tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966329187699506484.post8457177011694358874..comments2024-03-02T17:28:24.061-05:00Comments on Shorebirder: Black-capped Petrel!Nick Bonomohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07036401219361026741noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966329187699506484.post-60982658765429928072009-07-20T12:38:50.076-04:002009-07-20T12:38:50.076-04:00Brian's site is a great reference, and his tri...Brian's site is a great reference, and his trips out of Hatteras are a blast, even if his boat is pretty wet. All of the pelagics I've been on have been through him and I've never been disappointed. <br /><br />I know Brian considers the two pops of BC Petrel to potentially be distinct species, Steve Howell may be on that boat too. And even in my relatively limited experience, the differences are pretty clear, especially if you're keyed into them. <br /><br />I can recall two specific trips out, one in May and one in September, where the birds in May were largely the white-faced ones and the September birds were almost all darker ones with smaller collars. I'm certainly no expert or anything, but it really seems like something's up with that.<br /><br />But one of the coolest things about pelagics is how much we <i>don't</i> know about the birds out there, even in this day and age. It can get addicting.Natehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04649782420633788927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966329187699506484.post-41220440512724457532009-07-19T13:19:17.352-04:002009-07-19T13:19:17.352-04:00Hi Nate, that's a great point about the bird. ...Hi Nate, that's a great point about the bird. I agree, going by the photos by Patteson and Howell on seabirding.com. Thanks for that.<br /><br />This trip was one of the consistently birdier deep-water trips I've done up here. We had no huge gatherings or feeding frenzies, but there were usually storm-petrels and shearwaters to sort through.<br /><br />Sadly, we observed a Northern Right Whale that was injured dorsally AND entangled in fishing equipment. It was quite sad to watch the endangered species struggle. The captain took the coordinates and let the authorities know about the situation. Their plan was to try to re-locate and save the whale today, possibly using aircraft to find it.Nick Bonomohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07036401219361026741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966329187699506484.post-84884377113465002012009-07-19T12:35:19.871-04:002009-07-19T12:35:19.871-04:00Hours of open ocean interspersed with brief moment...Hours of open ocean interspersed with brief moments of high excitement sounds like every pelagic I've ever been on. :)<br /><br />The BC Petrel looks like it's on the stocky, really white-faced end of the BC Petrel spectrum, as opposed to the darker, thinner birds.<br /><br />Great bird.Natehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04649782420633788927noreply@blogger.com