Offshore sightings during FONT pelagic trips 
from north Carolina

1992-2001

Oceanic Birds
Coastal Birds seen offshore
  Marine Mammals
Other Sea-life


Seabird Photo Gallery
Marine-Life Photo Gallery

Directory of Species in Galleries
  

Oceanic birds

¹Bermuda Petrel (Cahow): has been seen during FONT NC pelagic trips on Jun 3, 2000 and June 10, 2001.

²Trinidade (or Herald) Petrels have been seen annually during FONT NC trips (except for 1995). Some specific sightings were: Jun 6, '92; Aug 8, '92; Aug 16, '93; Aug 8, '94; Aug 10, '96; May 25, '97; Jun 1, '97; Aug 11, 97; May 25, '98 (2 birds); May 30 & 31, '98 (3 or 4 birds).
Light morphs included: Jun 6, '92; Aug 8, '92; Aug 10, '96; May 25, '97. Most of the others (possibly all) were dark.
In 1999 & 2000, the species was seen during Jun & Aug. In 2000, on Jun 4: there were 2 birds (one light & one dark).

³Fea's Petrel: a bird on July 31, 2000 was seen well by everyone onboard the boat. Previous FONT sightings were in 1995, 1996, 1998, and 1999. 

⁴Bulwer's Petrel on August 8, 1998 (about 20 miles offshore) was the first ever seen and photographed over the Atlantic Ocean off North America. The first ever to be seen and photographed off North America was just a couple of weeks earlier, over the Pacific, off California on July 27, 1998 (that bird 18 miles off shore).

⁵Sooty Shearwaters are rare off North Carolina during mid and late summer.

⁶A total of 160 Band-rumped Storm-Petrels were seen on Aug 9, '97, a record for one day off North America. Almost as high a total, 143 were seen July 29, 2000. 

⁷Two White-faced Storm-Petrels were seen during FONT NC pelagic trips in 1996 (Aug) and in 1999 (twice: one on July 31, one on Aug 7).

⁸White-tailed Tropicbirds were seen on 4 of 5 trips in Aug '97. Three were seen on Aug 9.

⁹An immature Red-billed Tropicbird was seen on the water, close to the water, on May 25, 1998.

 ¹⁰ The Brown Booby in Aug '94 was seen offshore from Hatteras.

¹¹A Masked Booby was seen during a FONT NC pelagic trip in June 1992.

¹² Magnificent Frigatebirds are very unusual in/off North Carolina.

¹³Red-necked Phalaropes occur far offshore outside their breeding season.

¹⁴ South Polar Skuas were seen during 3 consecutive trips, July 29, 30, 31, 2000 - on the middle trip of these, 3 of them were seen.

¹⁵All dark juvenile Sooty Terns were seen during the Aug 14, '93 trip.

¹⁶The Atlantic Puffin in Aug 1993 was the first ever on a North Carolina pelagic trip. It was the southernmost recorded puffin ever - seen on 82°F water and in flight.

Coastal birds seen offshore:

¹either Common Tern (probable) or Arctic Tern (possible)

Marine mammals:

Notes:

Six False Killer Whales were seen during one trip in June 1996.

Sperm Whales in 1998 (in both May and August) were seen with calves. At times quite close to the boat. "Rolling" behavior (with the calf) was noted. Sperm Whales were also seen in 1999: in May, July, and August.

There are 4 species of beaked whales that are said to be possible in the waters off the North Carolina coast:
        1) the Cuvier's Beaked Whale (the most commonly reported)
        2) the Dense-beaked (or Blainville's) Beaked Whale
        3) the True's Beaked Whale
        4) the Gervais' (or Gulf Stream) Beaked Whale.
During our three August '98 North Carolina pelagic trips, a total of 9 Cuvier's Beaked Whales were seen, some closely. On May 30-31, '98, 12 were seen.
In May '98 from another boat off Hatteras, NC, there were reports of Dense-beaked (Blainville's) Whale (a male said to be seen well) and True's Beaked Whale (seen briefly, but at close range).
Beaked Whales were seen during our trip on May 31, 1998, said by some to be Dense-beaked. Most onboard could not see the animals well enough to surely say.
Most species of beaked whales have only very rarely been seen alive. Often not well. Most are best known from beached individuals.
In May '99, during one FONT trip (on May 30), three species of mesoplodons (or beaked whales) were seen and identified: 2 Cuvier's, 2 Blainville's (or Dense-beaked), 1 True's. Another mesoplodon was unidentified.

During May '98 off Hatteras (during a non-FONT trip), there was reported a sighting of a Dwarf Sperm Whale.

The Clymene (or Short-snouted Spinner) Dolphins, confirmed by photos during our August 10, 1998 trip, represented the first for waters off North Carolina. There was a large pod of over a hundred, some by the bow of the boat. This cetacean is a resident of warm subtropical waters.

Other sea life: