May 1998

by Petra Hockey

The following is a trip report by Petra Hockey made during a 14 day trip by sailboat into Texas/Mexican?international waters.

"Just back from the Yucatan after my longest "pelagic trip ever".  14 days of sailing a 60 ft, 2 master with a 5 person crew (I was one of the 5) from Port O'Conner, TX. To Isla Merjeves..  I will spare you the trials and tribulations (many!), but have to mention that the purpose of the trip was not birding, but getting the boat there.  We were two slow anyway [3-4 kph.}to chase down pelagics for positive identifications so only birds that came right up to the boat were positively identified.

Each bird sighting comes with the exact co-ordinates, but I can not make an accurate judgement in most cases on whether the locations were Texas, international or Mexican waters until I can get my hands on a map that shows the exact [offshore] borders.

The many migrants we encountered will not be mentioned separately.  Among those, in the order of being encountered,:  Barn Swallows, Franklin's Gull, Black Terns, Common Terns, Peregrine Falcon, Yellow Warbler, Purple Martin, Sanderling, sandpiper sp., Cattle Egret, Olive-sided Flycatchers, Cliff Swallow, Little Blue Heron.  Some stayed on board a few hours to rest, some died of exhaustion.

Interesting marine life encountered on the trip were, Spinner Dolphins, Black & Yellow Fin Tuna, Wahoo, Dolphin fish, Bottle-nosed Dolphins, Pantropical and Spotted Dolphins and (Short-nosed ?) Spinner Dolphins, 6 Sperm Whales, Barracuda, Eagle Ray,  Flying Fish, plus many more while snorkeling at Cayo Arenus and Arrecife Alacran' (see separate list of bird species at the end).

Here are the Pelagics;

16 May   27 20   95 42 (Tx waters)  4-6 Band-rumped Storm-petrels
               27 20   95 37            "       2 Band-rumped torm-petrel sp,  1 Sooty Tern
               27.22   95 20            "       1 Bridled Tern (major weedline)
               27 12   95 06            "       3 Band-rumped Storm-petrels, 2 Bridled Terns
               27 09   95 03            "      1 Masked Booby,
17 May   26 95   94 04            ?       1 Masked Booby (Imm) , 1 Storm-petrel sp.
              26 08   94 31             ?       6 Band-rumped Storm-petrels
18 May    5 00   93 25             ?       3 Sooty Terns
              24 45   93 12                      4 Sooty Terns
              24 44   93 11                      1 Wilson's Storm-petrel  (feet well beyond tail)
              24 40   93 07                      2 Sooty Terns, 1 Bridled Tern, 1 Brown Booby
19 May  23 49   92 13                                1 Masked Booby (sub-adult)
              23 43   92 08                     1 Band-rumped Storm-petrel
              23 34   91 59                     7 Sooty Terns, 1 Arctic Tern (laternate plumaged), 2 other Sterna                                                         Terns in the same area were probably Artics as well
              23 33   91 58                        5 Sooty Terns (over tuna school)
              23 01   91 31                      15 Sooty Terns, 2 Band-rumpeds  (over tuna)
22 May  21 55   90 14                        1 Pomarine Jaeger (dark morph) harassing Royal Tern
              22 09   90 05                       1 Parasitic Jaeger (several fishing boats in area)
              22 19   89 58                       1 Pomarine Jaeger, (light morph) Harassing Royal Tern

According to Howell and Webb there are no definitive records for Wilson's Storm-petrel (pg 116) or Band-rumped Storm-petrel (pg 116) in the Mexican part of the Gulf of Mexico though a possible occurrence is mentioned referring to sightings off the Texas coast from May-July.  Actually the many pelagic trips from Port O'Conner, Tx., I have participated in show them regular at least into September.

Artic Tern (pg 308) according to Howell and Webb are not yet recorded in the Mexican part of the Gulf but has also been documented during pelagic trips out of Port O'Conner in Sept. 96 and July 97.

Species list for Cayo Arenas

Masked Booby 150, Brown Pelican 3, Mag. Frigatebird 25, Cattle Egret 7, Green Heron 1, Black-bellied Plover 1, Gr. Yellowlegs 1, Spotted Sandpiper 1, Ruddy Turnstone 15, Sanderling 2, Semipalmated Sandpiper 4, Laughing Gull 1, Sooty Tern (many), White-winged Dove 3, Mourning Dove 3, Lesser (?) Nighthawk 1, Traill's Flycatcher 2, Eastern kingbird 1, Bank Swallow 1, Barn Swallow 5, Gray-cheeked Thrush 1, Gray Catbird 1, Red-eyed Vireo 1,
Yellow Warbler 1, Magnolia Warbler 2, Blackpoll Warbler 2 Am. Redstart 2, N. Waterthrush 2, Common Yellowthroat 1, Blue Grosbeak 1, Indigo Bunting 1, Savannah Sparrow 1, Bobolink 3

According to Howell and Webb several of these species have not previously been recorded at this location.

Species list for Arrecife Alacran'

Masked Booby, Brown Booby, Brown Pelican 10, Mag. Frigatebird, Peregrine Falcon 1, Royal Tern 25, Sandwich Tern 16, Sooty Tern, Brown Noddy, Spotted Sandpiper 2,  Ruddy Turnstone 9, Sanderling 25, Semipalmated Sandpiper 5, Barn Swallows 3

FINAL REQUEST:  If anyone has a map that does show exactly where Texas, Mexico and International waters begin and end please let me know where I can get one or help me in pinpointing which sightings belong where.   Additional info out of my log about birds, fish, marine mammals, sail, fishing, snorkeling during the above trip available as well.

Petra Hockey
P.O. Box 217
Pt. O'Conner Tx.  77982

e-mail via Brush Freeman <brush@ONR.COM>