As pelagic trips tend to go, it was hot and cold. Much time between the hots. But the hots were terrific! Our first terrific bird of the trip was a Red-billed Tropicbird, a juvenile that circled overhead three times before finding someplace else to be. This bird was the highlight of the trip for many passengers who boarded The Osprey at 6 AM with visions of lifers dancing in their heads. By 8 AM, we had a winner! The tropicbird is a Texas rarity. “Of the dozen or so Red-billed Tropicbird records for Texas, six have come from off SPI since 2001,” states Brad McKinney, one of our fabulous leaders and the official record keeper of the trip.
About two hours later, between bouts of flying fish and Spotted Dolphins, a probable Leach’s Storm Petrel flew across the bow of the boat almost touching a wave curl in front of us. It was a quickie, with barely enough time to see it if you weren’t looking straight ahead at the time. Leaders Petra Hockey and Eric Carpenter were fast to glass the bird, but a shout out to the rest of the passengers left only the wave curl.
Thank goodness for snacks, lunch and beverages to fill in the voids of excitement. But there is always the anticipation to keep birders motivated, constantly scanning the horizon, and we had lots of eyes to see in all directions. Leaders Mary Gustafson and Randy Pinkston were ever searching the waves, the sky, the horizon, their picnic basket, the waves, the sky and the horizon. All the leaders’ efforts were greatly appreciated, as it is an exhausting job!
As naptime was starting to set in, a first year Pomarine Jaeger was seen bobbing on the water about 50 yards off the port bow. Not expecting to see a jaeger this time of year, it got the adrenaline flowing again to search the waves, the sky and the horizon. Again. A mere hour and a half later, we came upon a shrimp boat with some hitchhikers on the outriggers: four Magnificent Frigatebirds, one of which was a stunning male. Not a drop-dead sighting to see frigatebirds, but it was definitely “magnificent”, and we were treated to a nice, easy view.
Our day provided us with calm seas, good weather, great companionship, fabulous guides, and a few (as expected) excellent sightings. This is the story of most pelagic trips (except for maybe the calm seas). Many thanks to our participants who kept a vigilant watch for anything and everything, our guides who taught us and showed us the way of the pelagic, and to that juvie Red-billed Tropicbird who came to visit us.
Look for pictures from this trip and previous ones on
. Come join us on our last pelagic trip of the season, August 27, 2011. Call Tamie Bulow at SPI Birding Center,
, for space available.
South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center 6801 Padre Boulevard, South Padre Island, TX 78597 call (956) 243-8179