Poor Man’s Pelagic, 8/21/16

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~I got my lifer Cory’s Shearwater today on the Viking Fleet’s Whale Watching Excursion, 8/21/16.~

I joined John Haas, Karen Miller, and Lance Verderame on what has been called ‘the poor man’s pelagic’. We took a whale watching trip through Viking Fleet in Montauk, New York. It was a long day; we left Goshen at 5 a.m. and I didn’t get home until after 9 p.m., but it was worth it. We had basically 4 pelagic birds for the day:

Cory’s Shearwater (3)
Great Shearwater (1)
Cory’s/Great Shearwater (3)
Wilson’s Storm-petrel (46)
Red-necked Phalarope (12)

For John and Lance, they each added 4 birds to their New York State year lists. For Karen, all 4 were life birds. And for me, I also added three birds to my NYS life list (I’d had RNPH in NY before) and, most excitingly, I got my lifer Cory’s Shearwater.

I need to keep this short, but I have to mention that the water was a little bit rougher than they predicted, and many folks got seasick. And not everyone made over the side of the boat either. The real kicker, for most people on the boat, was that we never did get to see any whales! Which didn’t matter much to us – it was a great day with some excellent birds, but I’m exhausted, I’m still rocking to the ocean waves, and it’s past my bedtime.

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~Five of the 12 Red-necked Phalaropes we had off the coast of Long Island, 8/21/16.~
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~Photos were taugh today, so this is a crop of the above shot, RNPH off shore from Montauk, NY 8/21/16.~
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~Wilson’s Storm-petrel over the water. These birds are TOUGH to photograph! Especially today, because most birds were not very close to the boat. Viking Fleet Whale Watch, off the shore of Montauk, 8/21/16.~
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~A look at the backside of a WISP – note the legs and feet extend past the tail. Off the shore of Montauk, NY 8/21/16.~
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~This was the 2nd COSH of the day. Note the pale upper parts. Offshore from Montauk, NY 8/21/16/~
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~We saw plenty of Double-crested Cormorants and we left and returned to the dock in Montauk. 8/21/16.~

8 thoughts on “Poor Man’s Pelagic, 8/21/16”

  1. Thanks Matt for helping make this a great day and sharing your wonderful photos with the rest of us! We’ll have to do it again next year! John

    1. Let’s definitely do it next year! Thanks again for organizing and driving John, it was a great day. Matt

  2. Matt
    Enjoyed your photos Matt! I’m not good in rough seas so I am always reluctant to do a pelagic which is a definite hindrance to my life list! So glad you and Karen added some nice birds to yours.

    Scotty

    1. Thanks Scotty. I was happy that I didn’t feel seasick at all – last time I went out I had to fight it off a bit. Matt

  3. Super pictures yesterday …. so glad I got to see all of these birds. Unforgettable day with great friends!

    1. Thanks Wilma. Tough to shoot on a boat! Hope you are well, maybe see you out there soon? Matt

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