My wife and I did this trip last fall. It was a long day between the early hour we had to leave to get down there, the time at sea and the drive home. We did see numerous pelagics - five firsts for me - and five different whale species including the endangered right whale. A good day out.
Blake Allison
Lyme, NH 03768-3322
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Jon Woolf <[log in to unmask]>
To: NH Birds <[log in to unmask]>; Massbird <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 4:11 PM
Subject: NH Audubon Fall Pelagic Trip
Listfolk,
There are still a few places available on NH Audubon's fall pelagic birding trip, and a few days left to sign up for them.
WHAT: Fall Pelagic Birding Trip aboard the _Granite State_
WHEN: Tuesday, September 6th, the day after Labor Day. We leave dockside at 8:00AM and return between 5:00 and 5:30.
(NOTE: we have reserved the next Monday, Sept 12th. as a fallback date if we can't go on the 6th.)
WHO: Starring master-birder Steve Mirick as announcer and birding expert; Captain Pete Reynolds and the crew of the _Granite State_ as our hosts; and (hopefully) you!
THE PLAN: As usual, we meet in Rye Harbor at 7:30AM to board the _Granite State_, and depart at 8:00 for a day of birding at sea. We'll head out to Jeffreys Ledge and run along it, looking for birds, whales, and whatever else might cross our path. In past years we've logged all four expected shearwater species (Greater, Sooty, Cory's, Manx), along with Northern Gannet, Northern Fulmar, Wilson's Storm-petrel, Red and Red-necked Phalaropes, Atlantic Puffin, Sabine's Gull, Black Tern, Least Tern, and Pomarine and Parasitic Jaegers, plus a variety of migrating land birds. All are possible this time, and we might well add a few more. So far we've also logged a total of six different cetacean species on various trips: Fin, Minke, Sei, Right, and Humpback whales, plus Atlantic White-sided Dolphins and Harbor Porpoises.
WHAT TO BRING: Binoculars, of course. Bring a lunch if you like. A digital camera if you have one -- in past years we've gotten spectacular photo opportunities for birds, whales, and dolphins. Weather on the open water is unpredictable: sometimes hot, sometimes rather chilly. Prepare for both. Certainly bring sunscreen and sunglasses. Bring motion-sickness pills if you're vulnerable to seasickness. _Granite State_'s seating is mostly wooden benches, so a seatcushion might be a good idea if you have trouble with sitting on hard surfaces.
MV _Granite State_ is a day-excursion boat owned by Granite State Whale Watch and based in Rye Harbor, NH. She's 65 feet long, with an onboard snack bar, enclosed main cabin, two passenger decks, GPS navigation systems, and Fish Finder sonar for locating schools of baitfish. Twin marine diesel engines give her a cruising speed of 15-16 knots. Captain Pete Reynolds and his crew have decades of experience at finding birds and whales in the Gulf of Maine.
We've already met our 30-person minimum for the trip. We've set a maximum of 50 so that the boat doesn't get too crowded. Registration deadline is this Saturday, September 3rd. Cost is $65 for NH Audubon members, $85 for non-members. Contact Massabesic Audubon Center (phone 603-668-2045, email [log in to unmask]) to sign up. Contact either MAC or me with any questions you might have.
See you on board!
-- Jon Woolf
Manchester, NH
(Massabesic Audubon Center Programming Committee)
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