Announcement: Extreme Gadfly Petrel Expeditions

Background: The following challenging pelagic expeditions are being organised as part of the on-going Tubenoses Project (Shirihai, H. & Bretagnolle, V. In prep. Illus. by Cox J. Albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters of the world: a handbook to their taxonomy, identification, ecology and conservation, A & C Black, London), and represent an effort to collect further data on the identification, variation, distribution and population sizes of some of the least known petrels on the planet.

The expeditions listed below are non-commercial pelagic voyages with all participants, including the organisers, equally sharing the costs of chartering the vessels. The expeditions will be conducted in a similar manner to recent voyages that led to the rediscovery of Beck’s Petrel Pterodroma becki in 2007 in the Bismarck archipelago (Shirihai 2008), and the first pelagic observations of Zino’s Petrel Pterodroma madeira in April 2009, off Madeira (Shirihai 2009), and Fiji Petrel Pseudobulweria macgillivrayi, off Gau Island, Fiji (Shirihai et al. 2009).

Up-coming expeditions (2009):

(1) Search for the Jamaican Petrel (presumed extinct) off Jamaica: This voyage will run from 17th November to 1st December 2009, using a fast ocean-going boat. Depending on the weather conditions, we will spend 7 to 10 days at sea off Jamaica.

The Jamaican Petrel had been described to science, when it promptly disappeared; its last confirmed record was in 1891, almost two decades after mongooses were believed introduced onto the main island of Jamaica. Hopes remain that a tiny population of Jamaican Petrels still survive in the extensive tracts of suitable forest habitat. Moreover, mongooses have not prevented Black-capped Petrels from breeding in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Several attempts have been made over the last decades to find the Jamaican Petrel on land, specifically in the Blue Mountains, without success. None of these expeditions have searched at sea, a proven strategy as described above.

In preparation for this expedition, HS visited Jamaica (March-April 2009) to see habitats that might support a population of breeding petrels, and also viewed the breeding habitat of Black-capped Petrels in the Dominican Republic. HS and Vincent Bretagnolle have made a geographical survey (using satellite image maps and marine charts) and have analysed meteorological data for the region; parameters that contributed to the successful studies of Beck’s, Zino’s and Fiji Petrels at sea. From this analysis, a very specific oceanic corridor has been proposed that might be used by any Jamaican Petrels travelling to and from the island.

The plan is to intensively search this area and to use 1.5 tons of chum that will be prepared by our ground team and a local fish factory. The material will be kept aboard ship in dedicated freezers.

For logistical reasons, there is room for only 4 expedition members and currently there is only one spot available; the expedition share is US$7000.

Please contact HS at albatross_shirihai@hotmail.com to sign on, or for further information about the voyage, its plans and conditions.

(2) Search for the recently rediscovered Vanuatu Petrel in the remote Banks Group: This two-week voyage, 13th to the 28th December 2009, will use a 72ft. expedition research vessel sailing out of the port of Santo, Vanuatu.

The Vanuatu Petrel Pterodroma occulta was collected in January 1927, by Rollo Beck (Whitney South Sea Expedition), though it was overlooked as a White-necked Petrel P. cervicalis until Imber and Tennyson (2001) drew attention to the fact that the specimens were distinctly smaller and represented an unrecognised species. Since then an additional specimen was found ashore in eastern Australia in 1983. The first at-sea record was of a bird observed by HS in January 2006 between New Caledonia and Vanuatu. Then in 2007, two/three birds were sighted off southern Vanuatu. There is recent evidence (still unpublished) that suggests a breeding population on at least one island in Vanuatu.

In December 2009 we shall try to obtain further data on this population, both at sea and on several islands in the remote Banks group. Dr. Vincent Bretagnolle, Dr. Orian Shirihai and HS are the organisers of this expedition. Besides studying petrels and other seabirds, the expedition will seek out some of the landbirds of the islands and also study tribal customs of the indigenous islanders, including the use of alternative medicines.

Only 7 expedition members can be accommodated on the vessel, the remaining space will be occupied by a set of huge freezers that will store two tons of chum for use during the planned mass chumming operations.

To date there are 5 on board, and two more are welcome, at US$7000 per person. This rate will be discounted for students and those from conservation bodies to US$5000 per person.

Please contact directly HS at albatross_shirihai@hotmail.com to sign up, or for further information about the voyage plans and conditions.

Expeditions planned for 2010 & 2011 (with further information on the following to be posted nearer the times):

2010:

Off Madeira: To study Zino’s Petrel at sea, 20th-30th June (with Hadoram Shirihai & Tony Pym, and the organisation of Madeira Wind Birds).

Guadalupe Islands, Mexico: In search of the (believed extinct) Guadalupe Storm Petrel, March 2010 or 2011, with Hadoram Shirihai.

