Bridlington Pelagics11-09-04

[LeeDavis]

Hi All,

What i great time i had on this cruise, with this been my second time on the cruise, it just keeps getting better. From gannets to Marsh Harrier and also Peregrine and a bit more,i found the trip most satisfiying. I can really recommed that if you have not attended one of these then you should.
I cannot understand DunstableDick in the last threads making out that the trips are crap... unless, his head and shoulders are higher than the rest of us. Or he is too busy watching what the old age people eat and drink and what brand it is, rather than looking out to sea for birds. Or another idea is that DunstableDick got on the boat, as soon as it left the harbour he closed his eyes.All the people i talked to that came off the boat said it was fab, even though they did get a bit wet. Some people put alot of effort in to these (pelagics) for our enjoyment and to give us an oppertunity to look at birds in there habbitat. If you get the chance to go....... go!


P.S DunstableDick I feel your stupid opinions about the pelagics should be keeped to yourself, also if you dont like them stop going on them.

thankyou for taking your time to read this

regards

Lee Davis

[alanp]

Hi Lee
I went on the trip on the 4th Sept and thought it was great. We had excellent close views of a Great Skua, 3 Arctics skua's and at least one Black Tern. We saw several harbour porpoises close to the boat. It was a very calm fine day and the only dissapointment was not to see any Shearwaters.Did you manage to see any on your trip?

I have not done a lot of seabird watching and the pelargic trip certainly gives you the chance to see them at very close quarters.

[DunstableDick]

Lee and others,

No shearwaters on a pelagic trip!

If you really enjoy them that much and you want to see shearwaters I can recomend you go hire a pedal boat on Farmoor Reservoir so you can see a Manx Shearwater - ones present there at the moment. I'm sure you would call that a pelagic as well!!

You never know, you may even see some other birds as well.

Keep sipping the tea and eating the sandwiches. Perhaps try a Biscay trip and a Scillonian pelagic, or better still one in the Southern Oceans, and then you'll find that the Bridlington pelagic isn't really the bees knees.

DD

[godwit]

As someone who once went on one of these 'pelagics' with a couple of keen kids I have to say it was quite enjoyable, was rather lucky too as we saw all four skuas at close range and a Blue Fulmar (but no Sooty Shearwaters). Most of the people on the boat would have been quite happy with the supporting cast of a few Little Gulls and the odd auk and just to have done something a bit different.

For the hardened birder these trips probably don't really have much to offe but for the average person with an interest in birds they offer the easiest opportunity to get out there and see some seabirds actually at sea. Hardened birders and seasoned seawatchers would be much better off spending there time seawatching at nearby Flamborough Head where considerably more seabirds are likely to be seen though obviously at longer ranges.

Dave

[DunstableDick]

Hi all

Well said Godwit - you seem to see both sides of the coin.

With regards to Lee Davis, its about time you went back to school to sort your spelling and grammar our. Then again, nursery may be more apt - looks like you've spat your dummy out once more!

All the best shearwater watching, wherever it may be - even if it is on one of the Brid boats.

I won't be on it again

DD

[Steve]

Mr Davis IF Dunstabledick wants to voice his opinion of these trips he has every right to a civilised response, please try and remember that because his opinion differs to yours
it does NOT mean you can attack him personaly.

[LeeDavis]

Dear Steve.

Sorry if thats the way the post reads. It got a little heated i have no more to say about this matter i have said what i think. But there is no need to ADD that trips are rubbish. DunstableDick could have said not to his satisfaction or needs. I feel that DunstableDick has the right to say but to just to say there rubbish, is not an ideal response to the thread.

regards

Lee

[Rob Smallwood]

[/QUOTE]No shearwaters on a pelagic trip![QUOTE]

So no Shearwaters means no pelagic? If you only saw petrels, skuas and prions it would be a failure?

