Fuerteventura & Lanzarote Pelagics, Red-billed Tropicbird, etc. (1 Viewer)

[pbjosh]

Let us know what you see. We plan a February stay for next year.

Will do, I’ll post here at the end

 

[Jos Stratford]

No idea but I have read enough references that I give it some credence. On Lanzarote now and 20 minutes spent watching the sea from a prominent headland with good conditions (strong onshore wind) produced one distant Cory’s and nothing else.

Still though, I will take one or more ferries or join a whale watch or something. Barolo SW must be around and is one of 3 Atlantic seabirds that continue to evade me (to be fair I’ve not been in its range much).

Over two Decembers in different years, my total seawatching effort (off the coast of Tenerife and Fuerteventura, plus three inter-island ferries) has produced almost zero - one Cory's Shearwater, two Madeiran Petrels (same ferry in the two years) and one Bulwer's Petrel. Not even many Gannets.

The average mid-winter ferry will get no birds at all or, at best, one or two birds. That said, Barolo Shearwater is apparently regular at obe point in winter, but I didn't go there.

 

[pbjosh]

That said, Barolo Shearwater is apparently regular at obe point in winter, but I didn't go there.

Would you be so kind as to elaborate on Obe Point? I don’t immediately find a location called that / can’t figure out what it would be. Cheers in advance.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Would you be so kind as to elaborate on Obe Point? I don’t immediately find a location called that / can’t figure out what it would be. Cheers in advance.

Somewhere on the north coast, but unfortunately I don't recall the name of the place - I didn't visit it, but heard about this point when I was on Fuerteventura (after leaving Tenerife) - spoke with French guys who said a local had seen about 12 the previous week.

 

[pbjosh]

Somewhere on the north coast, but unfortunately I don't recall the name of the place - I didn't visit it, but heard about this point when I was on Fuerteventura (after leaving Tenerife) - spoke with French guys who said a local had seen about 12 the previous week.

This is a location on Tenerife then I gather?

 

[Brian Stone]

there's another ongoing thread on the forum (by Brian Stone) and he has reported a Barolo Shearwater from Tenerife (from land) - i'm pretty sure that is within the last week or so,
James

The Barolo went past Punta del Hidalgo on 9th Feb among a good northerly movement of Cory's during a period of southerly winds. I'm a bit over-optimistic when it comes to seawatching so phrases like "dead for seabirds" don't really register . I was back at the point this morning in a brisk NEly and logged 21 Cory's in about 2 hours along with two Gannets (much to the surprise of the two staff manning the hide and providing binoculars for passing walkers to use). It's unusual for me not to see one or two Cory's in any conditions here. I also had 13 recently from Punta del Pedron (Malpais de Guimar) on the east coast where it looked to me like they were lingering and feeding.

Fuerteventura was much less productive and despite some effort I only recorded 2 Gannets in the four weeks I was there in January. I got news of the Tropicbird while I waited for my flight to Tenerife just a few km away!

Expecting the unexpected is all part of seawatching for me. Exemplified by the Barbary Partridge I watched fly over the sea this morning and land briefly on it! Anyone ever seen anything like that?!

 

[James Lowther]

That said, Barolo Shearwater is apparently regular at obe point in winter, but I didn't go there.

Do you mean “at one point”?
A (semi-)reliable location for Barolo Sw would be a big hit with birders!
James

 

[Phil Andrews]

Some amazing pictures on Facebook of a tropicbird at a shopping centre and golf course at Calleste de Fuste, Fuerteventura in recent days

https://twitter.com/x/status/1494223068981514246

 

[Jos Stratford]

This is a location on Tenerife then I gather?

Yes sorry, north Tenerife

 

[Jos Stratford]

Do you mean “at one point”?
A (semi-)reliable location for Barolo Sw would be a big hit with birders!
James

From talking to these two French birders, I got the idea it was a reasonably reliable location - they had been in communication with a local birder on Tenerife who had logged them each evening in the previous days or weeks. Sorry I can't be more concrete, as third hand info, always a possibility of some Chinese whispers

 

[James Lowther]

From talking to these two French birders, I got the idea it was a reasonably reliable location - they had been in communication with a local birder on Tenerife who had logged them each evening in the previous days or weeks. Sorry I can't be more concrete, as third hand info, always a possibility of some Chinese whispers

thanks Jos,
I was just trying to figure out if the place was called "Obe Point" (doesn't sound very Spanish), or it was a typo!
James

 

[DMW]

There are quite a few ebird records, including 2 on 3rd Feb and 6 on 4th Feb this year, from Charco del Viento on the N coast of Tenerife. Note the timing of these birds, late afternoon.

 

[James Lowther]

ah ok that's here then

28.400821, -16.673527​

not far from Mirador de la Grimona,

James

 

[pbjosh]

Not sure what proportion is coverage bias but eBird could make it appear as though Tenerife is the best bet for a Bartolo while seawatching- though it could be 100% coverage bias?

Here on Lanzarote I have seen no other birders in 4 days and there are only 2 other birder submitting to eBird this week, so one might guess a small handful of birders total.

 

[Owene]

A friend of mine had Barolo from a whale watching boat on south Tenerife last week but the crew said it was a very rare event

 

[pbjosh]

This afternoon a storm blew in and a 75 minute late afternoon / early evening impromptu seawatch from NE Lanzarote with 40-60kmph onshore winds produced 550+ Cory’s Shearwaters, 20 Gannets, 2 Manx’s Shearwaters, a handful of gulls, and little else. A nice show in pretty wet / windy conditions with the shearwaters frequently within 75-100m of shore.

 

[Brian Stone]

A friend of mine had Barolo from a whale watching boat on south Tenerife last week but the crew said it was a very rare event

This afternoon a storm blew in and a 75 minute late afternoon / early evening impromptu seawatch from NE Lanzarote with 40-60kmph onshore winds produced 550+ Cory’s Shearwaters, 20 Gannets, 2 Manx’s Shearwaters, a handful of gulls, and little else. A nice show in pretty wet / windy conditions with the shearwaters frequently within 75-100m of shore.

I took a look off the northern tip of Tenerife around the middle of the day but only had fairly distant Cory's. I was facing more west though and it was before the bad weather really set in.

 

[pbjosh]

An hour long mid morning seawatch from the lighthouse on the SE tip of Lanzarote this morning produced 40+ mostly distant Cory’s, two very distant Gannets, and a few shorebirds on the rocks…

 

[opisska]

I am gonna take a ferry next Saturday from Tenerife to La Palma, so I will be able to report on that area We were also thinking of doing a round trip to El Hierro - we have never been there and it's very exposed to the ocean, but Armas have brought a super cool new catamaran and put it on that route and that seems to have no outdoors areas, so this thing is a bit moot. Maybe we'll do a pelagic trip or land-based seawatching from Tenerife.

 

[Brian Stone]

An hour long mid morning seawatch from the lighthouse on the SE tip of Lanzarote this morning produced 40+ mostly distant Cory’s, two very distant Gannets, and a few shorebirds on the rocks…

My most recent session was an hour from Punta del Hidalgo (N tip of Tenerife) yesterday: 15 Cory's, 2 Gannets. One Gannet and a couple of Cory's reasonably close. Otherwise everything well offshore.