Hi Hugh,
Wasn't on the trip myself, but I've put what I heard onto this thread;
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=121454
Cheers, B
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Seawatching 2008 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter nialltkeogh
- Start date
Hi Hugh,
Wasn't on the trip myself, but I've put what I heard onto this thread;
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=121454
Cheers, B
davidearlgray
davidearlgray
Hi Hugh, we saw the ship mid channel on the wednesday, and was a bit surprise that the ship left port from Calais, France!!
Terry Townshend
Regular vagrant
Hi Bob, would agree with Hugh on this, maybe the weather systems haven't been right so far this year?
I've been on the Biscay boat for 10 years now and I haven't seen a Little Shearwaters in the last two years. Hopefully we will get some next week when I'm on the boat with the Company of Whales, as usually there are not that difficult to ID if seen well.
Also I was on the UP and the only "proper" Little Shear was the one in front of the boat on the second day.
I think the fabricated Bulwer's was probably a distant Sooty, as both birds were seen at around the same time!
Cheers,
Dave.[/QUOTE]
Hi Dave, Bob-tag,
I was on the first UP, too. I think it's a little unfair to say the Bulwer's was 'fabricated', especially if the implication is that UP staff made it up to boost business. The Bulwer's was reported by a group of foreign birders (Dutch I think) who were constantly on deck and scanning (more than can be said for most birders who just sat and waited to be told what to look at). They were very competent observers (they picked up the Little Shears) and they said at the time it was a "probable" as it was distant. I don't believe they would have mistaken a Sooty. As I remember the sighting was very early on and, although they told a member of the UP staff as soon as they found one, unfortunately it was too late for anyone else to see the bird. The fault was that there wasn't an effective way of disseminating information (for which you can't blame the observers).
I am not sure how UP reported the sighting but it should have been as a "probable" or "possible" and not a definite record.
Terry
Hi Terry,
No, that wasn't the implication at all. The implication was they strung it. One might, however take that implication for the Wilson's Petrel report, if one wishes (I saw the bird claimed, and don't believe it could be put down as anything other than a "possible".).
Whilst many birders did enjoy the social side of the first UP, it's "a little unfair" to make the statement that they were the only group who worked hard on the boat. That's just not true; there were a number of crews working hard, usually at the front of the boat, throughout.
One of my key problem with the sighting was the my crew were stood NEXT TO THEM at the time, and they never said a word to any other birders around them. They supressed it, and no-one else saw it (they are not the hardest bird to pick up at sea), despite a many people seeing a distant Sooty Shear at the same time.
As for information dissemination around the boat, it was a joke, and by account has got no better in the last two years.
BobTag
No, that wasn't the implication at all. The implication was they strung it. One might, however take that implication for the Wilson's Petrel report, if one wishes (I saw the bird claimed, and don't believe it could be put down as anything other than a "possible".).
Whilst many birders did enjoy the social side of the first UP, it's "a little unfair" to make the statement that they were the only group who worked hard on the boat. That's just not true; there were a number of crews working hard, usually at the front of the boat, throughout.
One of my key problem with the sighting was the my crew were stood NEXT TO THEM at the time, and they never said a word to any other birders around them. They supressed it, and no-one else saw it (they are not the hardest bird to pick up at sea), despite a many people seeing a distant Sooty Shear at the same time.
As for information dissemination around the boat, it was a joke, and by account has got no better in the last two years.
BobTag
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davidearlgray
davidearlgray
Hi Terry, I think the Bulwer's was missed ID, as I was on deck at the time of the sighting and only saw a distant Sooty Shearwater.
As I have seen Bulwer's Petrels off Gran Canaria, I remember thinking at the time that there reminded me of Sooty Shearwater if seen poorly!
Hope this helps?
Cheers,
Dave.
http://davidearlgray.blogspot.com
As I have seen Bulwer's Petrels off Gran Canaria, I remember thinking at the time that there reminded me of Sooty Shearwater if seen poorly!
Hope this helps?
Cheers,
Dave.
http://davidearlgray.blogspot.com
nialltkeogh
Well-known member
Barolo's (Little) Shearwater off the Bridges of Ross this morning...
(havn't heard much in the way of details regarding the sighting except that most of the crowd missed it!! :eek!
Wilson's Petrel from the Inishbofin Pelagic, Galway. 1st county record?
