The 2018 August 4th ferry trip from NewLondon to OrientPt described below was a result of the four species of shearwaters seen in eastern LIS in late July 2018, which is the real subject of this post....
BACKGROUND:
July 25, 2018 many shearwaters spotted in eastern Long Island Sound, from the ferry...
Shorebirder: CT shearwater bonanza
July 28-29, 2018 had 1,800 shearwaters reported SE of Great Gull Island, NY...
Shorebirder: Weekend on the water - Jul 28-29, 2018
with this video of the shearwaters and fish feeding frenzy...
Great Gull Island feeding frenzy - YouTube (turn down volume to reduce "salty language").
Based on this unusual collection of shearwaters on July 28-29, and a few more seen during the week, some of us decided to take the NewLondon,CT-to-OrientPoint,NY ferry in hopes of seeing some of these species (which we commonly see elsewhere, but almost never in LIS or any CT waters).
We also wanted to learn more about the fish action. Which fish were the predators? Which fish were they preying on? Two seemingly simple questions, but apparently not so easy to answer. So, despite a weather forecast for lots of rain, we set out on Saturday August 4th into a cool and cloudy morning... hoping the rain would hold off...
TRIP REPORT:
On August 4, 2018 our ferry (Mary Ellen) departed New London CT at 8:04am, bound for Orient Pt, NY... with sixteen optimists onboard... despite the forecast for lots of rain! Left to right: J.Peretto, Alicia, Brian, P.Rusch, B.Asteriades, T.Rottino, S.Zagorski, B.Beaumont, D.Rottino, J.Meyers, T.Green, J.Kaplan, D.Warner, M.Peretto, J.Rieger...
It was cloudy all morning with about 10% intermittent rain. Air temp was around 75F. Winds were from the south, around 10knots. Water temp in harbor was 78.5F and in mid-sound it was 74.5F.
At 8:55am we passed this assemblage of birds at very long distance, in Plum Gut, 1/4 mile west of the rocks at Plum Island Light house, including terns, gulls, possible shearwaters, and about 3 jaegers sp (probably Parasitic) -- it was hard to be sure from this extreme distance and with buffeting wind. The ferry has a fixed route, so we were not able to get any closer to these birds. All photos were taken with 600mm lens, many as videos -- and all are highly cropped.
Note that most images can be enlarged by clicking on them, and then pressing ESC key to return.
Note the hundreds of birds flying, beyond this fishing boat. The larger dark birds appear to be several jaegers (3+) in aerial pursuit of the terns (their acrobatic pursuit of the terns more obvious in my videos)...
You can click on this image to enlarge it, and then press ESC key to return...
These birds are eating fish. Which several species of fish are in these waters currently? If you know, please inform us, by emailing to robben99@gmail.com
Several fish experts have told us that Bluefish and Striped Bass are active in these waters currently. This includes this website for recreational fishing, out of Niantic CT:
Reports from the Blackhawk Captains | Blackhawk Sport Fishing
which reported that the Bluefish arrived in Race waters in numbers by the afternoon of Monday July 23rd. Was this the first day so many shearwaters were noted in nearby waters??
Note the probable small storm-petrel in the front and center of this image (click on image to expand it). Although it is closer to us than the terns, it appears smaller, proving that it is certainly much smaller than the terns...
On the return trip we left the Orient Pt. NY dock at 10:08am and at 10:16am encountered this tern, in adult breeding plumage. Note the slightly white-ish primaries, the long tail, and the long orange bill with black tip, suggesting a Forster's Tern. I know you are going to say this is just a clean Common Tern, with an orange-red bill, and the primaries are not that white.... the bird does not look that bright a white. I thought that also, but in-person (in my binocs) the bill was very orange, the primaries seemed half a shade lighter than the secondaries (a slightly two-toned look), and the body was quite white. Plus the tail looked very long. And the bird flew more like a Forster's than a Common -- you know what I mean - not as crisp as a Common's flight, more care free! So I am sticking with Forsters (-:
NEW LONDON, CT TO ORIENT PT, NY:
Connecticut waters:
eBird Checklist – New London to Orient Pt Ferry (CT side), New London County, Connecticut, US – Sat Aug 04, 2018 – 7 species
NY waters:
eBird Checklist – New London to Orient Point Ferry (NY), Suffolk County, New York, US – Sat Aug 04, 2018 – 10 species
ORIENT PT, NY TO NEW LONDON, CT:
Connecticut waters:
eBird Checklist – New London to Orient Pt Ferry (CT side), New London County, Connecticut, US – Sat Aug 04, 2018 – 9 species
For reference here is the eBird map for Cory's Shearwater, as of late July, 2018. Red markers indicate reports of this species during the most recent 30 days...