If it is the word pelagic you object to then that is probably why the RSPB refer to them as Puffin or Skua cruises. I suspect that for many of us the southern seas are out of the question, as perhaps is Scilly or Biscay - but then again just because my local patch isn't Eilat it doesn't make it rubbish - just different.

There is a world of difference betwen saying things that might put others off and suggesting using this type of trip as a springboard to consider something more adventurous.

It is a dangerous path to start dismissing those at the ground floor of our hobby. I also defy anyone, however experienced to say that they don't need more experience of even our commoner skuas - hands up who han't mis-identified a skua?

[jose]

I went to my first Pelagic this year and I quite enjoyed it. I had never seen a skua before and after a couple of these trips I am now able to ID them. Wether or not there were people having tea and cakes I do not know, I was enjoying myself to much. And at £9? You just can't argue.

Jose

[Stephen Dunstan]

If you really enjoy them that much and you want to see shearwaters I can recomend you go hire a pedal boat on Farmoor Reservoir so you can see a Manx Shearwater - ones present there at the moment. I'm sure you would call that a pelagic as well!!

DD

Manx Shearwaters on inland waters are at best exhausted and disoriented and in some cases at death's door. Hardly the same as watching them in their natural habitat.

I have never been on a Skua and Shearwater cruise. I have done Portsmouth-Bilbao, North Shields pelagic, Neyland pelagic and two out of Cumbrian ports. I still wouldn't ridicule those who do go on the Bridlington trips.

Regards,

Stephen.

[birderxl]

The RSPB does indeed promote these trips as 'cruises' rather than 'pelagics'. However, to reiterate the point I made on an earlier thread, pelagic means 'performed in the open sea', so they could be called either.
The following extract is from the literature I use to promote cruises to the general public:

