory=92s Shearwater =96 1 (but seen by only one member of the group = =96 not me, alas)<br><br> - Great Shearwater =96 200+, with a maximum of 120 in view at one time. The birds were often just centimetres from the boat, and put on an amazing show. Note: the American Ornithologists=92 Union, in its just-published Fifty-First Supplement to the Check-List of North American Birds, has changed the name of Greater Shearwater to Great Shearwater. The reason? "The name was modified to conform to general worldwide usage."<br><br> - Sooty Shearwater =96 6+ <br><br> - Manx Shearwater =96 8+<br><br> - Wilson=92s Storm-Petrel =96 20+<br><br> - Leach=92s Storm-Petrel =96 4, including several side-by-side comparisons with Wilson=92s S-P<br><br> - Red-necked Phalarope =96 12+<br><br> - Red Phalarope =96 1 or 2, including one which remained near the boat for several hours with 4 Red-necked Phalaropes, making comparison very easy<br><br> - Black-legged Kittiwake =96 2 adults<br><br> - Ring-billed Gull =96 1 second-summer bird, most unexpected so far out<br><br> - Herring Gull =96 50+, all ages<br><br> - Great Black-backed Gull =96 25+, all ages<br><br> - Common Tern =96 5, adults and juveniles<br><br> - Arctic Tern =96 1 adult<br><br> - Great Skua =96 1 subadult, near us for several hours. It spent most of this time spent sitting on the water, drifting with the chum slick for several hours, but it made three nice fly-passes of the boat<br><br> - Pomarine Jaeger =96 2 adults<br><br> <u>Total</u>: 19 species<br><br> <u>Non-avian List</u>:<br><br> - Blue Shark =96 3, with two taken on board for tag-and-release. The one that "got away (actually refused to bite the bait) was very large, and swam close to and under the boat several times. Even when we couldn't see the large shark the birds seemed very aware of its presence, and avoided the area where the shark was (presumably) active. Other smaller sharks also kept their distance, which helped explain why we caught only two. <br><br> - Orca =96 2 !!!, though at some distance<br><br> - Humpback Whale =96 1<br><br> - Atlantic White-sided Dolphin =96 several sightings, including one group that raced by (and under!) the boat while we were drifting.<br><br> - Yellow-finned Tuna =96 a nice feeding frenzy, with tuna leaping out of the water<br><br> Our thanks to Dave Currie for organising this fun outing. His second (and last) pelagic trip of this season is scheduled for 6 September, and while the trip is full (and there is a short waiting list), I=92m sure he wouldn=92t mind if you wished to have your name added t= o the waiting list. Dave=92s e-mail is:<br><br> </font><font face=3D"Times New Roman, Times" color=3D"#0000FF"><u> david_currie@ns.sympatico.ca<br><br> </u></font><font face=3D"Times New Roman, Times">Cheers,<br><br> Blake<br><br> </font><x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------= -<br> Blake Maybank<br> maybank@ns.sympatico.ca<br> 902-852-2077<br><br> Editor, "Nova Scotia Birds"<br> <a href=3D"http://nsbs.chebucto.org/" eudora=3D"autourl"> http://nsbs.chebucto.org<br><br> </a>Organiser, Maritimes Nature Travel Club<br> <font color=3D"#0000FF"><u> <a href=3D"http://tinyurl.com/naturetravel" eudora=3D"autourl"> http://tinyurl.com/naturetravel</a></u></font> <br><br> author, "Birding Sites of Nova Scotia"<br> <font color=3D"#0000FF"><u> <a href=3D"http://tinyurl.com/birdingns" eudora=3D"autourl"> http://tinyurl.com/birdingns<br> </a></u></font>Downloadable Nova Scotia Maps for inside front and back covers:<br> <a href=3D"http://tinyurl.com/mr627d" eudora=3D"autourl"> http://tinyurl.com/mr627d</a> <br><br> White's Lake, Nova Scotia, Canada </body> </html> --=====================_245773453==.ALT--
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