Marine Bird Sightings 2007
Dolphin Fleet Whale watch has specific trips with a Bird specialist onboard every saturday and Tuesday during June, July and August to highlight the marine birds of our waters. Learn about birds that are resident and those that migrate across the equator every summer to feed in the rich waters of Stellwagen Bank.
Our naturalists of 2007, Peter Trull has been recording the numbers of seabirds while traveling to Stellwagen Bank, and on Stellwagen Bank. The data he is collecting this summer will hopefully give us a better understanding of the frequency of occurrence and the habits of these pelagic birds.
Birds of interest within Provincetown harbor:
Sightings of the Great Blackback gull is sighted throughout the year as well as the Common Eider ducks that stay within the harbor.The Double-crested Cormorant also is found nesting in the summer months on the rocks of the breakwater that protect the inner harbor.
7/7
Birds seen throughout the day:
Bonaparte’s Gull ~ 1
Common Tern ~ 90
Greater Shearwater ~ 15
Least Tern ~ 12
Manx Shearwater ~ 1
Northern Gannet ~ 1
Sooty Shearwater ~ 10
White Winged Scoter ~
Wilson’s Storm-petrel ~ 60
7/9
Birds seen throughout the day:
Black Tern ~
Common Tern ~ 55
Greater Shearwater ~ 100
Least Tern ~ 12
Manx Shearwater ~ 2
Northern Fulmar ~ 1
Northern Gannet ~ 1
Sooty Shearwater ~ 450
Wilson’s Storm-petrel ~ 600
7/14
Birds seen throughout the day:
Common Eider (at sea) ~ 27
Common Loon ~ 2
Double-crested Cormorant ~ 200
Great Blue Heron ~ 1
Greater Shearwater ~ 2200
Northern Gannet ~ 14
Parasitic Jaeger ~ 3
Sooty Shearwater ~ 4000
Wilson’s Storm-petrel ~ 225
7/16
Birds seen throughout the day:
Black Tern ~1
Common Tern ~ 265
Greater Shearwater ~ 70
Manx Shearwater ~ 3
Northern Gannet ~ 7
Northern Harrier ~ 1
Parasitic Jaeger ~ 3
Roseate Tern ~ 2
Sooty Shearwater ~ 90
White Winged Scoter ~ 1
Wilson’s Storm-petrel ~ 300
7/23
Birds seen throughout the day:
Black Tern ~ 1
Common Tern ~ 465
Great Blue Heron ~ 1
Greater Shearwater ~ 180
Manx Shearwater ~ 3
Northern Gannet ~ 3
Parasitic Jaeger ~ 1
Roseate Tern ~ 22
Sooty Shearwater ~ 164
Wilson’s Storm-petrel ~ 150
8/4
Birds seen throughout the day:
Black Tern ~ 3
Common Tern ~ 681
Greater Shearwater ~ 1118
Manx Shearwater ~ 14
Northern Gannet ~ 5
Parasitic Jaeger ~ 6
Roseate Tern ~ 26
Sooty Shearwater ~ 620
Wilson’s Storm-petrel ~ 824
Interesting Observations :
Marine bird observations are peaking during these next few weeks with good numbers and diversity of petrels, shearwaters, terns, jaegers and gannets. Monarch butterflies have really begun to show up off-shore with some dragonflies and wasps coming in over the water as well.
Monarch Butterfly ~ Continual 3-5 hour
Wandering Glider (dragonfly) ~ 2
8/20
Birds seen throughout the day:
Bonaparte’s Gull ~ 50
Common Eider ~ 21
Common Tern ~ 400-500
Greater Shearwater ~ 200
Laughing Gull ~ 50
Least Tern ~ 12
Manx Shearwater ~ 20
Northern Gannet ~ 2
Parasitic Jaeger ~ 3
Roseate Tern ~ 150
Sabine’s Gull ~ 1
Sooty Shearwater ~ 60
Wilson’s Storm-petrel ~ 55
Shearwater
By Peter Trull
Too many birds for one to see
August on the open sea
As billow builds to boundless trough
my pinions stiffly streak and laugh
Under gales – such force implores
To drive me on to ancient shores
Effortless I glide and sway
With miles to go, no dark or day
Wind and whales, food forever
Ravenous, gluttonous birds endeavor
To cross the equator spring and fall
Penguins, puffins, I stir them all
Cetaceans in reverence and in slaughter
Been there and back
Seen it all
Shearwater
