Plymouth-Santander trip report.
Hi folks,
As promised here is a quick trip report from last weeks plymouth-santander ferry. Here goes....
Day one - 23th august.
Our group of four travelled down to plymouth during the day, stopping at Aylesbeare Common for brief views of Dartford Warbler and some Ravens. Stopped at Chew Valley lake but failed to see any of the rare ducks. We did get Ruddy shelduck though (and if that bird is wild then my middle name is Gandhi).
Day two - 24th.
Travelled around Devon (Slapton etc.) seeing not very much at all except lots of Little Egrets and Buzzards. We finished up at Bowling Green Marsh where thankfully the Ibis was showing well, along with the imm. Spoonbill sat in a tree. This bird seemed obsessed with trying to bite the branch it was standing on until it unsteadied itself and had to fly to another branch! Don't know what it was playing at but it was funny to watch. Lots of Little Egrets and a spotted redshank ensured a good afternoons birding. Tried a few Cirl Bunting sites but drew a blank so returned to aylesbeare and had much better views of dartfords.
Day three - 25th
Boarded the Val de Loire at 8:30am. The outward journey was, by and large, very quiet. We had numerous storm petrels and gannets but despite spending all day on the observation deck, were rewarded with very little.
Day four - 26th
On the observation deck at 6:15am. Weather quite poor and only storm petrels and gannets to note before pulling into a very misty santander harbour. We stayed on the observation deck of the ship and scanned the conifers on the dock. This was very productive and we saw Melodious and Bonellis warblers, serin, woodchat (which I missed), female R.B.Shrike, pied flycatcher. Later on a whinchat appeared on the front of the ship and then flew off to the fence on the dock....and landed right next to a Spectacled warbler! We also had Med Gull and Peregrine in the harbour along with numerous yellow legged gulls. The ship then proceeded on the return journey which I was assured by others was the better of the two trips. It did not disappoint. A few hours out of santander we reached the first storm petrels. Two of our group went to get some dinner...just as two Balearic shearwaters flew across the front of the boat, giving excellent views. A further three were flushed off the water at very close range. Things started to pick up until mid afternoon produced a distant shearwater which was tentatively ID'd as a Little. Later in the afternoon, the call came that I'd been waiting for...Little shearwater in front of the boat! This bird proceeded to fly in front of the boat for a few mins before drifting round the side and being lost to view. This is what I had most hoped to see. Anyone who has'nt seen one and is worried about confusion with Manx shouldnt be, with their smaller size, chubby appearance, shorter wings and white face they are utterly distinctive. The white markings on the secondaries are not as obvious as I thought they would be, but the white 'pegs' on the rump stand out.
Further sightings through the day included ad. Sabs Gull, ad. pale phase Pom Skua (complete with tail 'spoons'), two Cory's and one sooty shear (I missed both of these, well done Chris!) and arctic and great skuas. The real boost came late in the afternoon when another Little shear was called. I failed to get onto this bird but five mins later, one appeared off the right hand side of the ship and kept pace with us for about five minutes, giving superb views. Throw all the cetaceans into the bargain (Fin, Sperm, Pilot whales and load of Dolphins and Sunfish etc.) and this turned out to be a superb day.
Day five - 27th
We got up early to get the last few hours of seawatching before reaching Plymouth. I was hopeful we would get Wilsons petrel but unfortunately the weather had other ideas. A howling easterly wind ensured that few birds were seen, with only a few stormies and gannets, and the highlight being four manxies past just outside plymouth.
We departed the boat and had a further try for Cirl bunting but it was not to be with this species unfortunately. However, a quick stop at Chew Valley Lake produced the White-headed Duck. Plastic or genuine? Who knows, but it was a superb way to round off a superb trip.
I've just scrolled up and realised that this is'nt exactly the 'quick report' I said it would be, but I hope it has been of interest. If anyone needs any extra details, don't be afraid to ask
BTW thanks to Martin and Sarah for driving and well done to Mark for picking up the second Little shear.
Best regards
Chris