See Ya,
Niall
(havn't heard much in the way of details regarding the sighting except that most of the crowd missed it!! :eek!
Wilson's Petrel from the Inishbofin Pelagic, Galway. 1st county record?
See Ya,
Niall
Terry Townshend
Regular vagrant
I agree with you on the Wilson's - I saw it too and it was just not identifiable (for me, at least!).
It wasn't my intention to imply they were the only group looking - I know there were a number of other groups working very hard, as you said, mostly at the front of the boat. But there were a lot of people moping about and complaining that they weren't seeing anything without actually trying to look themselves.
Yes, that is bad. I know a couple of people who said the same - they were standing next to them and only heard about it afterwards.
I agree!! You really need a team of people, clearly identifiable and with radios, dotted around the boat to fully cover all the groups looking and spotting birds with an efficient relaying system in place. I found that the people on the bridge often wanted to see and id the stuff themselves before calling it which, inevitably, wasted time and caused many to miss the few good birds (and cetaceans) that were seen. Of course, good communication also relies on observers calling stuff when seen.
Hugh Harrop
Member
23 - 26 August 2008 - Company of Whales and Organisation Cetacea aboard Pride of Bilbao
41 Fin Whales, 27 unidentified large rorquals, 2 Sperm Whales, 1 Minke Whale, 6 Cuvier's beaked Whales, 3 unidentified beaked whales, 11 Pilot Whales, 77 Bottlenose Dolphins, 261 Common Dolphins, 107 Striped Dolphins, 11 Harbour Porpoise and 48 unidentified dolphins. Also 9 Ocean Sunfish and a possible Oceanic Whitetip Shark . Seabirds included 2 Little Shearwaters, 6 Cory's Shearwaters, 9 Sooty Shearwaters, 1 Balearic Shearwater, 8 Manx Shearwaters, 7 Sabine's Gulls, 1 Grey Phalarope, 34 Storm Petrels, 15 Arctic Skuas, 24 Great Skuas, 1 Black Tern and 29 Common Terns. Migrants recorded on or from the ship included 1 Ringed Plover and a Wheatear. In Spain we recorded 1 Booted Eagle, 3 Little Owls, 1 Hoopoe, 3 Tree Pipits, 1 Nightingale, 3 Black Redstarts, 4 Blackcaps, 2 Garden Warblers, 1 Sardinian Warblers, 3 Whitethroats, 1 Zitting Cisticola, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Melodious Warbler, 2 Firecrests, 1 Pied Flycatcher, 2 Red-backed Shrikes and a Serins. Once again it was a very poor morning for butterflies with just two species recorded on the wing - Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown.
Cheers
HH
41 Fin Whales, 27 unidentified large rorquals, 2 Sperm Whales, 1 Minke Whale, 6 Cuvier's beaked Whales, 3 unidentified beaked whales, 11 Pilot Whales, 77 Bottlenose Dolphins, 261 Common Dolphins, 107 Striped Dolphins, 11 Harbour Porpoise and 48 unidentified dolphins. Also 9 Ocean Sunfish and a possible Oceanic Whitetip Shark . Seabirds included 2 Little Shearwaters, 6 Cory's Shearwaters, 9 Sooty Shearwaters, 1 Balearic Shearwater, 8 Manx Shearwaters, 7 Sabine's Gulls, 1 Grey Phalarope, 34 Storm Petrels, 15 Arctic Skuas, 24 Great Skuas, 1 Black Tern and 29 Common Terns. Migrants recorded on or from the ship included 1 Ringed Plover and a Wheatear. In Spain we recorded 1 Booted Eagle, 3 Little Owls, 1 Hoopoe, 3 Tree Pipits, 1 Nightingale, 3 Black Redstarts, 4 Blackcaps, 2 Garden Warblers, 1 Sardinian Warblers, 3 Whitethroats, 1 Zitting Cisticola, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Melodious Warbler, 2 Firecrests, 1 Pied Flycatcher, 2 Red-backed Shrikes and a Serins. Once again it was a very poor morning for butterflies with just two species recorded on the wing - Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown.
Cheers
HH
nialltkeogh
Well-known member
Fea's off Annagh Head, Mayo on Sunday and another off Galley Head yesterday...
