FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE NOT ON LABIRD:
LABIRD,
With the interest in sea birding on the rise from coast to coast, I thought it would only be appropriate to run a pelagic trip once again to the offshore waters of Louisiana. After all, it's the final frontier of North American birding. It has been nearly a decade since a pelagic trip has been offered to the general birding public in Louisiana. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita plagued any possibility of a trip in recent years up until now. Ports all throughout se. LA are finally up and running at full capacity for the first time post-Katrina. After a few weeks of planning, searching, and contacting numerous charter services, I have scheduled a very reasonably priced and ideally located charter service. The trip is tentatively planned for the third weekend in May, which may change depending on weather conditions, etc.
On Saturday, 17 May 2008, Capt. John Coulon of Delta Blue Sport Fishing, Inc. will motor us out to the blue water of Mississippi Canyon via South or Southwest Pass for a full-day of pelagic birding. We will cruise along the edge of the submarine canyon out to about 5,000 ft. of water and stop at a few rigs along the way. The boat is docked at Venice Marina in Venice (Plaquemines Parish), which allows for the closest access to blue water in LA. The boat is a 47' custom built steel and aluminum-hulled fishing vessel and is coast guard approved for 20 passengers plus 3 deckhands, so it is possible that we could squeeze 21 passengers on board. It is the only vessel out of Venice that can accommodate over 6 passengers, which is a huge advantage when pelagic birding. The boat is equipped with a fairly spacious cabin for lounging or resting at any point throughout the trip. Cruising speed is ~17 knots, or 20 mph, so it's not the fastest but it will get the job done. On Saturday, 17 May 2008 (possibly 18/24/25 May depending on weather/sea conditions) we will depart Venice Marina at 6 AM, travel about 3 hours or so to blue water, and arrive back at the marina at 4-5 PM. This will allow for about 3+ hours of seabirding over the canyon's blue water. John will do his best to get the boat in position for optimal viewing once a bird is spotted. We will lay a chum slick along the way, which will hopefully attract some target seabirds for close views, especially storm-petrels. By late May, many northbound seabirds have arrived or will be passing through the Gulf of Mexico. At this date, we can expect (or hope) to find a fair diversity of seabirds, though nothing is guaranteed in the largely depauperate Gulf. There is a good chance that we will see Audubon's Shearwater, Wilson's Storm-Petrel, Masked Booby, Pomarine and Parasitic Jaeger, and Sooty and Bridled Tern along with the usual waterbirds (Charadriiformes, etc.). Not to mention any exhausted migrant landbirds that may rest on or fly past the boat. Past trips in late May have produced a few noteworthy finds including a Sabine's Gull and multiple Leach's and Band-rumped Storm-Petrels. In late spring, there is always a possibility that we could encounter a highly sought-after Greater Shearwater, Cory's Shearwater, Red-billed Tropicbird, Long-tailed Jaeger, Arctic Tern, or Brown Noddy. On the way back in, we may return via Tiger Pass to check out some other inshore areas and cover more water. For more information about Capt. John Coulon, his boats, and his services go to the following link:
http://www.rodnreel.com/coulon/index.asp
The cost of the trip will be $100 per person plus tip if we can fill the boat with 20 participants. Given the current price of fuel (>$3/gallon), it would be practically impossible to find a better-priced charter boat. John has a very flexible May schedule and will accommodate us should there be unsettled weather on the first planned weekend. Currently, there is room for about 10 more passengers, so if you're interested please send me an e-mail ASAP. Reservations will be on a first come, first served basis. Due to the limited space, there will be a waiting list for all excess participants should there be any cancellations. There is a possibility that a second trip will be scheduled for the following weekend if a substantial interest exists. As a group, we hope to generate the first eBird checklist for the deep blue waters of the LA Gulf. We'll also be on the lookout for Cetaceans and other marine life. Pass this message along to anyone else that may be interested in coming aboard. Updates (including directions to marina, etc.) will be e-mailed to interested participants between now and the departure date. Thanks for your support! I hope to see you in late May.
Cheers,
Devin Bosler
LSU-Baton Rouge
(717) 203-1795
