Scopoli's Shearwaters and Dolphins

 

Common Dolphins

   Last year I retired from pelagic birding trips. I had gotten seasick too many times to justify the expense. Most of the trip would be a very expensive nap in the fetal position after throwing up. It made no sense to keep spending money to be miserable. Then I encountered a problem.
   

  Cory's Shearwater, a species I've seen many times split into two. There used to be a sub-species of Cory's known as Scopoli's. However, science is changing and the Scopoli's became their own species overnight. I had seen Scopoli's Shearwaters in North Carolina when I went on pelagics there. Kate Sutherland would call them out. They look almost identical to Cory's Shearwater except the tip of the underwing is whiter. This is an impossible field mark to notice when the birds are cruising in the wind. Usually you need a photo to positively ID the bird.

    In Rhode Island, I had almost certainly seen Scopoli's Shearwaters. No one called them out before when they were just a sub-species. But I have been on enough pelagics that without a doubt I laid my eyes on many of them even if I never did get the ID. Last year, on the pelagic that made me retire a couple of Scopoli's were seen but I never got on the birds. Then after I went in the cabin, I laid down for hours. So...when I got the ebird report of birds we had seen I took Scopoli's off of my list. 

   I immediately regretted my decision. As I said, I am positive I must have seen them in the past. I could have left the species on my list but I want my list to be pure with no questions asked (especially by myself). So I knew that I'd still have to go look for Scopoli's Shearwater again. I was not looking forward it.

   

   To avoid going on an eight hour pelagic, I tried getting a Scopoli's from the Block Island Ferry where they had been seen all summer. No luck. Then I went on a whale watch and still didn't get it. So I was already out $110. When Tim asked me if I wanted to go on the pelagic August 28 I said yes knowing I'd be around great birders, there would be multiple Scopolis seen, and I would probably get seasick.

   It turned out that I was right about the first two but didn't get seasick. The water was very calm. I had gotten a prescription patch to put behind my ear that helps with seasickness. Also, I was offered the strongest anti-nausea pill on the market (actually made for chemo patients). I took it and I felt great all day. There wasn't any negative side affects (like drowsiness) nor any other positive ones (such as getting a buzz). My stomach felt great all day long. It has been years since I felt so good on the open ocean.

   We saw tons of birds. I got my Scopoli's Shearwater. I made sure to put my binoculars on every Cory's type we saw. We got photo evidence of at least two. I got some decent shots of Cory's and Great Shearwaters. We saw a Sooty too. This left only the Manx that we missed of the possible types of Shearwaters. 

 

Cory's Shearwater

   If it weren't for finally seeing a Rhode Island Scopoli's Shearwater, the highlight would be all of the Common Dolphins we saw. We saw hundreds of Dolphins. Many of them swam right next to the boat and went right under it. I got some okay photos of them coming out of the water but most ended up blurry. The experience was awesome though.  

  This was by far my favorite pelagic trip in years. It opened up the possibility that I may go on pelagics again. There is still some worry. Did I stay vertical because of the calm seas? or was it the anti-nausea medicine, or the combination of both? I'd hate to find out the medicine won't work when the seas get choppy. Whether or not I "unretire" from pelagics, I had a great time on this one. It has been a long time since I could say that.

The dolphins and birds were following the trawlers

Great Shearwater

Cory's