I'm going to be on Loop Head for a week as of tomorrow, seawatching with my father from the Bridges of Ross...
But at the moment the sea can wait!!!! With 2 Yellow Warblers, a Northern Waterthrush, a Solitary Sand and a Semi-P Sand in Cork at the moment I'll be heading straight to the Canada Warbler garden in Kilbaha!!!!
:eek!:
See Ya,
Niall
I'm going to be on Loop Head for a week as of tomorrow, seawatching with my father from the Bridges of Ross...
But at the moment the sea can wait!!!! With 2 Yellow Warblers, a Northern Waterthrush, a Solitary Sand and a Semi-P Sand in Cork at the moment I'll be heading straight to the Canada Warbler garden in Kilbaha!!!!
:eek!:
See Ya,
Niall
Hugh Harrop
Member
From BDRPs site: BDRP & Ultimate Pelagics Cruise Report: MV Princess Danae 16 - 21 August 2008
Fin Whale Balaenoptera physalus 40, Large Rorqual spp 103, Minke Whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata 1, Sperm Whale Physeter macrocephalus 1, Cuvier's Beaked Whale Ziphius cavirostris 4, Sowerby's Beaked Whale Mesoplodon bidens 1, Beaked Whale spp 4, Long-Finned Pilot Whale Globicephala melas 53, Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus 29, Striped Dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba 122, Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis Dolphin spp 44, Harbour Porpoise Phocoena phocoena 11, Unidentified Whale spp 2.
Basking Shark Cetorhinus maximus 3, Ocean Sunfish Mola mola 122, Tuna spp 2, Turtle spp 1
NB. A comprehensive list of bird sightings on this trip will follow shortly.
Fin Whale Balaenoptera physalus 40, Large Rorqual spp 103, Minke Whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata 1, Sperm Whale Physeter macrocephalus 1, Cuvier's Beaked Whale Ziphius cavirostris 4, Sowerby's Beaked Whale Mesoplodon bidens 1, Beaked Whale spp 4, Long-Finned Pilot Whale Globicephala melas 53, Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus 29, Striped Dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba 122, Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis Dolphin spp 44, Harbour Porpoise Phocoena phocoena 11, Unidentified Whale spp 2.
Basking Shark Cetorhinus maximus 3, Ocean Sunfish Mola mola 122, Tuna spp 2, Turtle spp 1
NB. A comprehensive list of bird sightings on this trip will follow shortly.
Hugh Harrop
Member
26 - 29 August 2008 - Company of Whales and Organisation Cetacea aboard Pride of Bilbao
Click here for a sightings map
28 Fin Whales, 22 unidentified large rorquals, 4 Minke Whales, 1 unidentified beaked whale, 1 Pilot Whale, 47 Bottlenose Dolphins, 406 Common Dolphins, 20 Striped Dolphins, a staggering total of 138 Harbour Porpoise and 70 unidentified dolphins. Also 1 Ocean Sunfish . Seabirds included 1 probable Wilson's Petrel, 2 Little Shearwaters (both at virtually the same GPS location as 23 - 26 Aug trip), 3 Great Shearwaters, 4 Sooty Shearwaters, 13 Sabine's Gulls, 3 Grey Phalaropes, 9 Storm Petrels, 15 Arctic Skuas, 10 Great Skuas, 1 Black Tern 2 Sandwich Terns, 8 Common Terns and 4 'commic' terns. Migrants recorded on or from the ship included 1 Dunlin, 2 Turnstones, 1 Yellow Wagtail, a Pied Flycatcher and a Melodious Warbler. In Spain we recorded 20 Griffon Vultures, 1 Osprey, 1 Little Owl, 1 Hoopoe, 1 Sand Martin, 4 Tree Pipits, 1 Black Redstart, 1 Sardinian Warbler, 3 Whitethroats, 1 Zitting Cisticola, 3 Cetti's Warbler and 4 Red-backed Shrikes.17 species of butterfly included Swallowtail, Wood White, Cleopatra, Geranium Bronze and Tree Grayling. 3 Wall Lizards were also recorded.
