How about the dramatic plunge-dives of
Northern Gannets? Or the beauty of elegant,
long-tailed Roseate Terns fishing in your
wake? Have you enjoyed the company of
the “swallows of the sea” (Wilson’s Storm-
Petrels) as they pitter-patter over the ocean’s
surface feeding? If these raise a memory and
bring a smile to your face, you’re already a
sailing birdwatcher!
There’s so much to enjoy about birds while
afloat. And you’re in an enviable position.
Many of these species are never seen by avid
land-birders, as many pelagic birds spend
their entire lives at sea, only coming ashore
briefly to breed on remote islands.
And as a sailor, if you’re passionate
about the sea and environment, you should
consider joining citizen-science efforts
and contributing to seabird conservation
by taking photographs and reporting your
sightings to projects such as the “SeaBC”
(Sea Bird Count).
But these birds aren’t perching prettily,
waiting to be photographed at your back-
yard feeder! It’s a different world when
you’re on a moving boat and the subject is
darting way off on the gray horizon.EYES ON THE WATER
The ocean’s surface may seem uniform from
a sailboat, but it’s not. Expect to see patches
of birds, then hours of nothing. As offshore
fishermen know, fish (and bird) activity
signals food availability, which is influenced
by sea-floor topography and currents.
Many premier sailing destinations are
also notable for their bird life. On the East
Coast, this includes the Maine coast, the
Stellwagen Bank off Massachusetts, and the
Florida Keys. On the West Coast, sailors
with a yen for wildlife spotting will be fa-
miliar with California’s Channel Islands and
Monterey Bay, and the San Juan and Gulf
Islands in Washington State and British Co-
lumbia. Of course, the Caribbean is always
a bonanza, with its tropicbirds, frigate birds
and boobies.
The best seabird spotting is in early
morning or in the evening, when birds
tend to be more active. For this reason,Dorothy Wadlow, an experienced birder
and transatlantic sailor, always volunteers
for the dawn watch, when she’s likely to see
the most birds.
Birding on the water is something you
can do all year. Because most birds mi-
grate, their ranges vary over the seasons.
Even if you sail the same coastal triangle
each weekend, you’re likely to notice the
bird demographics shifting with each pass-
ing month. One of the best ways to start as
an onboard birder is to learn the regular
species of your local cruising ground.
Reports of these repeated observations (to
ebird.org, for example) have the greatest
conservation value.
Just as avid sailors are often out on the
water when it’s blowin’ stink, so are the
birds. Long-distance pelagic birds, such as
albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters, depend
on strong winds for their energy-conserving
dynamic flight techniques, where they ride
air currents created by the wind and waves.
Similarly, during fall and spring migra-
tions, don’t be surprised if a tiny, feath-
ered hitchhiker lands on your boat. These
migrants fly hundreds of miles over open
water and, like you, sometimes need a rest.48 PHOTOS BY COLIN SPEEDIE (TOP); LEANN MARCHMAN (BOTTOM)APRIL 2015A SAILOR’S GUIDE
BIRDWATCHING
A SAILOR’S GUIDE
BIRDWATCHING
You’ve probably already seen some
pretty amazing birds while sailing.
A jaeger (black plumage) and a gull engage in
aerial combat (top); an errant flicker takes a
break far from land (above)