SEABIRDS
of
STELLWAGEN BANK and JEFFREY'S LEDGE
The
same productive waters that attract Humpback and other Whales to Stellwagen Bank
and Jeffrey's Ledge throughout the year also attract
a great diversity of
"pelagic" or seabirds. Large flocks of birds often gather the
presence of feeding whales, and good whale spotters have learned to watch for
these gatherings as they may indicate where whales can be found. Many people
(you could argue that at times I'm one of these people) go whale watching
not for the whales, but just for the birds! Many of the birds which Summer off
the Gloucester coast have a life history
equally as fascinating as that of the great whales. For example, some of the Shearwaters
and Petrels we see have traveled all the way from the southern hemisphere, some
12,000 miles away, to feed on the abundance of schooling fish that feed giant
Humpback and Fin Whales. For us "birders" the opportunity to see
species of pelagic birds that are rarely seen from land is
one of the most enjoyable aspects of being on the water. This page will introduce you to a few
(but by no means all) of the more common species that you may encounter in addition to the
wide variety whales that are obviously the focus of our whale watching trips.
Simply click on any of the links below to learn about the biology and identification
clues for that species. I hope that learning a bit about some of the species that share
the same habitat as the whales will give you a deeper insight into the working
of this ocean environment. Enjoy!
S. Jay Frontierro
7 Seas Whale Watch Naturalist/Captain
CHOOSE YOUR BIRD!
| Gulls and Terns |
| Shearwaters and Petrels |
| Jaegers and Skuas |
| Northern Gannet |
| Northern Fulmar |
| Wayward Land Migrants |