A pod of Clymene Dolphins rode the bow of the boat for a while on May 17; this was only the second time that Brian had recorded this poorly known marine mammal.

This Black-capped Petrel is one of the light/intermediate individuals.

This first summer Parasitic Jaeger made several nice passes by the boat, and chased a Black-capped Petrel at one point. The diagnostic short, pointed central rectrices are evident here.

We saw one to several of these giant Loggerhead Turtles most days.

We saw a couple of first summer Northern Gannets offshore on most days; more were hanging around near shore.

Offshore near the Gulf Stream is a major international shipping route, so we routinely see these massive container ships. The picture does not adequately convey the awesome size.

A flight shot of the female Red Phalarope.

This subadult Masked Booby passed right over the captain's wheel house on the Country Girl.

We saw a few of these Ruddy Turnstones offshore.

Juvenile Long-tailed Jaeger (August 23, 2008)

Black-capped Petrels show a range of variation from light to dark; this is a very dark individual.

This heavenly sunrise at sea on May 21 was my first clue that today would be the day I would finally get to see my most-wanted bird on Earth - Bermuda Petrel.

Parastic Jaeger is the least common of the three jaeger species off the Outer Banks, so this cooperative first-summer bird was a treat.

Royal Terns are occasionally seen far offshore, but are abundant in the near shore waters.

Band-rumped Storm-Petrels are present in small numbers this time of year. Most were adults in pre-basic molt showing worn outer primaries.

Sooty Shearwater in the process of taking off on a calm day.

Most of the fishing offshore here is for Mahi Mahi aka Dolphin aka Dorado. They are a strikingly beautiful fish.

This was the second adult summer Pomarine Jaeger we found on this day.

Subadult Masked Booby (August 23, 2008)

Juvenile Long-tailed Jaeger (August 23, 2008)

This is a nice, clean juvenile Wilson's Storm-Petrel. Wilson's Storm-Petrels breed in Antarctica, so this recently hatched bird was at or on its way to its wintering grounds.

Sooty Shearwaters are generally present in small numbers. They are extremely hard to photograph because their dark color makes it hard to obtain a clear focus.

A dorsal view of the first-summer Parasitic Jaeger.

We saw a couple of offshore Common Terns on most days; one day we saw an Arctic.

Sandwich Terns are common near shore, and we saw several each day on the way back to the marina.

This dark morph Trinidade Petrel came so close to the boat that we could have nearly reached out and grabbed it.

This adult summer Pomarine Jaeger made a token effort to run down this Audubon's Shearwater, which looks tiny by comparison.

A nice photo of part of the Wilson's Storm-Petrel flock.

Cory's "Scopoli's" Shearwater (August 23, 2008)

Juvenile Audubon's Shearwater (August 24, 2008)

This Ruddy Turnstone was sitting on a pier as we returned to the marina.

This Wilson's Storm-Petrel is an adult in pre-basic molt.

Pattering Wilson's Storm-Petrels are a constant presence when the chum slick is working well.

Audubon's Shearwater numbers were below average, perhaps due to the winds scattering the sargasso weed in which they feed.

Two subspecies of Cory's Shearwater occur off North Carolina; the nearly entirely dark outer primaries on this individual identify it as _borealis_, which is the Atlantic subspecies.

This Barn Swallow was perched beside the boat as we backed in to the dock. However, we saw one or more of these far offshore almost every day.

We practically hand-fed this adult summer Pomarine Jaeger, which was one of four of that species seen on the day.

On the Country Girl, we used beef suet to chum in the seabirds. This Wilson's Storm-Petrel had eyes that were bigger than his stomach.

First summer Pomarine Jaeger (August 23, 2008); note that it is just now completing its primary molt.

Adult Sooty Tern (August 24, 2008)

An unusual perspective on a Cory's Shearwater.

Leach's Storm-Petrels are generally present in small numbers this time of year. The forked tail, evident here, is surprisingly difficult to detect in the field. Flight behavior is a much more distinctive field mark.

On several days this year, we attracted a large number of Wilson's Storm-Petrels to our chum slick.

This was the first of three subadult Masked Boobies recorded on the two boats while I was there; this species is very rare off North Carolina. This is a third-summer individual, with three generations of primaries showing.

The extensive white in all of the outer primaries on this Cory's Shearwater indicate that this is likely the nominate subspecies _diomedea_, sometimes called Scopoli's Shearwater.

On my first trip and last, we found Red Phalaropes in alternate plumage. This gorgeous female was hanging around a natural slick with three Red-necked Phalaropes (an adult female is shown here).

At its closest, this adult summer Pomarine Jaeger was within 15 feet of the back of the boat.

Subadult Northern Gannet

Juvenile Long-tailed Jaeger (August 23, 2008)

Audubon's Shearwater (August 24, 2008)