Hi all, The Stony Brook University School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences has started an emerging series of offshore transect surveys to monitor marine life in New York's pelagic waters. From July 14th-July 21st we had our first research cruise. The focus of this cruise was focused on marine mammal surveys and fish/invertebrate sampling, however, Rachael Herman (SBU PhD candidate) and myself (SBU M.S.) made it a priority to keep an eye out for interesting birds. We had a productive week on the water and below are our sightings from the trip!
*Great shearwater* - 1300 *Cory's shearwater* - 850 *Sooty shearwater* - 450 *Manx shearwater* - 2 Note: These shearwater counts are conservative estimates totaling up all the birds we recorded during marine mammal sightings along our transects. Highest densities of shearwaters occurred between 10-70 miles offshore. *Wilson's storm-petrel *- 1700 Note: Highest densities were also around 10-70 miles offshore, however at the continental shelf WISP were consistently more abundant than shearwaters. *White-faced storm-petrel *- 2 Note: Two different birds were seen along the shelf break. One along the eastern edge of the Hudson canyon (July 19) and another much further south along the shelf two days earlier (July 17). *South polar skua* - 1 Note: observed drowning and then consuming a Cory's shearwater. Seen about 60 miles offshore *Jaeger* *sp. *- 1 Note: observed soaring on horizon at continental shelf near Hudson canyon. *Bridled tern* - 1 Note: Seen floating by on debris in Hudson canyon ~100 miles offshore. Immature bird. *Herring gull* - 50 *Great black-backed gull *- 30 *Laughing gull - *8 *Common tern* - 28 *Roseate tern* - 1 *Forsters tern* - 15 *Whimbrel* - 2 *Common loon - *1 *Double-crested cormorant* - 6 Note: this pair of birds flew by the boat going west when we were about 60 miles offshore *Purple martin* - 1 Note: Seen about 80 miles offshore approaching shelf break Looks like the NY waters are quite productive this summer! Best, Matt Fuirst & Rachael Herman -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