2011-12:

Chatham Islands: In search of the Magenta Pterodroma magentae and Chatham Island Petrel P. axillaris (tentatively scheduled for Dec), and most of the local land-bird endemics. With Tony Pym & Hadoram Shirihai. For further information please contact Tony (tony_pym@hotmail.com).

Juan Fernández archipelago, Chile: For the three endemic eastern tropical Pterodroma (during Nov-Dec), namely Juan Fernandez Petrel Pterodroma externa, Stejneger's Petrel Pterodroma longirostris and Defilippi’s Petrel Pterodroma defilippiana; with the organisation and co-leadership of Ross Wanless (and Hadoram Shirihai for the work on petrels at sea). We will also endeavour to see the landbird endemics. For further information please contact Ross (rosswanless@gmail.com).

Eastern Tropical Pacific off Peru: To study storm petrels (tentatively Jan 2011), with Hadoram Shirihai, and with the organisation of Gunnar Engblom (Kolibri Expeditions). For further information please contact Gunnar (kolibriexp@gmail.com).

Off Reunion, Indian Ocean: Seeking field knowledge on the poorly known Mascarene Petrel Pseudobulweria aterrima with Tony Pym and Hadoram Shirihai (expedition dates to be announced).

Regular updates on these expeditions will be posted on Seabird-News (Angus Wilson and/or Tony Pym) and the website of Kolibri Expeditions (Gunnar Engblom).

New seabird blog from Greg Gillson in Oregon

Greg Gillson (The Bird Guide Pelagics) has created a new blog called OREGON SEABIRDS that focuses on seabirding along the west coast of North America, with emphasis on Greg's home state of Oregon. Check it out!

Black-capped Petrel returns to the Azores?

On 22 May 2009, a Black-capped Petrel (Pterodroma hasitata) was photographed at sea by João Quaresma some 5-6 miles south of Queimada, Pico. Interestingly, the first record for the archipelago was photographed off Graciosa on 26 May 2007. Photos of both birds are posted on the Birding Azores web site.

Salvin's Albatross found on Gough Island in South Atlantic

Ross Wanless brings news of an adult SALVIN'S ALBATROSS (Thalassarche salvini) in the Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross (T. chlororhynchos) colony on Gough Island in the South Atlantic (-40.3207°, -9.92871°). Gough is part of the Tristan da Cunha archipelago. This photo was taken by Paul Visser, a biologist working on this remote island. The majority of Salvin's Albatrosses nest on the Bounty Islands in Sub-antarctic New Zealand, with smaller numbers on the Snares and a handful of pairs on Penguin Island in the Crozet Group (French Southern Territories) in the Indian Ocean. Salvin's occur in South African waters as non-breeders but are more numerous in the Pacific where they forage in the Humbolt Current as far north as Peru. To my knowledge, this is the first documented occurrence on land in the Atlantic Ocean. In Nov 2001, Javier Arata found an adult Salvin's with Black-browed Albatross (T. melanophrys) on Gonzalo Island in the Diego Ramirez Group off southern Chile (2003 Notornis 50:169).

Probable Trindade Petrel off Cape Verde Islands

Mike Greenfelder, a naturalist with Lindblad Expeditions, sent these three video grab images taken last month near Brava (Decimal coordinates 14.8507°, -24.705°) in the Sotavento (southern island group) of the Cape Verdes.

The bird appears to be an intermediate-morph Trindade Petrel, Pterodroma arminjoniana. However, as Mike points out, Atlantic Petrel Pterodroma incerta is quite similar in overall patterning but shows less extensive white on the 'hand' of the underwing. Typically this is limited to a silvery sheen on the bases of the primaries. Furthermore, the bill does not strike me as chunky enough, nor the head rounded enough for Atlantic. Trindade Petrel nests in Brazilian waters and ranges regularly into Gulf Stream waters off east coast of the United States. In addition, there are at least two records from the Azores (18th July 1997 and 17th May 2006).

Here are the pertinent comments from his email: "On Sept. 30 [2008] we were in Zodiacs 0.5 miles south of the southern tip of Brava Island in the Cape Verde group. We were watching Melon-headed whales in flat seas when a very interesting petrel flew around us. I didn't have a camera but our video guy shot video of it. I made a few stills, which I have attached. To me it looked like an Atlantic Petrel, but with white underwings. Trinidade Petrel is the best I have come up with, but there doesn't seem to be anything similar in range, so obviously an interesting sighting. Looks similar to Herald Petrel drawings, but I have heard that Atlantic may show some white in underwing with wear."