Note that the Lighthouse Cruises ($30 for two+ hours) take a different and most interesting route, including Race Rock Light, Plum Island Light, Little Gull Light, North Dumpling Light, Orient Point Light, and Long Beach Bar (Bug) Light!
www.lighthouse.cruises
I just confirmed that they do have an outdoor deck.
They will be running their "classic lighthouse cruise" today at 12:30pm Augsut 5th.
Nick Bonomo posted excellent reports on some of these bird and fish activities in these waters in late July:
Shorebirder: CT shearwater bonanza
Shorebirder: Weekend on the water - Jul 28-29, 2018
WHICH SPECIES OF FISH ARE IN LIS IN AUGUST:
We will list some fish expert opinions here. This is just the beginning and a few other expert opinions need to be added. Will stay with initials until I clear this with the authors/sources...
CW said on Aug.3rd,
"The Race is a classic fishing ground, primarily for striped bass and bluefish, but also for bonito and false albacore in their seasons. Fishermen probably saw the surface action, but since that's the sort of thing we're always looking for, it wouldn't have gotten any special mention; except for the species of birds involved, it was actually a fairly routine event.
My experience with blues/bass chasing menhaden is that when there are few predators and a lot of bait, you will get that sort of rush of a few menhaden in the middle of the school that feel threatened, while the others don't move. When there are a lot of predators, things look much different.
Could have been bonito on sand eels. Haven't heard about many false albacore yet--it's a little early--but I have heard of a few bonito in the area. Never saw chub mackerel feeding up top like that, although it's not impossible, there are quite a few around. And blue runners usually aren't that abundant; unless you find them hanging around a buoy or other "float," they are usually not schooled up tightly around here."
GN said on Aug.5th,
"The fish are Bluefish and Striped Bass. There is lots of bait for fish and birds."
and,
"I have been seeing lots of different bait. Sand eels, Bunker and Squid and something smaller than bunker probably peanut bunker. There is a ton of fish in the area with lots of big fish, dolphin and seals mixed in. When it gets like this you often see Tuna and Sharks chasing the bass and bluefish and wouldn't rule out something chasing the seals. There are a bunch of seals on Great and Little gull [islands] this morning and a pod of dolphin on the east side of block [island]. Birding is a great way to keep looking for other things in the water. "
PP said on Aug.5th,
"Blues and Stripers feed principally on Menhaden (Bunkers) because they are large - up to 13 inches or so, school together on the surface, and are not fast swimmers. Those birds are probably feeding on cut-up bits of Bunkers left by the slashing teeth of Bluefish. They might also feed on smaller baitfish such as Butterfish, Sand Eels and Atlantic Silversides (Whitebait). The latter two could be eaten whole by the birds, especially Terns. Fishermen know to follow the Terns to find the fish."
JD said on Aug.5th,
"The terns on Great Gull Island have experienced abundant fish supplies this summer. The most prevalent fish has been Sand Lance (Ammodytes) for most of the season, though recently they have also been bringing in many Blue-backed Herring."
JD continued on Aug.14th,
"The regular fish brought in by the terns this year has been Ammodytes, Blue-backed Herring, and Butterfish (in that order of abundance). There is the occasional Scup, baby Bluefish, Silversides, and squid. We don’t have a fish expert on the island so it is likely juvenile Menhaden and others have been overlooked. We generally assume the large fish driving the baitfish to the surface are Bluefish."
H at BlackHawk said, on Aug.10th,
"...the water is loaded with bait fish right now, so there have been tons of birds. The boat [at Plum Island Light] also could have been catching porgies, a few bluefish, or some sea bass- it all depends."
ID and NB said, on Aug.11th,
"Those were 100% Chub Mackerel feeding on 1-inch long micro baitfish that you saw. Been out that way twice and saw it several times, but on the south side of Fishers Island."
ID followed up on Aug.14th,
"Yes, Chub Mackerel have been blitzing from Point Judith to Orient Point over the last few weeks. They average 12”-15” long.
The baits are 1”-2” long baby bunker, 3”-4” long baby Atlantic Herring, and 3”-4” long Sand Eels."
