In October, we will focus on recording petrels, shearwaters, and other seabirds that transit the waters west of Flores, with the hope of encountering the highly treasured Trindade and Bermuda Petrels that have been recorded and tracked near Flores Island. These waters, located in the North Atlantic, are a crucial midpoint for the dispersal and expansions of these wide-ranging pelagic birds, with a remarkable seven species of Pterodroma gadflies that could potentially visit, some of which have already been documented. As we are in the process of learning how to find these pelagic birds, we are adding more hours to the planned trip to spend almost a full day in the ocean to maximize the chance of finding these rare petrels in the WP waters, and hopefully to get good images too. The chance is slim, but if one does not try, he will never succeed. Nonetheless, there is also a recently described but extinct species of gadfly from the Azores, Pterodroma zinorum, which we hope has not actually reached that end - and this is actually my motto, as I refuse to believe in seabird extinction! This unique combination of species makes this region truly special.

The following list of Pterodroma petrels is by order of likelihood to reach the waters of Flores in October: Trindade Petrel Pterodroma arminjoniana; Bermuda Petrel P. cahow; Desertas Petrel P. deserta; Black-capped/Black-faced Petrels P. hasitata/sp.; Zino’s Petrel P. madeira; Cape Verde Petrel P. feae.

We also hope to observe at least five species of shearwaters, at least three species of storm petrels, as well as Bulwer's Petrel (Bulweria bulwerii), among other seabirds and cetaceans.

The dates 8, 11, 14 & 17 October are also weather dependent, and we may need to alter the date or the activity. All passengers have to stay in contact on WhatsApp about the trips. We will also update the Azores Birders group of any changes. Be prepared for a full and extreme full-day ocean pelagic chumming.

See you on board,

Hadoram