75 Miles Offshore for the Birds, Back to Manasquan for the Whales
Some trips are all about the whales. Monday’s trip aboard the Jersey Girl was all about the birds. And after going 75 nautical miles offshore looking for wildlife, where did we finally find our humpbacks? Right back inshore off Manasquan.
After three cancellations, we finally got our offshore trip out of Belmar on Monday, November 2. We left the marina before sunrise and headed out into the Atlantic toward Hudson Canyon. It turned into a beautiful day on the ocean, and after all the trouble we’d had just getting a day to go, I was happy to see this group finally get their trip.
Captain Eddie took us out to the Texas Towers and over just about every wreck he could think of where he goes tuna fishing. Eddie knows those spots well. Of course, I wasn’t asking him to find tuna. I was looking for whales, and we covered an awful lot of ocean without finding one.
Meanwhile, the birders were having themselves a day.
A big thank-you to Scott Barnes of New Jersey Audubon and to Chris Brown for leading the birding side of the trip. By the time we got back to Belmar, we had identified 20 bird species, including Great, Cory’s and Manx Shearwaters, Wilson’s Storm-Petrels, Black-legged Kittiwakes and Northern Gannets. We even saw a Dovekie. Here I am, the whale watch guy, and I’m still talking about that little bird.
We also recorded the day’s sightings on eBird, from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. I’ll be honest, I’m still learning my way around eBird. I believe Chris put together a checklist, and some of the other birders aboard may have kept their own, too. Once Scott sends me the link, I’ll add it here so you can see the whole list for yourself.
Our lead naturalist, Dr. Danielle Browne of Gotham Whale, was aboard to share what she knows about whales and marine life. Between Danielle, Scott, Chris and the birders who came out with us, I had plenty of people to learn from. I spend a lot of time on the ocean, but put me on a boat with people who know their seabirds and I get to be a passenger for a little while, too.
One more stop on the way home
By the time we were heading back in, we’d been out there most of the day. I said to Captain Eddie, “We’re stopping by Manasquan first.”
He said, “Why?”
“Because we need to see some whales, and I’m pretty sure they’re off Manasquan.”
I don’t think Eddie was too thrilled with me at that particular moment. We’d been all the way out to the Texas Towers, checked all those wrecks, and now, on the way home, I had one more place I wanted him to look.
Sure enough, down off Manasquan and Point Pleasant, we found three humpback whales. I could see what looked like a fourth farther out, but the light was dropping so fast it was hard enough to photograph the three we had. Eddie, I’m glad we made that stop.
For the photographers out there, here’s what those last few minutes were like. When I pointed the camera east toward a whale, I was at ISO 51,200. When a whale was to the west, I could pick up a little of the light still hanging over the Jersey Shore, even though the sun was already below the horizon. In that direction I was at ISO 8,000. Same camera, same stretch of ocean, just looking the other way. I would’ve given a lot for another ten minutes of daylight.
I know some of the passengers who came mainly for the whales would’ve liked to spend more time with them. So would I. The birders, on the other hand, were absolutely thrilled. They got to see some birds you don’t get many chances to see, and the whale watchers got their humpbacks before we had to call it a day. Fourteen hours after we started, we came home with a pretty good story about where the whales had been all along.
Thank you to Paul for putting me in touch with Scott and Chris. Those introductions are how trips like this get started. Thanks to James, too, who did a really nice job with the video. And to everybody who stayed with us through three cancellations, got up before daylight and spent fourteen hours on the ocean with us, I appreciate it.
Come birding with us in January
We’re planning $99 birding trips aboard the Jersey Girl out of Belmar, hopefully during the first two weeks of January. I still need to sit down with Scott and work out the dates. If you’d like to come, let me know in the comments. I’d love to get an enthusiastic group together, and if you’re like me and still learning your seabirds, you’re welcome aboard, too.
Hope to see you on the water,
Bill McKim and the crew of the Jersey Girl
Jersey Shore Whale Watch · Belmar, New Jersey
