THE EYES IN THE SKIES

Learn when to switch modes to track birds offshore

- MIKE JACKSON

Can you really find fish by tracking seabirds using radar? The answer is yes, and the practice is certainly nothing new. Christopher Columbus encountered frigate birds as soon as he sailed past the Cape Verde islands in 1492 during his first voyage across the Atlantic. Also called man-of-war birds in the Caribbean by English sailors, these majestic airborne hunters are capable of soaring on the winds for weeks, helping them to be excellent locators of fish. They aren't the only ones though; among many other species are countless varieties of terns, gannets, boobies, shearwaters and gulls, and all can point us to better fishing, depending on where we are and what our target species is.

NEWER IS BETTER

Myths and legends of using seabirds to find fish, predict weather and even help sailors navigate along various sea routes run deep in many cultures. Seabirds are most often following bait that's being driven up to the surface of the ocean by actively feeding predators, or the scraps that float up for the birds to reach. When you can see them working, either with the naked eye or through a good pair of binoculars, that's great. If not, it's time to use the power of radar to your advantage.