On August 9-13 the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology had an out-of-state field trip to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. A total of 35 participants ventured down to NC for several days of land birding followed by two days of pelagic trips out of Hatteras, NC. Part 1 of this trip report series covered some of the land birding, this … Read More
Terns, jaegers, and gulls of the Gulf Stream
August in the Gulf Stream off North Carolina is usually thought of by birders as the ultimate time to try for the rarer Pterodroma species, such as Black-capped Petrels, Band-rumped Storm-Petrels, and Herald (Trindade) Petrels aboard Brian Patteson’s pelagic trips. Sure, those Pterodroma species (and many others) can be found out there and are always exciting to see, but not many people … Read More
An Avian Coastal Evacuation
October 29: Tom Johnson and Doug Gochfeld were still navigating to my parents’ home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, when Hurricane Sandy made landfall. Their arrival was timed perfectly with the loss of internet and cable (which my parents wouldn’t see again for another three days). Shortly thereafter, we lost power. So as we huddled around a battery-powered lamp, we discussed … Read More