MB on Aug.15 suggested that
"the main bait species, at least in Western LIS are imm menhaden (peanut bunker), sand lance, Atlantic Silversides. I would guess the same for some of the near shore pelagics as well, but not likely silversides."
MM on Aug 20th said,
"At the entrance to LIS , the Terns were bringing mostly Sand Lance back to Great Gull Island, and getting them within sight of Great Gull. In Early August that shifted to Menhaden. They are also bringing in Butterfish and tiny Bluefish. There seem to be lots of Gamefish ( Bluefish and Striped Bass ) under the small forage fish- keeping the small fish on surface. The shearwaters and Petrels are having a field day grabbing bits and pieces. Instead of looking at what the Pelagius are finding in LIS, I would be interested in what they are not finding offshore, in their usual foraging area....
Back in early Eighties, I do remember a week or so when there were always a bunch of shearwaters in view (hundreds per trip) on my runs back and fourth to Great Gull Island. "
BA on Aug.22 said,
"I have a boat at Cedar Island Marina. This has to be the worst summer (past two months) for blues and striped bass and bait fish that I have seen in a long time. All the charter boats out of my marina are taking clients out only to come back with a very slim catch. I'm pretty in tune with with fishing, bait, etc in the sound because I'm out frequently. Could be cyclical or not.Certainly doesn't help the terns and other migratory birds. Not sure, but when the sound cools down thing start to turn on every year. "
Mackerel - Wikipedia
Chub mackerel - Wikipedia
Chub mackerel
Scomber colias, Atlantic chub mackerel << presumably this species.
Atlantic chub mackerel - Wikipedia
A photo of scomber colias, presumably...
www.onthewater.com had some informative reports on fish in the Race last week... saying that "bluefishing has finally picked up at The Race and Plum Gut"...
Connecticut Fishing Report – August 2, 2018 - On The Water
This site gives fishing reports for all of NY state, including the ocean off LI south shore...
Fishing Reports - Outdoornews
Here is another good fishing site, this one for Massachusetts...
Captain Dave's Fishing,massachusetts,massachusetts saltwater fishing,fishing massachusetts,saltwater fishing,tackle tips,filet fish,fishing saltwater,tie knots,marine weather,tide charts,wrecks
including pages for main fish...
Massachusetts Saltwater Fish Species
That site said this about Bluefish,
"Adult bluefish are opportunistic feeders, commonly focusing upon schooling species such as menhaden, squid, sand eels, herring, mackerel, alewives, scup, butterfish and cunners. Bluefish generally feed in schools, actively pursuing prey in tidal rips or in inshore shallows where food in easier to catch. The feeding behavior of this species is legendary! Bluefish are reputed to dash wildly about within schools of prey species, biting, crippling and killing numerous small fish that do not get eaten. They frequently drive schools of prey species into shallow inshore areas where it becomes easier to catch fish that are trying to escape."
Other sources regarding fish currently in LIS waters will be listed and explored here:
LISS:
Forage Fish – Open Water/NY and CT Coastlines « Long Island Sound Study
NOAA
Annual Landings
Port by Year Results
DEEP
PART 2: ESTUARINE SEINE SURVEY
DEEP: Long Island Sound Trawl Survey <<<
2016 Long Island Sound Trawl Survey Report ...
DEEP Marine Angler Survey:
DEEP: Marine Volunteer Angler Survey Program
2018 CT Anglers Guide
Blue Plan document 2018.
DEEP: Long Island Sound Blue Plan Home
DEEP: LIS Resource and Use Inventory Home
lis_resource_and_use_inventory_april_2018_v1.2.pdf
Snyder, 2017. Good species lists for LIS...
"Analysis of a Newly Digitized Long-Term Dataset of Environmental Obser" by Jacob Snyder.
Analysis of a Newly Digitized Long-Term Dataset of Environmental Observations from Long Island Sound
Patrick Lynch 2017 book on LIS...
Field Guide to Long Island Sound | Yale University Press
NAMERA:
namerafactsheet2-1.pdf
Northwest Atlantic Marine Ecoregional Assessment
NAMERA - LISEA:
Long Island Sound Ecological Assessment
Long Island Sound Ecological Assessment
Other good LIS books,
Norwalk Maritime Aquarium, D.Hudson.
COA fish experts: M.Bull, C.Wood, M.Szantyr, C.Barnard,
Professional/academic fish experts, to be consulted soon.
