Northumberland pelagic trip

[Michael Frankis]

Off on an evening pelagic (4 hours) out of North Shields in an hour . . .

Will report back here late tonite. Anyone like to offer any predictions in the meantime?

Michael

[Goshawk]

Yeah!! there will be a lot of water out there.

Good luck Mike. Have a good un.

[Swift]

Yep Storm petrel and Arctic Skua good luck

[Edward]

Seasickness and some seagulls (sic).

E

[Malvolio]

Bombast and blarney.

MV

[cuddy]

Take a book Michael, only 2 Manxies off St. Marys today 1 Roseate , 2 Whimbrel and a couple of sp Knot the sea is flat and we have a South Westerly.
Then again you just never know hope that Laughing gull wanders up here.

good luck

[Harry Hussey]

Hi Michael,
Best of luck!Have just received notification that a place has become available at the last minute on a pelagic from west Cork:will let you all know how we get on...
Harry H

[Michael Frankis]

Well very quiet birdwise - one crackin' close Bonxie* on the 'chum', a distant flyby Manxie, no Stormies nor even an Arctic Skua**. A trickle of wader passage, 27 Whimbrels, and a few each Dunlin, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Golden Plover, Turnstone, all going south.

But absolutely stunning time with two pods of 6 + 4 White-beaked Dolphins playing round the boat for most of the evening! :D :D :D

Michael

PS for Americans:
* Great Skua
** Parasitic Jaeger

PPS for Malvolio - also 40,000 Icelandic Red-necked Phalaropes flew over on their way southeast from Iceland . . . er, ooops, no, they didn't

[Michael Frankis]

PPPS Harry,
Have a good time out from Cork! (surprised you got the last place, I'd have thought you'd have snapped up the first place ;)
Michael

[Malvolio]

Michael,

The lack of R-n phalaropes must have been disappointing - though no doubt due to the fact that you were about 1000 miles too far south and about 8000 feet too low.

MV

[Harry Hussey]

Hi Michael,
I only got the last-minute place due to someone else pulling out,and I would have booked straight away had I heard about it in time...
Anyway,the highlight was a most co-operative Wilson's Petrel that we had at VERY close range for prolonged periods of time.The bird was seen to be worn and in active primary moult,producing the famous "hooked" wingtip effect.
Otherwise a few Bonxies(Great Skuas)and a pale phase Arctic(Parasitic),also up to 100 Stormies.VERY rough out there!
Harry H

[Michael Frankis]

Hi Harry,

Sounds a good one - certainly better than mine for birds!

Got 18 waders in Northumberland today: Oystercatcher, Little Ring Plover, Ringed Plover, Lapwing, Knot, Sanderling, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Ruff, Blackwit, Barwit, Whimbrel, Curlew, Redshank, Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Turnstone.

Michael

[Harry Hussey]

Hi Michael,
Some of the gloss was taken off our trip later that evening,after I had written the above report.I wasn't seasick(have never been yet),but was feeling tired and very uneasy(probably due to my inner ear,and therefore sense of balance,having been upset by the rough conditions).
I was lying on my bed when I got a phone call from a young birder from Dublin currently working here for 6 months.I had heard that he was on Galley Head earlier in the day,and he had a Cory's and a few other bits and pieces,but I assumed that he had long since left the site.Imagine my horror(and bear in mind that I was tired and ratty anyway)to hear that he had not long before seen his SECOND "Soft-plumaged Petrel"!About 90% of Irish birders still haven't seen ONE!2 at the age of 21 and without having done loads of seawatching!
Needless to say,I mumbled a few comments along the lines of "as if I wasn't feeling bad enough",rang a few friends,and went to bed.I wouldn't mind so much,but he had still been dining out on the bird that he saw in 1999!
Went to Galley early yesterday,but very quiet:10+ Bonxies,1 Sooty,1 Cory's(which I missed:have only seen 1!),1 large shear.
After coming back to Cork,I went to the Old Head for a few hours in the evening:2 Balearic Shearwaters(saw one,a standard bird),2 Bonxies,1 Sooty.
It is my ambition to see a "Soft-plumaged",nothing to do with listing etc!I aim to spend as much time as possible seawatching this year:other than this guy,most of those who HAVE seen one here have put in a lot of time.I feel quietly confident that I'll get one(have been 2 already this year,a good sign this early in the season:maybe it'll be a good year for them?),watch this space...
Harry H

[Edward]

Quite a few lifers for me there Harry, Cory's, Sooty and Balearic Shearwaters to name three!

Saw approximately 500 Manx Shearwaters lolling around on the sea close to land yesterday, a great sight and far more than I've ever seen before.

There are plans afoot for the first proper Icelandic pelagic in August, with chum, seasickness and the full works. Sounds very exciting and hope it comes off.

