[Maine-birds] Pelagic Trip - 11/30/18

Ok.....no Ross's Gull, but still a nice trip.  :-(

On Friday, 11/30, Jason Lambert and I were invited guests aboard the UNH
research vessel "Gulf Challenger".   Graduate students from UNH were
aboard to take water samples and then to repair a wave buoy on southern
Jeffrey's Ledge. The boat traveled through ME, NH, MA, and again in NH
waters on return. Sunny to partly to mostly cloudy over the course of
the day. NW winds dying down to calm for much of day. Seas mostly 1-2
feet, but briefly higher at Wilkinson's Basin. Birds scattered offshore
with activity for most of trip and some puffin sightings well inside of
Jeffrey's Ledge. Wilkinson's stop was a bit slowish, and not many birds
as we crossed over Old Scantum area. Separate checklists (with a few
photos) submitted for offshore in Maine, NH, and MA waters:

https://ebird.org/nh/view/checklist/S50327415 (ME)

https://ebird.org/nh/view/checklist/S50327566 (NH)

https://ebird.org/nh/view/checklist/S50327711 (MA)

OFFSHORE birds reported only
-------------------------------------------------------
Common Eider    2 migrating offshore
Long-tailed Duck    4 migrating offshore
Pomarine Jaeger    1 adult with nice long spoons!
Dovekie    194  scattered from many locations. Mostly groups of 1 to 6
birds on ocean.  Largest single flock of about 12.
Common Murre    13 with largest group of perhaps 3.
Razorbill    14
large alcid sp.    3
Atlantic Puffin    11  Scattered individuals with most en-route to and
crossing Jeffrey's Ledge.
Black-legged Kittiwake    161  Most concentrated on Jeffrey's Ledge
where there was a bloom of what appeared to be salp.  Presumably birds
were feeding on this.
Ross's Gull - 0.   Adult photographed the next day from fishing boat
along Jeffrey's Ledge near the  NH/MA state line.
Herring Gull    9
Great Black-backed Gull    9
gull sp.    200+ around 2 fishing boats.
Northern Fulmar    34 with a few dark morphs
Northern Gannet    3
Golden-crowned Kinglet    1 Remarkable "peanut" hovered around the boat
well offshore before continuing south.

Also......while coming back past the Isles of Shoals, there was a Snowy
Owl perched on a cairn on the north side of Appledore Island.

Mammals
--------------
Humpback whale - 2 distant whales together with one flipper flapping.
Whale sp. - 1.  Possibly a Fin
Harbor Porpoise - Perhaps a dozen.
Seal sp.  - At least a couple offshore.


Steve Mirick
Bradford, MA

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