Party boat fishing captains, mostly out of ports such as Bridgeport, Niantic and Old Lyme. These guys depend on knowing what bait species are where.
MiJoy Niantic. mijoy niantic - Google Search
Hellcat ii Old Lyme (captain Brad Glass). http://www.helcat.com/index.html
http://www.helcat.com/Reports.html
Middlebank ii (Bridgeport). Sport Fishing Charters & Fishing Trips: Connecticut | Middlebank II
Note the similarities to the fish and shearwater feeding frenzies last year around Race Point, MA:
Feeding frenzies around Race Point, Cape Cod 2017 late August
where the bait was mostly juvenile Menhaden, and the predators observed/photographed were Atlantic Mackerel (Atlantic mackerel - Wikipedia).
Here is a photo of that scene, taken by Wayne Petersen in late August 2017, showing juvenile Menhaden and Atlantic Mackerel...
FOOD WEB:
It sounds like the food web here includes at least these 3 trophic levels of fish...
Top Predators: Tuna, Sharks, etc. preying on Bluefish and Striped Bass. Dont know if we had any of those in the last few weeks with the shearwaters.
Predators: Bluefish, Striped Bass, Dolphin, Seal, Terns, etc. Possible False Albacore, Bonito, Atlantic Chub Mackerel, Atlantic Mackerel, etc.
Foragefish: Bunker/Menhaden (adult and juvenile "peanut bunker"), Sand Lance, Squid, Atlantic Silversides (Whitefish), Butterfish, Blueback Herring, etc.
Simplified partial LIS foodweb being drafted: first draft....
LIS Food Web 2018 - Google Drawings
SEASONAL CYCLES OF FISH:
Can we find anything like this "seasonal clock" for fish in LIS, and/or nearby ocean waters...
Here is a "fish calendar" for Massachusetts...
and another one for New England waters...
So far this is the best (only!) Long Island Sound (CT & NY) "fish calendar" I have found. This one from ponusYachtClub in Stamford CT...
In November 2018 I found this LIS fish calendar from DEEP, from David Molnar, Fisheries Biologist:
Here are the Montauk NY offshore and inshore fishing calendars:
Here is a fish calendar for Ocean City, MD...
And one fish calendar for the Florida Keys, below. Note that Bluefish are in Florida waters in January-March, arrive in Ocean City MD in April, but dont get to New England waters until June...
Here is the Stellwagen Bank "seasonal clock" from the excellent book, "Guide to the Offshore Wildlife of the Northern Atlantic", 2000, by Michael Tove...
WORKING THEORY: criticisms and suggestions welcomed....
Having four species of shearwaters visit LIS Long Island Sound, even at its eastern end, is a very unusual event. Why did this occur in mid-2018?
Here is our working theory...
=========================
Several days of sustained winds from the East and South (in third week of July: July 21-24, 2018) pushed surface waters toward the eastern end of Long Island and into LIS. In these waters were multiple schools of small and juvenile fish, including Sand Lance, Menhaden, and similar looking Blueback Herring, along with some Atlantic Herring, Atlantic Silversides, Butterfish, and some tiny juvenile Bluefish.
This "bait" attracted predators, including some Bluefish, Striped Bass, and especially Atlantic Chub Mackerel (as per Ian Devlin, who got good looks) and possibly some basic Atlantic Mackerel (several were fished out of the waters off Charleston Breachway RI on Aug.25,2018).
The resulting blitzes attracted the numerous shearwaters, plus lots of terns and some jaegers following them.
=========================
Note the weather at Montauk NY in the four days leading up to this event, especially the winds coming in from the East and South, on July 21, 22, 23 and 24, below...
2018-07-21:
2018-07-22:
2018-07-23:
2018-07-24:
This "Shearwater Event" in late July 2018 will be documented in our proposed new Event format:
- What the event was,
- When it occurred,
- Where it occurred,
- Who observed it,
- why it is considered Noteworthy,
- the Theory/Theories about Why it happened,
- its possible Impacts on birds and other parts of the ecosystem,
- possible next Action steps,
- References,
- Contact persons,
- report Authors, etc.
- Appendices.
Of course Evidence of the event, instrumentation records, photographic, witness testimonies, and otherwise will be included in each report. As we learn more about the event, perhaps from scientific papers published years later, those updates would be added on to the Event Report over time.
