Ocean State Bird Club Trip- Incredible

Today the Ocean State Bird Club (OSBC) had their annual dedicated pelagic trip. The club chartered the forty two foot Snappa for an eight hour trip to Cox Ledge. It was a great day to be on the water. The seas were flat and the sun was out. The temperature was perfect. We could not have asked for a better day. The fifteen of us that went out had a great time.

The purpose of the trip is to see the birds that live very far from shore. Many of these birds actually breed in the Southern Hemisphere and come up here for the summer. Of course, birds are the reason for the trip, but we will happily see anything cool the boat comes across. Today, it was like going to the aquarium.

Short Beaked Common Dolphin

Wilson's Storm Petrel

Wilson's Storm Petrel

Sooty Shearwater

Sooty Shearwater

Ocean Sunfish ( Mola mola)
Estimated Weight 400 pounds

This is the best picture I could get of this Blue Shark

Common Bottlenose Dolphin

Common Bottlenose Dolphin

Common Bottlenose Dolphin

All told, I got one lifebird (Parasitic Jaeger) I ended the day with five yearbirds (the Jaeger, Manx, Cory's, and Sooty Shearwaters, and Wilson Storm Petrel). We had close up looks at the Blue Shark and Mola Mola. Both species of dolphin hung around the boat for a couple of minutes. They even played in the wake.

Today was a fantastic day, and I didn't add any of my lunch to the chumslick!