Seawatch - Long Island, New York USA

Once the rains had cleared this afternoon (30 August 2008), I toured some of the coastal spots between The Springs (Town of East Hampton) and Montauk Point (Google Coordinates 41.071900, -71.859000), Suffolk Co., Long Island. For this first time this summer terns were much in evidence, mostly COMMON and ROSEATE TERNS with fledged birds of the year, but an influx of BLACK TERNS Chlidonias niger surinamensis were the stars. After noting a Black Tern in Gardiner's Bay off Fireplace Beach, I found greater numbers in Napeague Bay (18) and on the Atlantic Ocean off Hither Hills (>50) and around Montauk Point (45). Smaller groups of terns, including more Black Terns, were found at several other spots. Shoals of Bluefish and Stripped Bass were actively feeding off Hither Hills and Montauk, the ocean seeming to boil in places because of the mass of predatory fish that were gorging on tiny bait fish (1-2 cm). This tiny prey was also being picked off by the terns hovering over the surface. At Montauk Point, some of the surf casters were hooking strippers and bluefish on every cast but I was pleased to see that most of fish went straight back in the water unscathed.

On the ocean off the Hither Hills camp ground (41.010241, -72.007429), 5 PARASITIC JAEGERS were harassing a large congregation of Laughing Gulls and terns. When the piscine activity subsided, the jaegers pulled out within minutes of each other, flying eastwards relatively close to shore. I tentatively aged them as two 1st summers, 2 second/third summers and 1 molting adult. They kept going towards Ditch Plains and vanished into the sea mist. Very nice!

However, the 'bird of the day' for me was a large LEATHERBACK TURTLE Dermochelys coriacea that surfaced 100 yards off the beach at an overlook at the western end of Montauk village. The view point is high enough that through a scope, I could see the ridges and barnacles on the marine turtle's back as well as its long black flippers and immense eyes. Loggerheads are not uncommon offshore in summer but it is a treat to see one from land.

BLACK TERN - 118 (sum of high counts from various spots)
Forster's Tern - 5, Napeague, Montauk and Montauk Pt.
Common Tern - 1,550
Roseate Tern - 190++
Laughing Gull - 300
Northern Gannet - 1, Hither Hills
PARASITIC JAEGER - 5, Hither Hills then moved east.
Common Loon - 3, Hither Hills at edge of feeding frenzy

Some other birds of note were:
Northern Harrier - 2, female-types, Hick's Island
Turkey - 9, Amagansett and Napeague
Solitary Sandpiper - 1, Deep Hollow Ranch Pond
Lesser Yellowlegs - 4, Rita's Stable Pond
Spotted Sandpiper - 4, Montauk area
Semipalmated Sandpiper - 2 Deep Hollow and Rita's
Black-bellied Plover - 20 incl. 1 at Deep Hollow (south side Rt 27)
Western Willet - 1, Napeague Harbor
Eastern Willet - 2, Napeague Harbor (late! noticeably shorter legged and darker than accompanying Western)
American Oystercatcher - 2, Napeague
Bobolink - 1 male, Promised Land Fish hatchery
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 3, Montauk Point below restaurant

Humpbacks and seabird bonanza in the Great South Channel

Earlier this week, I joined the annual CRESLI whale watching adventure to the Great South Channel, a gouge in the seabed that separates Cape Cod and the Nantucket Shoals from the western edge of George's Bank. This north-south passage is used by several species of whales in the spring and fall as they transiting between the hyper-productive waters of the Gulf of Maine and warmer but less bountiful waters of the mid-Atlantic and Gulf Stream.

Organized by Dr. Artie Kopelman, this 51-hour trip aboard the 140 foot (42.7 meter) Viking Starship departs from Montauk, NY and is designed to intercept female Humpback Whales Megaptera novaeangliae and calves of various ages as they feed intensively on herring and other small fish in anticipation of their southward migration to the tropics. This has to be one of the best opportunities to see, hear and dare I say it, smell, Humpbacks in the North Atlantic! One of Artie's most frequent calls over the PA system was, "we are officially surrounded by whales", his glee barely concealed. The unflagging enthusiasm of the CRESLI participants is equally impressive. Each and every whale encounter is greeted with the same unfettered excitement as the first - a rare thing in these jaded, 'I've seen it all', times.

For our entire stay in the GSC, it was almost impossible to look around and not see a breaching animal or puff of blow. Even at night, the insomniacs were busily whalewatching by deck light as a group of inquisitive animals loafed alongside the Viking Starship, spinning lazy somersaults a few feet from the rail throughout the early hours. This amazing show continued well after dawn, with the youngsters rearing up out of the water to get a look at the peanut gallery of 'oohing and 'ahhing' spectators leaning over the rail, pocket cameras and coffee cups in hand. Although rich in plankton, the green water was still clear enough for us to see the white underparts and enormous flippers of the gyrating animals below us and we marveled at their ability to 'turn on a dime', breaking the surface with a squeaky puff on one side of the boat and then the other.

