François Doyen
Well-known member
Hi,
I just came back from the Canary Island and I'd great sightings of pelagic birds from Whale Watching in Gran Canaria (from Puerto Rico)!
I did 4 trips. The first was in the afternoon and wasn't good for birds because we stayed close to shore watching rough-toothed dolphin (one of my target thus great!) Only interesting sightings of bird was an area with tens of flying fish and a few cory's catching them in flight!
On the 3 next day, I booked a trip in the morning and each time we went far from land to search for the dolphins.
On the second trip I saw 2 white-faced storm-petrel, 1 barolo's shearwater & 4 bulwer's petrel (+ 2 loggerhead turtle & Bottlenoses dolphins). the trip had to last nearly 3 hours and not the 2 hours planned!
On the third I only had 1 barolo's shearwater but it gave amazing close view in front of the ship + atlantic spotted dolphin.
On the 4th trip : 2 Madeiran storm-petrel, 6 bulwer's petrel and bottlenose dolphin
One birder also saw madeiran & white-faced storm-petrel on one whale watching trip last summer
The good birds were generally seen after about 30min of boat exept the first madeiran storm-petrel which was only at 15min.
There is 2 boat to use : Spirit of the sea and Mutliacuatic I've a very slight preference for the latter but the boat are similar (possible to see the front of the ship) and go to the same area (nearly always saw the same dolphin pod or whale)
their sole purpose is to found a dolphin pod or a whale so if there is one just in front of the harbour, you will stay there, close to shore...The more difficult it's to find the dolphin the best it is for birding! Morning is probably better because there is less chance than dolphins have already been found and thus the boat will go far from the coast where they have more chance to find them!
the trips last 2-3h and cost 25€ (relatively cheap of european whale watching trip). There's also lots of small sport fishing boat and going on one of those is probably good for birding too. The best for a group of birder is to arrange a pelagic trip of a few hours (3h is probably enough) with one of them and chumming should be great for storm-petrel. I don't know what the price would be though but probably not too expensive.
seawatching from Puerto Rico in the evening produced thousands of Cory's shearwater, I estimated between 3000 and 3500 each evening (18-21h) On one of the evening, they gathered in front of Puerto Rico and I counted 1200 sat on the sea at the same time then 2500 passed in only 20 minutes!
I also took the ferry (trasmediterranea) between Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura (Puerto Del Rosario), the wind was very strong (5 or maybe 6 bft) and during the 6hours ferry crossing I saw only cory's and 15 bulwer's petrel (12 of them were seen while following the fuerteventura east coast to the nord) + atlantic spotted dolphin, one shark sp. and loggerhead turtle
Seawatching from the headland north of Caleta de Fustes on Fuerteventura is amazing for cory's shearwater! They are passing very close! You can count them with naked eyes and have nearly the same number than with a scope, at least by moderate / strong NE wind. One evening I estimated 3300 in only 2 hours but impossible to find a cape verde shearwater
FD
I just came back from the Canary Island and I'd great sightings of pelagic birds from Whale Watching in Gran Canaria (from Puerto Rico)!
I did 4 trips. The first was in the afternoon and wasn't good for birds because we stayed close to shore watching rough-toothed dolphin (one of my target thus great!) Only interesting sightings of bird was an area with tens of flying fish and a few cory's catching them in flight!
On the 3 next day, I booked a trip in the morning and each time we went far from land to search for the dolphins.
On the second trip I saw 2 white-faced storm-petrel, 1 barolo's shearwater & 4 bulwer's petrel (+ 2 loggerhead turtle & Bottlenoses dolphins). the trip had to last nearly 3 hours and not the 2 hours planned!
On the third I only had 1 barolo's shearwater but it gave amazing close view in front of the ship + atlantic spotted dolphin.
On the 4th trip : 2 Madeiran storm-petrel, 6 bulwer's petrel and bottlenose dolphin
One birder also saw madeiran & white-faced storm-petrel on one whale watching trip last summer
The good birds were generally seen after about 30min of boat exept the first madeiran storm-petrel which was only at 15min.
There is 2 boat to use : Spirit of the sea and Mutliacuatic I've a very slight preference for the latter but the boat are similar (possible to see the front of the ship) and go to the same area (nearly always saw the same dolphin pod or whale)
their sole purpose is to found a dolphin pod or a whale so if there is one just in front of the harbour, you will stay there, close to shore...The more difficult it's to find the dolphin the best it is for birding! Morning is probably better because there is less chance than dolphins have already been found and thus the boat will go far from the coast where they have more chance to find them!
the trips last 2-3h and cost 25€ (relatively cheap of european whale watching trip). There's also lots of small sport fishing boat and going on one of those is probably good for birding too. The best for a group of birder is to arrange a pelagic trip of a few hours (3h is probably enough) with one of them and chumming should be great for storm-petrel. I don't know what the price would be though but probably not too expensive.
seawatching from Puerto Rico in the evening produced thousands of Cory's shearwater, I estimated between 3000 and 3500 each evening (18-21h) On one of the evening, they gathered in front of Puerto Rico and I counted 1200 sat on the sea at the same time then 2500 passed in only 20 minutes!
I also took the ferry (trasmediterranea) between Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura (Puerto Del Rosario), the wind was very strong (5 or maybe 6 bft) and during the 6hours ferry crossing I saw only cory's and 15 bulwer's petrel (12 of them were seen while following the fuerteventura east coast to the nord) + atlantic spotted dolphin, one shark sp. and loggerhead turtle
Seawatching from the headland north of Caleta de Fustes on Fuerteventura is amazing for cory's shearwater! They are passing very close! You can count them with naked eyes and have nearly the same number than with a scope, at least by moderate / strong NE wind. One evening I estimated 3300 in only 2 hours but impossible to find a cape verde shearwater
FD