Montauk Point and back

Friday's weather looked promising for a day on the water with friends. The original plan was to scour CT waters for the odd tubenose, but an improving forecast allowed us to venture much further afield. Given the choice between maybe a few tubenoses at best (CT waters) and guaranteed pelagic birds (NY waters), the group unanimously chose the latter.

We aimed for Montauk Point and would take it from there. As it turned out, we never really wandered too far from the point. We got into birds feeding in the rips which continued a few miles to the east. This entertained us for the entirely of our four hours of birding time. The highlight was the continuing shearwater diversity and a nice jaeger show. SCOPOLI'S SHEARWATER is still something we get a bit excited about since the split is still somewhat fresh, but they are by no means rare in these waters.

Scopoli's Shearwater

Scopoli's Shearwater at center (and another to its right, but underwing angle is poor)

PARASITIC JAEGERS have really increased in local waters since the last time I was out there a few weeks ago, and one never tires of their antics with the tern flocks.

Parasitic Jaegers

A first summer LONG-TAILED JAEGER won "rarest" bird of the day.

Long-tailed Jaeger pursuing a Common Tern

Interesting was only a smattering of WILSON'S STORM-PETRELS, which had been around in good numbers inshore in late July-early August.

Mammals were represented by loads of Tamanend's Bottlenose Dolphins and a distant breaching large whale. One smallish unidentified shark made a brief appearance at the surface...we did not get a good look.

I wasn't really fishing, but did drop a small jig down to bottom which was apparently covered in Porgy AKA Scup. Atlantic Mackerel were around as well, as evidenced by one that immediately took the shiny metal lure.

Atlantic Mackerel

As the clock struck 4pm, which was our time to head back towards New Haven, we noticed some weather building in our path. Luckily these were not thunderstorms (in other words, no lightning). I deemed it safe for us to bird the breakwaters at the mouth of the Connecticut River, which can be loaded with terns at this time of year. Indeed, several hundred Commons were present with double-digit ROSEATE, a FORSTER'S, and a couple BLACK.

Roseate Tern taking a rest (with Common Terns)

left to right: Common Tern, Forster's Tern, Roseate Tern

juv Common Tern

Black Tern

juvenile Roseate Tern (left)

mixed group of Common and Roseate Terns

After that, with sunset creeping up on us, it was a straight shot back to New Haven, trying rather unsuccessfully to dodge the incoming squalls!

dramatic skies over Old Saybrook

got a bit wet!

distant squall over Falkner Island

back to New Haven Harbor just in time for sunset

Notable by their absence was a lack of tubenoses in CT waters, or anywhere inshore of MTK for that matter! We were just passing through, but not seeing any seabirds north of Montauk was a bit surprising to me.

-NB