November 17th, John went on a pelagic out of Lewes, Delaware with Paulagics. He told me it was very cold and windy, 15 knots. The boat was of a good size so handled the seas well. Some of the passengers did not. Glad I wasn't there.
John got both target birds, the Northern Gannet 673 and the Manx Shearwater 674!!!!! Finally, some progress! He got pictures of both and a picture of the Bonaparte's Gull. He had somehow missed photographing that one well before. That makes about 617 species pictures this year.
John could even find some new bird tomorrow! Well, anything is possible. He will stay in Philadelphia tomorrow night and fly to California Monday. He has a scheduled pelagic out of Half Moon Bay Tuesday, November 20th. It looks like the weather will cooperate, just a little windy and a little wet. I won't be there either.
It isn't that I never go on boats. I went to the Antarctic and the Aleutians. I guess those were ships. A ship's captain told me a boat can be put on a ship, but a ship is never carried and do not call his ship a boat!!!! It is just that to go to sea, I have to overdose on sea sickness medications and in the down time between the birds and occasional whales, pelagics can be deadly boring. Then there is a distant sea bird that experts call a whatever. Could be a flying fish for all I know. I like to ID the bird myself.
Beverly,
ReplyDeleteI was the sick passenger. I had done well on the previous pelagic, on which I first met John. We hung out together quite a bit and I almost missed the Manx due to sea sickness. I was out there for the second one.
Does John already have the Pink-footed Goose. I chased it this morning just north of Philadelphia. Great bird and easy views. I thought I'd have seen him there today
Robert Baumander
Toronto Canada
John got the goose on the same day, then flew out from Philadelphia.
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