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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hugh Harrop" data-source="post: 1586890" data-attributes="member: 4703">11 - 14 September 2009 - Company of Whales and Organisation Cetacea aboard Pride of BilbaoMike Weedon and Glenn Overington ended our incredible season on a high with two major highlights: an Orca breached clear of the water three times and they also had excellent views of a Northern Bottle-nosed Whale. Other sightings included 2 Fin Whales, 4 Large Rorquals, 3 Cuvier's Beaked Whales, 1 Minke Whale, 706 Common Dolphins, 264 Striped Dolphins, 15 Bottle-nosed Dolphins, 20 unidentified dolphins, 17 Harbour Porpoise, 5 Ocean Sunfish and several shoals of feeding Tuna.Seabirds were again excellent with a Little Shearwater, 76 Sabine's Gulls, 220 Great Shearwaters, 60 Cory's Shearwaters, 13 Sooty Shearwaters, 5 Manx Shearwaters, 18 Storm Petrels, 29 Great Skuas, 3 Arctic Skuas and a Sandwich Tern. Migrants recorded on or from the ship included a Kestrel, 1 Grasshopper and 1 Reed Warbler, 2 White Wagtails, Meadow Pipit, Spotted Flycatcher, 60+ Swallows, House Martin, a Dragonfly Sp. and 3 Clouded Yellow Butterflies. Our walk in Spain produced 30 Griffon Vultures, 1 Hoopoe, 1 Red-Rumped Swallow, Red-Backed Shrike, Cetti's Warbler, Blackcap, Wheatear, Whinchat, Common and Black Redstarts and 6 Sardinian Warblers. Other wildlife in Spain included a Long-tailed Blue, Adonis Blue, Clouded Yellow, Meadow Brown, Wall Brown, Speckled Wood butterflies. Rush Veneer and Hummingbird Hawkmoths, 5 Praying Mantis, a Stag Beetle, Wasp Spider, Iberian Wall (2) and Rock (1) Lizards and Autumn Ladies Tresses Orchid.Sightings maps and pix from our 2009 trips are at:<a href="http://www.companyofwhales.co.uk/html/news/news_fr.htm" target="_blank">http://www.companyofwhales.co.uk/html/news/news_fr.htm</a>CheersHugh</blockquote>

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