[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]
Posted by R. D. Wallace on 14:20:12 10/27/11
In Reply to: Re: Pelagic Trip out of Ponce Inlet, Nov. 13 posted by Toe
Toe makes very valid points. To pass offhand that you have no chance of seeing a new Florida species, or even a very rare bird because they only wash up on the beach is certainly misleading and naive. Most of the pelagic species, such as Pterodromas and species that nest in the eastern Atlantic and feed throughout the Gulf Stream such as Little Shearwater, Band rump Storm Petrels, etc easily have a possibility of being seen on the pelagic trips out of Ponce Inlet. In over 100 trips offshore of this inlet (both organized on a charter boat and on my boat), we have found that we really do not know what is out there. In September we set the state high count for Black-capped Petrels, a species that prior data did not show as a common migrant in September. Every trip is different; one year there will 1000's of Cory's and the next year at the same time only a few. GPS tracking tags on Bermuda Petrels show that these species make weekly movements of 1000s of miles, just to feed, returning to nest rocks in Bermuda to feed their young before departing again depending on frontal movement and wind direction. Given the right conditions, and the fact that we do get Black-caps here all year long (similar food targets) there is no reason a Bermuda could not be among them. In Hatteras Bermudas occur during periods of high winds. Hatteras has 3000' depths within 20 miles, and 10,000' depths within 30 miles of land. When we go 100 miles off of Ponce, we are in 3000' of water on the east side of the stream, in the confluence zone between the Antillean current on the east side of the Bahamas and the Gulf Stream. These are very similar conditions to offshore Hatteras, and we could see all the same species, even perhaps a Swinhoe's Storm Petrel.
Of course there are only a few possible new pelagic species that occur in the Atlantic that could be added to Florida's list, the chance at seeing a true rarity is quite real. Fulmars wash up regularly as do alcids, and all have been seen along the beaches both alive and dead. Winds from storms and fronts are a key causal factor for this. There is a wide diversity of species that could occur.
The bottom line is that if you don't go, I guarantee that you will not see any of these species. As far as I am aware, Bill has not been on a pelagic out of Ponce, at least not in the last 15 years that I have been going, and perhaps that is a cause of his opinions.
[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]