Hey VA birders!
I just got the attached email from Brian Patteson. I may be crossing some
line of posting etiquette, but this is important information for the
Virginia birders.
Brian Patteson is "THE" man if you want to see pelagic birds off the
Virginia and North Carolina coasts. In addition to having more knowledge
about identifying the birds (and mammals) offshore VA/NC than anyone I know,
Brian is consistent in being able to put you where the birds are. (All the
ID skill doesn't matter if you can't find the birds!)
I have been on many of his trips and they have all been very professional
and rewarding. It is always exhilarating going offshore because you never
know exactly what you will see. We should all be thankful that Brian has
purchased his own boat, Stormy Petrel. Where would we be if he had not
decided to go into debt? It is exciting to think about the better coverage
of the ocean waters in the years to come. I can't wait to get out there!
Les Willis
Suffolk, VA
BTW, I have not received ANYTHING (and will not receive ANYTHING) for
posting this announcement - just getting the word out for the birding
community.
-----Original Message-----
From: J. BRIAN PATTESON [mailto:patteson1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2006 4:17 PM
To: Willis Les
Subject: February Pelagic Trips Fr. Virginia Beach
Les,
I was hoping you could pass the following information along to the VA
Bird List. I was thinking these dates might have reached that group,
but apparently they have not.
We are planning to run pelagic trips from VA Beach on Feb. 11(12) and
Feb. 18(19).
I had a trip planned for the Carolina Bird Club for Feb. 4(5), but
it's seems that all their people want to do is go to the CBBT before
it's too late. Therefore, unless there are at least 15 or so others who
would like to go pelagic birding that weekend, that trip is history.
So we are now campaigning to run at least two weekends up there,
preferably three. I am still considering Feb. 25 (26), but I also have
people who would like to go down here off Hatteras that weekend.
I would like to bring my new boat up there to run these trips. We can
cut a couple of hours off running to Norfolk Canyon so the trips can
probably be 12 hours or less now. But to make it worthwhile to
reposition, I need to run at least two trips up there.
In the past, these trips have been good for alcids, including Dovekies
and Atlantic Puffins, which are seen sparingly down here off Cape
Hatteras. Great Skuas have been seen on many trips, and Razorbills,
fulmars, and kittiwakes are often seen in numbers, as well as Red
Phalarope and Manx Shearwater to a lesser extent. Of course early
February is when we had the young Black-browed Albatross in 1999, and
there have been Feb. records of Yellow-nosed Albatross off Maryland and
N. Carolina in years past. Lots of gulls and gannets are the rule, as
we'll be chumming extensively, and we sometimes see Iceland, Glaucous,
and Little Gulls. Cetacean possibilities include Fin Whales, Sperm
Whales, Humpbacks, and the stunningly patterned Common Dolphin.
The winter trips this year are $125/person, a bit more than last year on
account of fuel. We will use Sundays as weather dates for these
Saturday trips, which has been our SOP for many years. I am looking
forward to coming up and running some trips aboard the Stormy Petrel.
More info, including past trips lists going back to the 80's (!) is on
our website at http://www.patteson.com/
Thanks,
Brian
Brian Patteson
brian@xxxxxxxxxxxx
(252) 986-1363
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