Pelagic trips and what to wear

[semillama]

Ok folks, this is a good topic to discuss, since it's been a little slow in this group lately.

I'm planning on going on my first pelagic trip in early December from New Jersey. What is recommended for weather gear? I have a Goretex rainsuit, although the pants are too long for me. I think I'll have to get new rainpants.

What about footwear and undergarments?

any other suggestions for such a trip? I'm sure I'm not the only one to benefit from such information here!

[blindpig]

1. don't know about clothing but

bring plenty of dramamine!

I accepted an invite for a deep sea fishing trip last year just for the chance to see some pelagics. We were out of Little River Inlet NC and a hurricane was off of Cape Canaveral. When we hit blue water the chop was 4-8 feet, all of the other smaller boats turned around but our captain had 45 paying customers and sure as hell wasn't giving that up! About a third of the customers, including myself and ms bp were violently and continuously ill. I finally forced myself up and managed a Wilson's storm Petrel, a Northern Fulmar and 2 species of Shearwater which I can't recall at the moment. Have fun!

[XemaSab]

2. Don't wear cotton!

It will get wet and STAY wet. You will be cold all day. Jeans are an extra no-no.

I'd wear capiline long undies, thin hiking pants, and heavy rain pants, shoes with good grippy soles (like trail runners) that you will be comfortable standing in all day, and lots of layers on top so you can adjust. Also a knit cap (not a ball cap) and gloves are good.

Don't drink liquor or eat greasy or spicy food the night before, and try to get lots of sleep.

Don't stay up all night drinking a whole bottle of rum. I have been there and it was really unpleasant.

Bring lots of snacks for the boat. Mild, soothing snacks. I like bagels, but I had rolls last week and that worked really well. Any kind of plain bread should work well. Popcorn has the dual advantage of being absorbant and good food for the birds.

Keep your stomach full. If you start to feel odd, eat some bread. Also bring ginger ale and crystallized ginger. Eat lots of that too.

Stay abovedecks, and out of the exhaust.

Bring a cloth for cleaning your optics.

If you're nauseated, you're not focusing hard enough on the birds! BIRD HARDER!

:D

[semillama]

3. just sent in my check!

going out Dec. 3 from Belmar, NJ.

The tour group is See Life Paulagics, dedicated to pelagic birding.(check them out at http://paulagics.com/).

the target species are:
"Northern Fulmar, Northern Gannet, Razorbill, Common* and Thick-billed Murre*, Dovekie*, Atlantic Puffin, Red Phalarope, Pomarine Jaeger, Great Skua*, Herring, Iceland, Lesser Black-backed and Greater Black-backed Gulls, Black-legged Kittiwake.

There is no way we'll see ALL these birds, but these are the birds we would expect to see if we went out several times in winter. Some are virtually guaranteed (e.g. Herring Gull) 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, Common Dolphin, Atlantic White-sided Dolphin, and Risso's Dolphin.

Tentative Itinerary

We plan to explore the underwater trench called the Hudson Shelf Valley that extends from near shore all the way to the Hudson Canyon, as well as any other areas of interest. Although we will not be going to the canyon at this time of year, we will be visiting areas like the Mud Hole, Glory Hole, and Chicken Canyon. We will also visit the commercial fleet if it is in the area. This region is roughly down the New York / New Jersey pelagic boundary and we will try to spend time in both states' waters. We will be chumming to attract gulls behind the boat and hopefully other birds too."

I picked up better rain pants, waterproof gloves and socks, new base layers, and non-jeans Columbia outdoor pants, and just need to find some appropriate foot gear (I have knee high muck boots, but they're sort of uncomfortable).

I'm pretty excited about this trip. Aside from the common gulls, pretty much anything we see will be life birds for me.

[semillama]

4. ok, all set

heading out on thursday. this is what I'm wearing:

thermal base layer, top and bottom
Sealskins waterproof socks
Carhart thick winter socks over that
light cotton pants (Columbia)
light t-shirt
light sweater
Columbia fleece core jacket
Sorel rain pants
Eddie Bauer rain jacket
Thinsulate hat
waterproof winter gloves
Sorel winter boots

and some hand warmers to boot.

I'm getting pretty pumped for the trip, should see some great birds and lots of lifers!

[XemaSab]

5. The bird list sounds OFF THE HOOK

I could get about 5 lifers from that list.

Have a great time, and tell us what you see!

[semillama]

6. good news and bad news

bad news first, the pelagic was canceled due to rough seas.

good news: four of us were already out there when they canceled, so we birded the New Jersey and Delaware coasts Friday evening through late sunday afternoon. we hit Barnagat light, Island Beach SP, Cape May, Avalon Seawatch in NJ, then took the Cape May-Lewes ferry (the "poor man's pelagic") to Delaware and did Cape Henlopen SP, Indian River Bay (to look for a black-headed gull that we didn't see), and finished with Bombay Hook NWR. Our trip list was 92 species. I got 10 life birds:

Northern Gannet
Brant
Long-tailed Duck
Purple Sandpiper
White-winged Scoter
Red-Throated Loon
Manx Shearwater
Great Cormorant
Brown-Headed Nuthatch
Laughing Gull

and the following year birds:
Black Vulture
Pine Siskin
Black scoter
Surf Scoter
Northern Goshawk

Other trip highlights include seeing thousands and thousands of migrating snow geese, being 20 feet away from a mixed flock of about 90 dunlin and sanderling, being 5 feet away from ruddy turnstone and purple sandpiper, having a flock of about 70 brant fly 10 feet over head (and not get pooped on), seeing lots of gannet up close on the ferry, and glimpsing what may have been an astounding bird - a bird that three of us agreed was a large falcon, and the person who got the best look is positive had a clean white belly. I'll let you guess what process of elimination says that might be....

so, it was still a great trip!

[blindpig]

7. Good for you.

Glad you made the most of it. I could use about four of those lifers myself. Funny, the birds that one birders doesn't see even after spending much time in their range. I've got some holes in my lifelist big enough to drive a truck through, particularly warblers.

A Gyr! That's a thrill I'll probably never have as I always travel south for my field work because of my lust for reptiles and amphibians.

[semillama]

8. I'm not counting it

I didn't get a good enough look to say it was a gyr. my main view of the underparts was glimpsed through a sunroof, and my best view and impression was as it flew off, of gray upperparts. I'm not totally convinced it couldn't be a Goshawk...but then again, I also did not get the best view of it.

[XemaSab]

9. Sucks that the pelagic was scrubbed

but it sounds like you got some good birds out of it, notably the purple sand and cormorant (which I need!)