For our inaugural trip out of Brooklyn, we have scheduled an experimental trip for Saturday, April 11. This is a time of year with very poor pelagic coverage in our area, but we have chosen the date to coincide with the large northbound migration of gulls, Gannets, loons, waterfowl, and baitfish that typically occur at this time of year.
Target birds we hope to see include Northern Fulmar, Great, Manx, and Sooty Shearwaters, Red Phalarope, Northern Gannet, Pomarine Jaeger, Black-legged Kittiwake, and perhaps lingering alcids which at this time may already be in breeding plumage. Our real hope, and it's definitely a hope, is that we might find something rare like a Great Skua or even an albatross moving with this push of birds and bait. With schools of bait moving, it's also a good time to look for cetaceans like Fin, Humpback, and Minke Whales, as well as Common and Atlantic White-sided Dolphin. The trip details are: - Leave: 6:00 AM - Return: Approx 6:00 PM - Cost: $175 - Boat: Brooklyn VI, Pier #6, 2200 Emmons Ave, Brooklyn, NY - Public Transportation: Q Line, Sheepshead Bay Station (approx 0.7 miles away) - We can arrange to shuttle people from the station to the dock with their gear. We're very excited about working with the Brookly VI. The boat is a fast, stable platform. It is 110' long, 26' wide, has a maximum speed of 27 knots, and is licensed for 132 passengers. A full trip for us is normally 40-50 so that means plenty of room. For those who have sailed with us aboard the Starstream out of Freeport, this is essentially the same hull except that it is a bit longer and a little wider. There is a full galley aboard and a regular cook so real food will be available. We visited the boat and spoke with the captains and crew this winter. They are friendly, professional, and are VERY interested in running pelagic birding trips with us. For more information or to sign up, email us at i...@paulagics.com or call 215-234-6805. Hope to see you aboard! -PAG -- *Paul A. GurisSee Life PaulagicsPO Box 161Green Lane, PA 18054215-234-6805www.paulagics.com <http://www.paulagics.com>paulagics.com <http://paulagics.com>@gmail.com <http://gmail.com>i...@paulagics.com <i...@paulagics.com>* -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
