Cory's, Greater, Manx*, and Audubon's Shearwaters, Wilson's, Leach's*, and White-faced Storm-Petrel*, Red-necked Phalarope, South Polar Skua, Pomarine, Parasitic, and Long-tailed Jaegers, and Common, Arctic*, Black, and Bridled Terns.
This is an excellent time of year to look for White-faced Storm-Petrel. I have seen 6 White-faceds in these waters over the past decade. While not guaranteed, I'm convinced that these birds are out there every year, and you just need sharp eyes and a little luck to find them. Long-tailed Jaegers (mostly juveniles) are also fairly regular at this time of year. Both White-faced and Long-tailed were seen in these waters on our trip in 2003. If the water is warm and blue, Audubon's Shearwater can be the most common shearwater of the trip and Bridled Tern is not unusual.
There is no way we'll see ALL these birds, but these are the birds we would expect to see over the course of several summer trips. Some are virtually guaranteed (e.g. Wilson's Storm-Petrel) and others are much less expected (marked with *).
We will also be looking for marine mammals. Some of the possibilities at this time of year are Fin Whale, Humpbacked Whale, Long-finned Pilot Whale, Bottlenose Dolphin, Common Dolphin, and Risso's Dolphin.
We plan to head for Hudson Canyon at the edge of the Continental Shelf, as well as some of the deep holes a little further inshore such as the Chicken Canyon. We will also visit any commercial boats in the area, particularly if there is bird activity around them. The Hudson Canyon is within New York state pelagic boundaries, and we expect to spend most if not all of our time in New York waters. We will be chumming to bring in shearwaters and storm-petrels, and hopefully jaegers and skuas.
Please note that this is a tentative itinerary. The actual route taken will depend upon the Captain's knowledge of current water temperature and bait conditions, and what we encounter during the trip.
Be sure to check out our Preparations section before booking a reservation for this trip!