Black-capped Petrels are among the variety of seabirds that may materialize in August during Seabirding day trips to Gulf Stream waters offshore from North Carolina (photo by Kate Sutherland).

For most of the summer, the Gulf Stream off Cape Hatteras is probably the most consistent and one of the most convenient places in the western North Atlantic to find a variety of pelagic seabirds on any given day. Seabirds typically associated with the Gulf Stream offshore from North Carolina are Black-capped Petrels, Audubon’s Shearwaters, Band-rumped Storm-Petrels, White-tailed Tropicbirds, Red-billed Tropicbirds, Masked Boobys, Bridled Terns, and Sooty Terns, but there is always the chance to see rarely sighted seabirds in season.

Potential rare seabird sightings may include a Bermuda Petrel, Fea’s Petrel, or Trindade Petrel, and there could be a Great Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, or Wilson’s Storm Petrel too. This information is provided by the local birding pros at Seabirding, the long-time business created and conducted by Brian Patteson. Birders interested in a different style of birding and experiencing a different group of birds in an ocean setting can look ahead to this summer’s Seabirding schedule, which takes place on select days during August from the ports of Hatteras and Wanchese, North Carolina. To learn more about these exciting day trips, refer to Gulf Stream Trips – Seabirding (patteson.com)