Wednesday, August 23

We stayed in the harbor this morning but ventured out this afternoon after letting the ocean settle down a little bit. We ended up with an incredible day of whale and bird watching! A group of bird enthusiasts from NH Audubon joined us and the always-entertaining Steve Mirick helped narrate about the pelagic birds! Highlights included a huge pod of Atlantic white sided dolphins with hundreds of northern gannets and dozens of great shearwaters soaring and diving all around, and three humpback whales lounging at the surface!  Harbor porpoises, a harbor seal and even 1-2 minke whales were also spotted. Pelagic birds included black terns, Wilson's storm petrels, red-necked phalaropes, and sooty shearwaters in addition to the gannets and great shearwaters. Fantastic trip!