Cheers
HH
Click here for a sightings map
28 Fin Whales, 22 unidentified large rorquals, 4 Minke Whales, 1 unidentified beaked whale, 1 Pilot Whale, 47 Bottlenose Dolphins, 406 Common Dolphins, 20 Striped Dolphins, a staggering total of 138 Harbour Porpoise and 70 unidentified dolphins. Also 1 Ocean Sunfish . Seabirds included 1 probable Wilson's Petrel, 2 Little Shearwaters (both at virtually the same GPS location as 23 - 26 Aug trip), 3 Great Shearwaters, 4 Sooty Shearwaters, 13 Sabine's Gulls, 3 Grey Phalaropes, 9 Storm Petrels, 15 Arctic Skuas, 10 Great Skuas, 1 Black Tern 2 Sandwich Terns, 8 Common Terns and 4 'commic' terns. Migrants recorded on or from the ship included 1 Dunlin, 2 Turnstones, 1 Yellow Wagtail, a Pied Flycatcher and a Melodious Warbler. In Spain we recorded 20 Griffon Vultures, 1 Osprey, 1 Little Owl, 1 Hoopoe, 1 Sand Martin, 4 Tree Pipits, 1 Black Redstart, 1 Sardinian Warbler, 3 Whitethroats, 1 Zitting Cisticola, 3 Cetti's Warbler and 4 Red-backed Shrikes.17 species of butterfly included Swallowtail, Wood White, Cleopatra, Geranium Bronze and Tree Grayling. 3 Wall Lizards were also recorded.
Cheers
HH
Hugh Harrop
Member
29 August - 1 September 2008 - Company of Whales and Organisation Cetacea aboard Pride of Bilbao
39 Fin Whales, 26 unidentified large rorquals, 1 Sperm Whale, 2 Pilot Whales, 4 Bottlenose Dolphins, 377 Common Dolphins, 50 Striped Dolphins, 20 Harbour Porpoise and 57 unidentified dolphins. Also 7 Ocean Sunfish. Seabirds included 4 Great Shearwaters, 17 Cory's Shearwaters, 15 Sooty Shearwaters, 8 Sabine's Gulls, 3 Grey Phalaropes, 8 Storm Petrels, 9 Arctic Skuas, 4 Great Skuas, 5 Sandwich Terns and 10 Common Terns. Migrants recorded on or from the ship included a Kestrel, 10 Ringed Plovers, 1 Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 1 Turtle Dove, 1 Swallow, 2 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Wheatears, 1 Reed Warbler and 1 Pied Flycatcher. An excellent assortment of birds in Spain included 1 Buzzard, 4 Avocets, 1 Hoopoe, 1 Red-rumped Swallow, 4 Tree Pipits, 3 Black Redstarts, 1 Whinchat, 2 Blackcaps, 1 Garden Warbler, 9 Sardinian Warblers, 4 Whitethroats, 4 Zitting Cisticolas, 2 Firecrests, 2 Pied Flycatchers, 2 Spotted Flycatchers and 8 Red-backed Shrikes. 13 species of butterfly included Clouded Yellow, Adonis Blue, Holly Blue, Grayling, Wall, Large Skipper and Long-tailed Blue.
Cheers
HH
39 Fin Whales, 26 unidentified large rorquals, 1 Sperm Whale, 2 Pilot Whales, 4 Bottlenose Dolphins, 377 Common Dolphins, 50 Striped Dolphins, 20 Harbour Porpoise and 57 unidentified dolphins. Also 7 Ocean Sunfish. Seabirds included 4 Great Shearwaters, 17 Cory's Shearwaters, 15 Sooty Shearwaters, 8 Sabine's Gulls, 3 Grey Phalaropes, 8 Storm Petrels, 9 Arctic Skuas, 4 Great Skuas, 5 Sandwich Terns and 10 Common Terns. Migrants recorded on or from the ship included a Kestrel, 10 Ringed Plovers, 1 Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 1 Turtle Dove, 1 Swallow, 2 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Wheatears, 1 Reed Warbler and 1 Pied Flycatcher. An excellent assortment of birds in Spain included 1 Buzzard, 4 Avocets, 1 Hoopoe, 1 Red-rumped Swallow, 4 Tree Pipits, 3 Black Redstarts, 1 Whinchat, 2 Blackcaps, 1 Garden Warbler, 9 Sardinian Warblers, 4 Whitethroats, 4 Zitting Cisticolas, 2 Firecrests, 2 Pied Flycatchers, 2 Spotted Flycatchers and 8 Red-backed Shrikes. 13 species of butterfly included Clouded Yellow, Adonis Blue, Holly Blue, Grayling, Wall, Large Skipper and Long-tailed Blue.