"Operating out of Bridlington Harbour, the MV Yorkshire Belle sails up to 3.5 miles off Flamborough Head in search of skuas and shearwaters. Each 3.5 hour cruises sails on eight weekend dates between August 30th and October 4th. The boat safely carries 210 passengers, but for freedom of passenger movement, we restrict numbers to 150. The RSPB provides a cruise leader, who operates a running commentary, acting as an aid to directing passengers to birds, and helps with their identification. Volunteers from the East Yorkshire RSPB Members Group manage each cruise on the day, which includes providing information and supplying ‘chum’ (a concoction of environmentally friendly fishy bits and pieces).
Over the years, a wide variety of interesting seabirds have been seen. However, the success of any cruise is attributable to weather conditions, not particularly on the day, but often one or two days in advance. Following a north to north-westerly blow, often huge numbers of seabirds are displaced into the North Sea from the North Atlantic. Following this, most birds re-orientate and head back northwards, many of which pass Flamborough Head. These ideal conditions often take place in August and September, therefore we gear our cruise dates around these times. Obviously cruise dates are planned well in advance, but sadly we cannot predict the weather! Some cruises can be relatively quiet while others can be stimulating. There is always a sense of anticipation and expectation on the cruises, not really knowing what is lurking out in the swell.
We normally encounter our target birds, which include Arctic skua, great skua, Manx shearwater, and sooty shearwater alongside close range plunge-diving gannets – a photographer’s dream! Having said this, almost anything could show-up, some birds out of range of those land-lubbing, but devoted sea watchers sitting beneath Flamborough fog signal!
Although we can never predict what we may see, from nearly twenty years of cruising off the Head, a vague pattern of species occurrence has developed. During an average season, on each trip we encounter at least one species of skua and shearwater, very rarely have we failed to connect with either. The most frequently recorded ‘target’ species are Arctic skua and Manx shearwater.
Most often up to ten or more Arctic’s and Manxie’s are seen. In good conditions however, these numbers can be far greater.
Sooty shearwaters which breed off South America (ie Falkland Islands) undertake their winter-time clockwise movements in the North Atlantic, these birds regularly drift into the North Sea following intense west to north-west gales. As they re-orientate and filter back north out of the North Sea, birds pass the Head in great numbers. Rarely do we fail to see sooties on cruises, although numbering less than ten, in 2002 we noted up to 300 birds on one trip alone, many very close to the boat. Balearic shearwaters are sadly declining as a breeding species in the Mediterranean; however, occasionally single birds are seen, sometimes very close to the boat. Both great and Cory’s shearwaters have been seen, though these birds are very rare on our cruises. Late August to late September may be the best time to connect with one of these great ocean wanderers.
Great Skuas are regularly seen during the season, and on occasions, small numbers of Pomarine’s and lesser numbers of long-tailed skuas, both from northern Scandinavia and Russia. Masses of fulmars are normally seen frequenting the chum-line in the wake of the boat, with occasional ‘blue’ phase birds from higher Arctic areas. Leach’s petrel has been noted too, with reports of probable European storm petrels.
Large numbers of the commoner gull species maintain a presence (see below), however passengers may witness good numbers of little gulls from late August to late September. During this period too, Sabine’s gulls have been rarely seen and a few Mediterranean gulls, though the latter tend to be a little later in September and early October. Common and Sandwich terns are regular, with fewer Arctic terns and black terns.
For much of any cruise there is a steady attendance of commoner species feeding on the chum-line. These notably include very close plunge-diving gannets, kittiwakes, great black-backed, lesser black-backed, common, herring and occasional passing black-headed gulls.
Later cruises usually produce ten or more red-throated divers with occasional black-throated and rarely great northern. Diving ducks including goldeneye, tufted duck, scaup, pochard, eider, common and velvet scoters are seen from most cruises, also passage dabblers such as mallard, teal, pintail and wigeon.
Waders are sometimes noted too, these include curlew, whimbrel, dunlin, turnstone, purple sandpiper, knot and oystercatchers. Both red-necked and grey phalaropes have been recorded, most times observed very close to the boat, occasionally allowing the boat to circle around them offering brilliant views.
Apart from shoreline and sea birds, others include a selection of common passerine species such as wheatear, thrushes, pipits, warblers and skylarks. Occasional birds of prey and owls include peregrine, kestrel, honey buzzard, marsh harrier short and long-eared owls. These are most often encountered on later cruises.
Cetaceans are commonly seen, though most refer to harbour porpoises. Sometimes 10-20 porpoises are recorded per trip, however other species previously noted are rare, such as fin, minke and sperm whale.
Also, the presence of basking shark and sunfish may indicate a sign of climatic change in the North Sea.
Butterflies include most of the common vanessid and ‘white’ species, while crane-flies and moths are sometimes noted.
Obviously, we cannot guarantee what may or may not be seen on any particular trip, but it is the luck of the draw and the excitement of not knowing what is beyond the next wave! However, who knows what to expect. Fea’s petrel may become reality this year or perhaps a black-browed albatross? Let us wait and see."

I've done the Biscay, the Scillonian pelagic's, trips off the Azores and Oregon (Pacific) and 15 years of RSPB Skua & Shearwater cruises off Flamborough Head (and 30+ years of seawatching in UK). BUT, I still get excited on the Flamborough trips! - never knowing what's out there (who does?). It is gratifying too, to realise the enjoyment people have on these trips - no matter how experienced they are. One disappointment for me though, is that the albatross and Fea's are a long time in coming - watch this space!
Sunday's trip (19th) fully booked but still plenty of seats on Sept 26th at 08.30 and Oct 3rd at 12.30. £9 adult and £4 child, booking essential so give us a call on 01262 850959.
See you on board?

Trevor

[MarkHows]

went on Sundays trip, the birds spotted were
Sabines gull 2 (juveniles), 2 Sooty Shearwaters, juvenile Black Tern, 100 Little Gulls, 2 Purple Sandpipers, 3 Great Skuas, 10 Arctic Skuas, 5 Puffins and 70 Common Scoters, 5 Red Throated Divers. lots of auks, gulls, shags, gannets and cormorants and lots of harbour porpoises

Another excellent trip