Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 16:21:20 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Tyler Bell Subject: Delaware/Maryland Pelagic Results, May 31, 2003 Comments: To: ednieap@wittnet.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Disposition: inline I'm posting this for Andy Ednie. Better late than never. Jane and I were = working=20 the ABA convention in Oregon and didn't get back until yesterday. Looks = like it=20 was a good trip (the pelagic that is)! BTW, there were several MD birders in Eugene including Marcia Balestri, = and=20 Mike and Joy Bowen. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= ------- t was a very good trip on Saturday, May 31st out of Lewes. The fact that = we=20 got out at all was a miracle. Weather reports called for strong winds,=20 probable thunderstorms, and possible tornados, not the best pelagic = trip=20 conditions. We arrived at the docks at 3:45 AM to dead calm. I asked = the=20 captain if we were going. His response, "Why not?". The front line held = off=20 till after we returned to dock, just like the captain said it would. We did not see a shearwater until 8:00 AM, but then we saw gobs. Almost=20 all the birds were concentrated around the scallop boats at the 30 = fathom=20 line. There was very little baitfish in the water. The water temperature = is still=20 very cold at 55 degrees F. (This trip has never had temperature less = then=20 63 degrees.) Best birds were a near adult Pomarine Jaeger that past over the boat at=20 about 8 feet, and a dark phase South Polar Skua. This bird did a great=20 disappearing act. Joe Swertinski spotted the bird off the last trawler = of=20 the day. Then, as we tried to get others on the bird, it just disappeared.= =20 Luckily, Chris the mate, thought he saw where the bird landed. He put us = to=20 within 25 feet of the bird. Nice!!! Here are the totals: DE/MD Total Common Loon 19/5 24 Northern Gannet 7/10 17 Greater Shearwater 21/92 113 Sooty Shearwater 103/560 663 Wilson's Storm-Petrel 45/82 127 Pomarine Jaeger 0/1 1 South Polar Skua 0/1 1 Laughing Gull 1/4 5 Herring Gull 8/28 36 Ring-billed Gull 1/0 1 Great Black-backed Gull 11/14 25 Moa Moa 3/3 6 Sea Turtle 1/0 1 Bottlenosed Porpoise 30/0 30 South Polar Skua coordinates: 38 23.64N, 74 09.57W (about 50 miles east = of=20 Ocean City, Md.) My thanks to Capt. Jack Rogers and mate Chris. These guys really know = how=20 to work a pelagic boat. Also, to those that helped out finding the = birds,=20 Paul O'Brien, Bob Rufe, Frank Rohrbacher, and Paul Pisano. You guys make = a=20 leader's job easy. Also to Karen Zeitler, who covered for me at Brandywine= =20 Creek this weekend. Andrew P. Ednie ednieap@wittnet.com=20 Wilmington, DE Tyler Bell bell@acnatsci.org California, Maryland Wave that flag...wave it wide and high! Grateful Dead, U.S. Blues =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =========================================================================