Cheers
HH
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draycotebirding
Draycote recorder
Hugh Harrop
Member
1 - 4 September 2008 - Company of Whales and Organisation Cetacea aboard Pride of Bilbao
11 Fin Whales, 22 unidentified large rorquals, 2 Pilot Whales, 94 Common Dolphins, 14 Striped Dolphins, 4 Harbour Porpoise and 2 unidentified dolphins. Also 3 Ocean Sunfish. Seabirds included 15 Great Shearwaters, 134 Cory's Shearwaters, 10 Sooty Shearwaters, 2 Balearic Shearwaters, 49 Man Shearwaters, 22 Sabine's Gulls, 2 Grey Phalaropes, 7 Storm Petrels, 1 Arctic Skua, 9 Great Skuas, 2 Sandwich Terns, 6 Common Terns, 1 Arctic Tern, 4 'commic terns'. Migrants recorded on or from the ship included 1 Turnstone, 1 Whimbrel and 2 Wheatears. Another excellent assortment of birds in Spain included 1 Wryneck, 3 Tree Pipits, 1 Black Redstart, 1 Wheatear, 2 Blackcaps, 2 Sardinian Warblers, 3 Zitting Cisticolas, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 3 Melodious Warblers, 1 Firecrest, 1 Pied Flycatcher, 3 Red-backed Shrikes and 3 Cirl Buntings. 8 species of butterfly included Clouded Yellow, Adonis Blue, Wall and Speckled Wood.
Cheers
HH
11 Fin Whales, 22 unidentified large rorquals, 2 Pilot Whales, 94 Common Dolphins, 14 Striped Dolphins, 4 Harbour Porpoise and 2 unidentified dolphins. Also 3 Ocean Sunfish. Seabirds included 15 Great Shearwaters, 134 Cory's Shearwaters, 10 Sooty Shearwaters, 2 Balearic Shearwaters, 49 Man Shearwaters, 22 Sabine's Gulls, 2 Grey Phalaropes, 7 Storm Petrels, 1 Arctic Skua, 9 Great Skuas, 2 Sandwich Terns, 6 Common Terns, 1 Arctic Tern, 4 'commic terns'. Migrants recorded on or from the ship included 1 Turnstone, 1 Whimbrel and 2 Wheatears. Another excellent assortment of birds in Spain included 1 Wryneck, 3 Tree Pipits, 1 Black Redstart, 1 Wheatear, 2 Blackcaps, 2 Sardinian Warblers, 3 Zitting Cisticolas, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 3 Melodious Warblers, 1 Firecrest, 1 Pied Flycatcher, 3 Red-backed Shrikes and 3 Cirl Buntings. 8 species of butterfly included Clouded Yellow, Adonis Blue, Wall and Speckled Wood.
Cheers
HH
steve_zodiac
Well-known member
29th August: Scillonian ferry crossing from Penzance to St Mary's (and back same day). Poor visibility on outward journey hampered viewing.
5 Sooty Shearwaters, 50+ Storm Petrels, 200+ Gannets, 1 Bonxie, 1 Sabines Gull (adult), 130 Fulmars. Plus 5 Basking sharks, 30+ dolphin sp, 3 porpoise sp.
Most of the birds were seen in the area around Wolf Rock.
5 Sooty Shearwaters, 50+ Storm Petrels, 200+ Gannets, 1 Bonxie, 1 Sabines Gull (adult), 130 Fulmars. Plus 5 Basking sharks, 30+ dolphin sp, 3 porpoise sp.
Most of the birds were seen in the area around Wolf Rock.
nialltkeogh
Well-known member
Hi,
28th August - 4th Sept, Bridges of Ross, Co. Clare :
Observers : Noel Keogh & Niall T. Keogh
Weather was disappointing, with W-NW only on two days. No major rarities, but good variety. Petrel numbers low this year but some nice Skua and Tern passage. Phalaropes often showed well feeding just offshore. The 4 skua species in one day was a highlight.
My own totals are :
Blue Fulmar : 1
Great Shearwater : 1
Sooty Shearwater : 482+
Manx Shearwater : estimates of 8,000 and 15,000 passing on two mornings.
