Image by Jim Denham - Sunrise at Fish Tails

At the Edge of the Shelf
I had the opportunity over the weekend to join some old friends for a trip out the edge of the continental shelf, about 80 miles south of Block Island. We birded an area known as the Fish Tails and a bit further south into 81 degree waters. These warm waters and areas where the waters meet the cooler waters of the north are great places to find seabirds as they search upwellings associated with Gulf Stream eddies for food. We were truly lucky to find Black-capped Petrel (the third record for Rhode Island) and Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, a new record for Rhode Island.
If off-shore trips are of interest to you, let me know and we can try to put one together for Connecticut Audubon or I can hook you up with some already scheduled boats.
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel copyright Frank Mantlik

Long-tailed Jaeger copyright Carlos Pedro

Image by Mark Jankura

The Heart of Swallow Season

We are right in the heart of swallow season with the bird numbers building each night. If you have never seen this amazing display of bird behavior, you really must make it a point to join us soon. Each fall, as much as half-a-million birds congregate at dusk on a communal roust site, preforming an outstanding aerial ballet before settling down for the night.

At EcoTravel, we will be running our boats into the first week of October and now have very limited space. Call now! 1-800-996-8747.