Tips for Birding from a Boat? (1 Viewer)

[anonymousbirder]

Hi,
I'm excited because I'm planning my first trip out to bird from a boat. Some time this summer, I'm going to book a ticket on the Osprey at Cape May. I was wondering if anyone had any tips for birding from a boat.

 

[PYRTLE]

Motion sickness tablets, hearty breakfast, don't bother with a scope, plenty off rest before steaming out to the area so that you can be alert for the action. Suntan lotion but non greasy so it doesn't ruin your bins or forever cleaning the lenses due to smears.

 

[anonymousbirder]

Motion sickness tablets, hearty breakfast, don't bother with a scope, plenty off rest before steaming out to the area so that you can be alert for the action. Suntan lotion but non greasy so it doesn't ruin your bins or forever cleaning the lenses due to smears.

Thank you!

 

[Ratal]

From a boat? Leave the scope as has been said. The engine vibration makes scopes a no go even before the swell of the ocean.

Make sure you buy a pair of polarized sunglasses- you will get terrible retina trouble glassing the ocen all day - similar advice for birding at high altitude near or on snow. Dont have to wear them all day, but you should have them for fierce sunlight and peak sun brightness.

 

[Ratal]

Oh, and buy a sun screen lip balm and use it liberally.

 

[Ratal]

Also - I know it is summer, but take a good hat, gloves and windproof coat. Nothing bar nothing is as miserable as birding when frozen through. And yes, at sea, even in summer on a day trip out into to the ocean you can get cold. I used to sail offshore in my younger days and learned from experience that no matter what, take a warm windproof layer with you.

 

[jmepler]

I started a similar thread years ago, you can see it here. I was more focused on avoiding seasickness but there is lots of good advice there.

Avoiding seasickness is the top priority, if you are sick you will not have a good time. I have had good success with original Dramamine. I take the first dose at least an hour before we are scheduled to depart. I have only had to take a single pill every six to eight hours. You can take up to two every four hours, but the more you take the drowsier you can get. Some of the other medications are single pills with much longer dose intervals. With them if you are having some seasickness you can't immediately increase your dosage. If you plan on taking medication for motion sickness, I would recommend that you test it prior to your trip to see how you react to it.

An odd piece of advice that I got was to not bend over. I thought this was ridiculous at the time, but on the boat I bent over to access my backpack, next thing I knew my head was swimming and I was on the deck. Someone helped me up, I got the horizon back in view and I quickly recovered.

If you are in rough seas, avoid riding in the bow of the boat. It is typically smoother in the stern of the boat. Avoid the stern if you are smelling diesel exhaust.

Eat light and frequently and keep hydrated. Don't eat anything greasy or hard to digest but do eat. Ginger ale can help with an upset stomach.

Make sure that you have plenty of water, not just to drink, but to rinse any salt spray from your waterproof optics.

 

[Andy Adcock]

Don't fall overboard, I nearly did in a swamp in Uganda when our boat hit a mudbar as I was standing up.

 

[anonymousbirder]

Oh, and buy a sun screen lip balm and use it liberally.

Don't fall overboard, I nearly did in a swamp in Uganda when our boat hit a mudbar as I was standing up.

I started a similar thread years ago, you can see it here. I was more focused on avoiding seasickness but there is lots of good advice there.

Avoiding seasickness is the top priority, if you are sick you will not have a good time. I have had good success with original Dramamine. I take the first dose at least an hour before we are scheduled to depart. I have only had to take a single pill every six to eight hours. You can take up to two every four hours, but the more you take the drowsier you can get. Some of the other medications are single pills with much longer dose intervals. With them if you are having some seasickness you can't immediately increase your dosage. If you plan on taking medication for motion sickness, I would recommend that you test it prior to your trip to see how you react to it.

An odd piece of advice that I got was to not bend over. I thought this was ridiculous at the time, but on the boat I bent over to access my backpack, next thing I knew my head was swimming and I was on the deck. Someone helped me up, I got the horizon back in view and I quickly recovered.

If you are in rough seas, avoid riding in the bow of the boat. It is typically smoother in the stern of the boat. Avoid the stern if you are smelling diesel exhaust.

Eat light and frequently and keep hydrated. Don't eat anything greasy or hard to digest but do eat. Ginger ale can help with an upset stomach.

Make sure that you have plenty of water, not just to drink, but to rinse any salt spray from your waterproof optics.

Also - I know it is summer, but take a good hat, gloves and windproof coat. Nothing bar nothing is as miserable as birding when frozen through. And yes, at sea, even in summer on a day trip out into to the ocean you can get cold. I used to sail offshore in my younger days and learned from experience that no matter what, take a warm windproof layer with you.

From a boat? Leave the scope as has been said. The engine vibration makes scopes a no go even before the swell of the ocean.

Make sure you buy a pair of polarized sunglasses- you will get terrible retina trouble glassing the ocen all day - similar advice for birding at high altitude near or on snow. Dont have to wear them all day, but you should have them for fierce sunlight and peak sun brightness.

From a boat? Leave the scope as has been said. The engine vibration makes scopes a no go even before the swell of the ocean.

Make sure you buy a pair of polarized sunglasses- you will get terrible retina trouble glassing the ocen all day - similar advice for birding at high altitude near or on snow. Dont have to wear them all day, but you should have them for fierce sunlight and peak sun brightness.

Thank you!

 

[Ratal]

^^^^^ Bad advice. The MIDDLE of the boat will be the calmer in all sea states. The boat pivots not by t

Thank you!

You are more than welcome. One last piece of advice - sounds weird but take a face mask that blocks the wind. After a few hours of wind whipped spray your lungs will thank you for it.

 

[Bismarck Honeyeater]

I find it useful to anchor/wedge myself into a corner. Have three points of contact, 2 legs and a shoulder or elbow. Then you don’t have to worry about balance whilst holding bins.
I like to be as high as is safe/possible and find somewhere with 360^ visibility if possible.
Keep an eye on everyone else, listen for people calling stuff and be prepared to move around if the birds are suddenly on the opposite side to you.
Also look up occasionally, sometimes birds are overhead.
Check the wake, especially if the boat is chumming or has a rubby-dubby sack, stuff can linger there for a while.

 

[connorco]

Will this be a pelagic? If you don't get seasick, the bow does give the best views of the seas, it's where I usually stay on pelagics. However, if your chumming birds will often be off the back of the boat. If your using a camera, set it to the highest shutter speed you can use given the light, and turn it into burst mode. 90% of the photos won't turn out sense the boat is bouncing around.