3 jaeger species highlight of day  Posted Sept. 24, 2008, at
5:03 p.m.  Maine Audubon offers a pelagic (open sea) trip every
year, and it occurred last weekend. Three birders and I set our
alarms for 3 a.m., left home at 3:30 in the morning, met our
carpool, went to Bar Harbor and arrived there in the dark. We
boarded the boat with nearly 100 other avid birders.  There was
much to talk about among new and old friends. The air was full
of camaraderie, excitement and anticipation despite the weather.
Dawn arrived with fog and clouds, but that did not dampen
spirits as the boat pulled away from the dock and headed for the
open sea.  Our boat, the Friendship V, was speedy, quiet and
comfortable as it took us far out into the Gulf of Maine.
Maine’s rivers and ocean currents propel a great gyre that moves
counterclockwise in the Gulf of Maine. When the currents meet an
underwater ridge, there is an upwelling that brings nutrients to
the surface. That’s where we find the birds.  The nutrients are
from dead fish, s