Stormy Petrel out of Hatteras takes scientists in search of threatened species.
The Gulf Stream, with its warm waters and columns of food, is host to pelagic birds–birds that only come to land to nest and breed. The story of how one group is trying to preserve the black-capped petrel is told by Kip Tabb writing for the Coastal Review Online.
“The black-capped petrel is somewhat of a mystery. A pelagic bird, it spends most of its time at sea, searching for food in warm waters. At one time it was one of the most common petrels in the Caribbean and along the Atlantic seaboard.
But that was more than 100 years ago and the loss of nesting habitat and predators have pushed the bird to the brink of extinction. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates the population is between 2,000 and 4,000. Other groups cite lower numbers.
Now, off Cape Hatteras, an effort is underway to get a better handle on just how many black-capped petrels there are, and where they go to breed.”
To read the complete Coastal Review Online article, click here.