On a fairly recent pelagic birding trip, we had some great pelagic species. The highlight for me and all of the other participants, was a Black-capped Petrel! This was first spotted by Jessie who was using image stabilized binoculars, an excellent choice on a rocking boat.
Black-capped Petrel was recently declared an endangered species. They breed in the mountains of Hispaniola at high elevations. Most of the nest that are known are in the mountains of Haiti. Dominica also has some known nesting areas and possibly the eastern end of Cuba. All of these Islands have introduced species with rats being one of the most destructive at nesting sites. This species is fairly regularly seen on pelagic trips off North Carolina, it is a very rare species to be seen off South Florida.
I will post a couple of photos of the Black-capped Petrel, followed later by some other pelagic species with a video to follow.
