Thought I'd provide an oceanographic perspective on the question. There really is not a singular definition of "pelagic" as individual scientists and even resource managers will often apply vaious nuances to the term. In general, however, according to Marine Biology: An ecological Approach (4th ed.), beginning with the waters of the open ocean (e.g., at the mouth of estuaries, rivers, etc) the entire area of open water is consdiered the pelagic realm. Organisms that inhabit this region are those that live in the open sea away from the bottom. This can obviously can be extended to include birds that spend a considerable portion of their life away from land. Further, the pelagic region can then be divided horizontally, with the water that overlies the continental shelves considered the neritic zone and all other waters considered the oceananic zone. From the perspective of a MD pelagic trip, most of the trip is spent in the neritic zone with
some time spent right on the continental shelf break (e.g., the edge) where it begins its sharp descent into the abyssal plain. That would be the dividing line between the neritic and oceanic zones. You can see this in e-bird if you look at MD hotspots using satellite view. There are additional divisions according to depth, but they aren't really relevant here. Therefore, from an oceanography perspective, it doesn't matter if you are on a cruise liner or a kayak, you are on a "pelagic trip" if you are in a boat that is occupying this region.
Hope this helps!
Dave
David Kidwell
Glenn Dale, MD
________________________________
From: Gail B. Mackiernan %3Ckatahdinss%40comcast.net%3E <>
To:
Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2012 7:32 AM
Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Maryland Pelagic Data in eBird
What about folks like us that go on commercial cruises solely for the purpose of birding (well, we do eat but...)? We have spent months at sea chasing seabirds in most areas of the globe and these are, IMHO, reportable pelagics. Sometimes importantly so, e.g. the 25 Solander's Petrels we had on our September cruise which were first for Alaska and perhaps for USA.
Of course it is important to get the position etc. of the ship at times of sightings to ensure one is actually in Maryland (or where ever).
Gail Mackiernan and Barry Cooper
Colesville, MD
----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Ostrowski" <>
To:
Sent: Monday, February 27, 2012 3:53:42 PM
Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Maryland Pelagic Data in eBird
Hi Joanne,
Good question. In quick factual terms, a pelagic is a birding trip taken by
boat on the ocean at further than three miles from shore. When we talk
about pelagic species, we are referring to birds like albatrosses, petrels,
storm-petrels, shearwaters, alcids, skuas, etc. Although, on winter
pelagics for example, we see plenty of other birds, like loons and scoters,
these are not considered truly pelagic species.
It's also important to note that not all birding trips by boat are
pelagics. You can take a boat out on a river or the Bay, and even see a
pelagic species, like Wilson's Storm-Petrel, but the trip itself is not
considered a pelagic because it's not on the ocean and it's not at least
three miles from shore. Likewise, you did not go on a pelagic just because
you found a Razorbill, a "pelagic species," at the Inlet. Lastly, I think
purpose is relevant too, because you can take a luxury cruise, be further
out than three miles, and be recording pelagic species all along the way,
but I would hesitate to call this a "pelagic," personally.
This explanation/definition should only be read in the context of birding,
as I'm sure there other considerations in the general scientific community
of what "pelagic" means. It's also probably a Maryland-centric definition,
as other (inland) states may feel deprived to the point of adopting
different definitions, so they too can have "pelagics."
Rob Ostrowski
Crofton, MD
On Mon, Feb 27, 2012 at 2:24 PM, Joanne Howl <> wrote:
> Sorry for what is probably a very elementary question -
>
> Can someone define exactly what a "pelagic" is?
>
> Is it anytime one is in a boat? In a boat on the Bay? On a boat in the
> Ocean? Or?
>
>
>
> Joanne
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bill Hubick <>
> To: MDOSPREY <>
> Sent: Sun, Feb 26, 2012 6:22 pm
> Subject: [MDOSPREY] Maryland Pelagic Data in eBird
>
>
> Hi Everyone,
>
> Disappointed about the Maryland pelagic being canceled this weekend? Well,
> here's an easy we can still contribute to improving Maryland's pelagic
> data in
> eBird! We've created a new eBird hotspot called "Maryland Pelagic
> (General)",
> and it's intended for use when no precise location is available for a
> Maryland
> pelagic report. This is rarely the case for current trips, but is
> certainly the
> case for most pelagic data from years past.
>
> The Maryland pelagic map is pretty messy right now. While most of us would
> never
> dream of plotting a land-based sighting at a best guess within 100 miles,
> most
> of us have picked a random location at sea and plotted all of our pelagic
> data
> there. In some cases, there are reports of the same birds from vast
> distances
> apart. We understand that we can't go back and recover the GPS track for
> old
> trip, and we appreciate that so many users want their full lists in eBird.
> That's great! However, there are many benefits of merging all of this
> general
> pelagic data into one "general" hotspot:
>
> - Significantly increased accuracy of our pelagic data
> - Cleaner, more useful Maryland pelagic map
> - Best of all, more useful pelagic bar charts once checklists are merged
> into
> this location
>
> Maryland pelagic birders have been awesome about pelagic data collection
> for the
> last couple years. We keep full lists for each 30-minute block, capturing
> valuable, detailed information on where pelagic species are being seen. The
> eBird lists are compiled, usually by Rob Ostrowski (thanks, Rob!), and then
> shared with all participants. This process is time-consuming and sometimes
> takes
> a few days, but it's well worth the wait! For observers who want to report
> sooner as a placeholder, please use the new "Maryland Pelagic (General)"
> hot
> spot.
>
> Please consider merging all of your general Maryland pelagic reports into
> this
> new hotspot!
>
> 1. Look up the name of your general Maryland pelagic location. One way to
> do so
> it to check your Maryland life list and check the location for pelagic
> species
> such as Great Shearwater.
> 2. Go to My eBird > Manage My Locations.
> 3. Select the name of your general pelagic location.
> 4. Click the "Merge" button.
> 5. Find and click the "Maryland Pelagic (General)" hotspot.
> 6. Check the "Delete after merging" checkbox.
> 7. Click "Merge"
> 8. If you had just one catch-all pelagic location, you're done. Otherwise,
> repeat for the others as applicable.
>
> THANKS!
>
> Some photos from the weekend:
> http://www.billhubick.com/photos/updates/20120226.php
>
> Good birding!
>
> Bill
>
> Bill Hubick
> Pasadena, Maryland
>
> http://www.billhubick.com
>
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