Pelagic Birding 7/15/2012

I just returned home from a great pelagic trip with Micael Brothers's group from the Marine Science Center in Ponce Inlet.  I'm not a really an experienced pelagic birder and have so much to learn, so this trip was exactly what I needed.  Imagine 40+ shearwaters floating on the ocean just 50 feet off the starboard side.  Imagine having time to study Cory's and Great Shearwaters side by side at leisure and suppose a Black-capped Petrel was swimming along with the rest.  That happened twice yesterday!  Imagine having the chance to casually examine the variations in the rump bands on Wilson's, Band-rumped and Leach's Storm-Petrels.  That happened numerous times.  Best of all, I was able to identify a bird while it floated or danced on the water, and then study that same bird's flight style once it took to the air.  For a guy who has been birding for only 11 years, that was a priceless experience.