Balearic Shearwater : 14
Storm Petrel : 115
Leach's Petrel : 23
Bonxie : 125 (very few juveniles)
Pomarine Skua : 18 (lots of subadults)
Arctic Skua : 179 (very few juveniles)
Long-tailed Skua : 1 adult
Sabine's Gull : 28
Black Tern : 2 juveniles
Arctic Tern : 295
Sandwich Tern : 239
Grey Phalarope : min. 95
Puffin : 31
Common Scoter : 73 (nearly all males)
Pale-bellied Brent Goose : 14 early returning birds.
Great Northern Diver : 2
Red-throated Diver : 6
Whimbrel : 74
Some nice birds locally too, juv. Buff-breasted Sand on Loop Head, adult Black Tern and two very obliging Water Rails in Kilbaha. Regular sightings of Bottlenose & Common Dolphin, Sunfish and some great views of Minke Whale.
Haven't had a rare seabird since 2005 so hope to be back out before the end of the month if the weather looks good. Next August again for year 8!!!!
See Ya,
Niall
(P.s. Finnish birders are mad! B)
28th August - 4th Sept, Bridges of Ross, Co. Clare :
Observers : Noel Keogh & Niall T. Keogh
Weather was disappointing, with W-NW only on two days. No major rarities, but good variety. Petrel numbers low this year but some nice Skua and Tern passage. Phalaropes often showed well feeding just offshore. The 4 skua species in one day was a highlight.
My own totals are :
Blue Fulmar : 1
Great Shearwater : 1
Sooty Shearwater : 482+
Manx Shearwater : estimates of 8,000 and 15,000 passing on two mornings.
Balearic Shearwater : 14
Storm Petrel : 115
Leach's Petrel : 23
Bonxie : 125 (very few juveniles)
Pomarine Skua : 18 (lots of subadults)
Arctic Skua : 179 (very few juveniles)
Long-tailed Skua : 1 adult
Sabine's Gull : 28
Black Tern : 2 juveniles
Arctic Tern : 295
Sandwich Tern : 239
Grey Phalarope : min. 95
Puffin : 31
Common Scoter : 73 (nearly all males)
Pale-bellied Brent Goose : 14 early returning birds.
Great Northern Diver : 2
Red-throated Diver : 6
Whimbrel : 74
Some nice birds locally too, juv. Buff-breasted Sand on Loop Head, adult Black Tern and two very obliging Water Rails in Kilbaha. Regular sightings of Bottlenose & Common Dolphin, Sunfish and some great views of Minke Whale.
Haven't had a rare seabird since 2005 so hope to be back out before the end of the month if the weather looks good. Next August again for year 8!!!!
See Ya,
Niall
(P.s. Finnish birders are mad! B
)Attachments
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Hugh Harrop
Member
4 - 7 September 2008 - Company of Whales and Organisation Cetacea aboard Pride of Bilbao
Storm force winds in the Bay seriously hampered observations on this particular trip but the good news is that weather is getting much better! 4 Fin Whales, 9 unidentified large rorquals, 13 Pilot Whales, 3 Common Dolphins, 20 Striped Dolphins, 1 Harbour Porpoise and 2 unidentified dolphins. Also 2 Ocean Sunfish. Not surprisingly, the bad weather brought good numbers of seabirds and we recorded 13 Great Shearwaters, 135 Cory's Shearwaters, 24 Sooty Shearwaters, 53 Manx Shearwaters, 7 Sabine's Gulls, 2 Grey Phalaropes, 7 Storm Petrels, 2 Arctic Skua, 9 Great Skuas, 2 Black Terns, 2 Sandwich Terns, 13 Common Terns, 9 Arctic Tern and 1 'commic tern'. Migrants recorded on or from the ship included 1 Redshank, 1 Dunlin, 1 White Wagtail, 1 Wheatear and 1 Willow Warbler. A good assortment of birds in Spain included 15 Griffon Vultures, 2 Booted Eagles, 1 Red-rumped Swallow, 1 Tree Pipit, 1 Black Redstart, 1 Wheatear, 2 Blackcaps, 2 Sardinian Warblers, 1 Whitethroat, 2 Zitting Cisticolas, 3 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Reed Warbler, 3 Melodious Warblers, 1 Firecrest, 2 Pied Flycatchers, 2 Spotted Flycatchers, 5 Red-backed Shrikes, 3 Serins and a Cirl Bunting. 7 species of butterfly included Adonis Blue and Long-tailed Blue.