E

[Michael Frankis]

Hi Harry,
Saw the Petrel report on birdguides, I'd been hoping it was you got it. Well, there's always the next one! Maybe tag along with this Dublin lad - he sounds a useful person to get to know! (get him to sign up for BirdForum while you're at it ;))

Hi Edward,
What, Icelanders suffering from seasickness?!? Surely not!!
Hope it goes well, you should turn up some good stuff. When is it? - I'd guess early Aug would be better than late Aug, for Iceland?

Michael

[Harry Hussey]

Hi Michael,
Yeah,there's always the next one:just long for the day that I don't have to say that!Conditions look promising tomorrow,so who knows.
While I'm too modest to tell all and sundry on the IBN about my good fortune if I DO see one,I'll make a posting here OK.
I know that Dublin guy TOO well:he rang me on purpose as he knew what my reaction would be,cocky little git!When I see one,I'll be sure to let him know...
Had excellent views of an adult-type Sabine's Gull today(finally:bird was very elusive)at Cobh:my first in Co.Cork!
May have been a subad:wouldn't have expected a full adult to have been in winter plumage this early?
Harry H

[Malvolio]

I agree Harry, adult Sabines are still in summer plumage well into September. First-summer birds ( 2nd calendar year) are quite variable in terms of head pattern, some are adult summer-like and others are completely winter patterned. Some, but not all 'first-summers' show very faint subterminal marks on the wing coverts.

MV

[Harry Hussey]

Hi Malvolio,
That may be the solution!The contrast between the black bill and yellowish tip was also reduced compared to a typical adult.
The spread wing looked as for an adult bird,and there were noticable white primary tips when the bird was at rest.
Harry H

[Harry Hussey]

Hi Michael et al,
In case you were wondering,I didn't see the "Soft-plumaged" at Galley this evening:was at Ballycotton to take another look at the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper.Some day...
Harry H

[Michael Frankis]

Hi Harry,

Hard luck! I hadn't heard about this one, it isn't on BirdGuides. The hot news on that is a Lesser Yellowlegs in Lincolnshire re-identified as . . . . yep, a juvvie Redshank. Oh dear!

Michael

[Harry Hussey]

Hi Michael,
Was on BINS(Irish birdline),and I was speaking to the finder as well,so can't see why it wasn't on Birdguides?Maybe a juv.Redshank is of greater interest..?;-)
Went to Galley this morning:between 7 and 12 we had the following:
2 Great Shearwaters
4 Sooty Shearwaters
6 Balearic Shearwaters("only" saw 4 of these)
22 Bonxies(Great Skuas)
2 Arctic Skuas(Parasitic Jaegers),both pale phase
14 Common Scoters(saw 9)
70+ (European)Storm Petrels...
...but no "soft-plumaged".Not giving up yet!
Most of the birds this morning came quite close,in particular the Sooties and Great Shears.
Harry H

[Michael Frankis]

Hi Harry,

Birdguides did get it just after - almost immediately after I'd posted, in fact!

Nice lot there, don't suppose you could spare me some Great Shears? I still need it for Northumberland.

Good luck on SPP, keep trying, you'll get one yet. I reckon they're breeding somewhere around the Irish or UK coasts now, the increase in reports is much too large for just observer awareness. Have to check, but I think there's been more SPP records in Northumbs in the last few years, than Great Shears.

Michael

[Harry Hussey]

Hi Michael,
Maybe the news was tracked from west to east as the bird flew from east to west?;-)
I could gladly spare you a Great Shear(have seen almost 400 in Co.Cork alone)in return for a SPP,but you don't have one to spare!
I WILL get one:not a born optimist,but I AM a realist,and realise that a bird that turns up so regularly in such an underwatched country as Ireland is there to be picked up at some stage!
The theory that they may be breeding(which you told me about before via e-mail)is intriguing:while a little unlikely in some respects,it cannot be disproven either...
Have been more SPP's here this year than Corn Buntings(former breeder,only heard of one this year...ticked it!)
Watch this space...
Harry H

[Michael Frankis]

Hi Harry,

By my reckoning, my suspicion isn't at all unlikely - think what Fulmars were doing a hundred years ago. Almost exactly the same ;)

This year looks like it could be the first since I started birding, with no Northumbrian Corn Bunting.

Michael

[Harry Hussey]

Hi Michael,
I see they're going the same way as over here?Hope the decline can be halted in time.
My only problem with the prospect that Fea's(for the sake of argument,even though all are acceptable only as Fea's/Zino's)is breeding here,or at least prospecting,is that it seems a large jump from the known breeding area to here without breeding in between?That said,the only theories that make sense to me are:
1)they are indeed spreading north
2)they are increasing in the core range,but not spreading,and the increased numbers mean that more are likely to disperse here randomly
3)resources in the areas where birds traditionally went immediately post-breeding have declined,so birds have to wander more widely to find good feeding areas
or any combination of the above,or none!
As long as I see one I don't care WHY they're here!!
Harry H