PORT O'CONNOR
PELAGIC July 26, 1997 Aboard the Chip XI
Subject: July 26 Pelagic trip report
From: Dwight Peake
July 26th Trip Report
The July 26 Port O Connor pelagic trip went well. We were blessed with
seas less than 2 feet and no white caps all day except for a short period
around a small rainstorm. Deep blue colored water was at least 15 nm
shoreward of the Continental Shelf suggesting the effect of a warm
core eddy, but the large mats of sargassum present on June 28 could
not be located. Once we entered the blue water we had bird or mammal
sightings about every 10-15 minutes until we crossed back over the
shelf edge around 5 pm.
We had 2 open spaces, but those who participated in this trip seemed
to enjoy themselves. Spaces remain for the August 23 and September 20
trips. Please contact me ASAP if you would like to go on either of those
trips. Forty percent of these Port O Connor trips have produced
significant state rarities (in addition to the state review
species- Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, Leach’s Storm-Petrel, Audubon s Shearwater,
and Bridled Tern- which are common and are seen on most trips).
Where else can one spend a day of birding and have a 40% chance of
seeing such rarities and see so many other neat things!
As you may have heard me state before, June and July may be slow
times for land birding in our area, but the summer is a great time
for pelagic birding!
Trip list
Pelagic Birds
1) Black-capped Petrel 1 (diagnostic video obtained)
2) Magnificent Frigatebird 3
3) Cory s Shearwater 2
4) Greater Shearwater 1 (photos hopefully obtained of bird 30-40
feet from boat)
5) Audubon s Shearwater 16
6) Band-rumped Storm-Petrel 43 (yes, 43!)
7) Leach s Storm-Petrel 2
- unidentified storm-petrel 2 (probable BRSP)
8) Pomarine Jaeger 3 (one light phase immature taking chum
within 20 feet of boat)
9) Arctic Tern 1 (good video. bird consistent with 1st
summer, second calendar year
plumage. Feeding in flock of 100
Sooty Terns, Audubon s and
Cory s, Pomarine Jaeger, and
Black-capped Petrel over tuna
school. If accepted by the TXBRC, and
the McNary Res. June record is
accepted, it will be the second state
record)
10) Bridled Tern 3
11) Sooty Tern 231
- Bridled vs. Sooty Tern 2
Other fauna
Atlantic spotted dolphin 6
Bottlenosed dolphin 3
Short-finned pilot whale 84
Mesoplodon sp. Beaked whale 2
unidentified small whale 6