Researchers from the Whale Center of New England were aboard, including Jennifer Tackaberry who manages the North Atlantic Humpback Whale catalog. Some 28 different individuals were photographed and Jen, who knows her catalog inside out, recognized 18 previously named individuals. At least three mother/calf pairs were studied at length to document the pairings, providing information about breeding success, reproductive rates and so on. The fact that at least 10 of the photographed whales were unfamiliar is particularly exciting, evidence perhaps of an influx from elsewhere. Further scrutiny of the images and databases may shed more light on this. We probably saw more whales than this but just did not have time to sit alongside each and get usable images of the raised tail flukes to allow unambiguous identification.

Early in the trip we encountered a good-sized Fin Whale Balaenoptera physalus, a handful of Short-beaked Common Dolphins Delphinus delphis and on the second day, a highly cooperative pod of 30 or so Pilot Whales Globicephala sp. that swam alongside for a while, allowing their curious calves to peek at the boat. Eventually, the pod grew tired of us and simply vanished into the depths. With water temperatures in the mid-50's, I would predict these to be Long-finned Pilot Whales Globicephala melas, however, the lack of a prominent pale patch behind the dorsal fin on the adult male and larger females raises the possibility of Short-finned Pilot Whale G. macrorhynchus. There seems to have been an incursion of warm water onto the Continental shelf this summer, evidenced by better than usual numbers of Cory's Shearwaters Calonectris diomedea in New England and New York, and so Short-finned might not be such an outlandish possibility.

Although the trip is focused on collecting population data on the Humpback Whales as part of on-going CRESLI and WCNE research projects, it provides great opportunity to study and photograph a variety of seabirds. The numbers of Great Shearwater Puffinus gravis, Wilson's Storm-Petrel Oceanites oceanicus and Common Tern Sterna hirundo were truly impressive. In fact, the throngs of commoner species were overwhelming at times and with only four sets of eyes scrutinizing the birds rather than fixed on the whales, lots of good stuff was probably missed in the happy chaos. Highlights were a South Polar Skua Catharacta maccormicki that passed right over the bow, good numbers of Pomarine and Parasitic Jaegers Stercorarius pomarinus and S. parasiticus and at least fifteen Leach's Storm-Petrels Oceanodroma leucorhoa. Landbird migration is getting underway and we were visited by several sandpipers, three warblers and a Purple Martin Progne subis. It would be great to have more seabird enthusiasts join us in future years to help pick through the abundant birdlife. My daily bird counts are as follows:

DAY 1 (11 Aug 2008)
Emerged from the banks of mist filling Nantucket Sound shortly after dawn and spent the entire day over the GSC, surrounded by whales.

Cory's Shearwater - 35
Great Shearwater - 5,119
Sooty Shearwater - 65
Manx Shearwater - 5
Wilson Storm-Petrel - 1,240
LEACH'S STORM-PETREL - 6
Northern Gannet - 6
Semipalmated Sandpiper - 3 (briefly inspected boat before moving on)
Red-necked Phalarope - 1
large shorebird sp. - 10+
Herring Gull - 5
Great Black-backed Gull - 45
Black-legged Kittiwake - 1
Common Tern - 1,450
SOUTH POLAR SKUA - 1
Pomarine Jaeger - 12 (incl 3 ads)
Parasitic Jaeger - 2
Northern Waterthrush - 1 (Nicknamed "Lucky" the bird flew around the ship many times before gaining the courage to land. Fed and watered by some kind-hearted participants, and narrowly missing being stood on several times. Remained for most of next day until jumping ship when Nantucket and mainland in sight).
Prairie Warbler - 1 (spent a few hours inside the main cabin before disappearing)

DAY 2 (12 Aug 2008)

With whales from pre-dawn to 10 am when we began the 12.5 h steam back to Martha's Vineyard (4:00 pm) and Montauk (10:30 pm).

Common Loon - 9 (Nantucket Sound)
Cory's Shearwater - 39
Great Shearwater - 2,159
Sooty Shearwater - 19
Manx Shearwater - 1
Wilson Storm-Petrel - 357
LEACH'S STORM-PETREL - 9 (several close to vessel)
Northern Gannet - 5
Herring Gull - 18
Great Black-backed Gull - 67
Laughing Gull - 30 (Nantucket Sound and Martha's Vineyard Sound)
Black-legged Kittiwake - 1 (harassed by Parasitic Jaeger)
Common Tern - 980
Black Tern - 1
Pomarine Jaeger - 3 (including 1 adult with large tail spoons)
Parasitic Jaeger - 4
Northern Waterthrush - 1 (from previous day)
American Redstart - 1
Purple Martin - 1

My thanks to Dr. Artie Kopelman and his intrepid band of CRESLI volunteers for putting together another fantastic trip.