Cheers
HH
www.companyofwhales.co.uk
Storm force winds in the Bay seriously hampered observations on this particular trip but the good news is that weather is getting much better! 4 Fin Whales, 9 unidentified large rorquals, 13 Pilot Whales, 3 Common Dolphins, 20 Striped Dolphins, 1 Harbour Porpoise and 2 unidentified dolphins. Also 2 Ocean Sunfish. Not surprisingly, the bad weather brought good numbers of seabirds and we recorded 13 Great Shearwaters, 135 Cory's Shearwaters, 24 Sooty Shearwaters, 53 Manx Shearwaters, 7 Sabine's Gulls, 2 Grey Phalaropes, 7 Storm Petrels, 2 Arctic Skua, 9 Great Skuas, 2 Black Terns, 2 Sandwich Terns, 13 Common Terns, 9 Arctic Tern and 1 'commic tern'. Migrants recorded on or from the ship included 1 Redshank, 1 Dunlin, 1 White Wagtail, 1 Wheatear and 1 Willow Warbler. A good assortment of birds in Spain included 15 Griffon Vultures, 2 Booted Eagles, 1 Red-rumped Swallow, 1 Tree Pipit, 1 Black Redstart, 1 Wheatear, 2 Blackcaps, 2 Sardinian Warblers, 1 Whitethroat, 2 Zitting Cisticolas, 3 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Reed Warbler, 3 Melodious Warblers, 1 Firecrest, 2 Pied Flycatchers, 2 Spotted Flycatchers, 5 Red-backed Shrikes, 3 Serins and a Cirl Bunting. 7 species of butterfly included Adonis Blue and Long-tailed Blue.
Cheers
HH
www.companyofwhales.co.uk
Hugh Harrop
Member
7 - 10 September 2008 - Company of Whales and Organisation Cetacea aboard Pride of Bilbao
66 Fin Whales, 39 unidentified large rorquals, 4 Cuvier's beaked Whales, 1 unidentified beaked whale, 1 Minke Whale, 22 Pilot Whales, 31 Bottle-nosed Dolphins, 199 Common Dolphins, 90 Striped Dolphins and 43 unidentified dolphins. Also 7 Ocean Sunfish. Seabirds included a fantastic total of 54 Sabine's Gulls, 1 Great Shearwater, 167 Cory's Shearwaters, 26 Sooty Shearwaters, 20 Manx Shearwaters, 4 Grey Phalaropes, 5 Storm Petrels, 6 Arctic Skuas, 28 Great Skuas, 10 Black Terns, 1 Sandwich Tern, 20 Common Terns, 6 Arctic Terns and 12 'commic terns'. Migrants recorded on or from the ship included 15 Grey Herons, 1 Turtle Dove, 11 Swallows, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Wheatears, 14 Chaffinches and a rather bizarre record of a House Sparrow! Despite heavy rain, a large arrival of migrants was evident during our walk in Spain and we recorded 2 Turtle Doves, 20 Tree Pipits, 2 'flava' Wagtails, 20 Tree Pipits, 2 Wheatears, 2 Blackcaps, 1 Garden Warbler, 4 Sardinian Warblers, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Zitting Cisticolas, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Melodious Warbler, 50+ Willow Warblers, 2 Chiffchaffs, 1 Firecrest, 50+ Pied Flycatchers, 1 Spotted Flycatcher and a Red-backed Shrike. Due to the wet weather it was hardly surprising that no butterflies were seen!
HH
www.companyofwhales.co.uk
66 Fin Whales, 39 unidentified large rorquals, 4 Cuvier's beaked Whales, 1 unidentified beaked whale, 1 Minke Whale, 22 Pilot Whales, 31 Bottle-nosed Dolphins, 199 Common Dolphins, 90 Striped Dolphins and 43 unidentified dolphins. Also 7 Ocean Sunfish. Seabirds included a fantastic total of 54 Sabine's Gulls, 1 Great Shearwater, 167 Cory's Shearwaters, 26 Sooty Shearwaters, 20 Manx Shearwaters, 4 Grey Phalaropes, 5 Storm Petrels, 6 Arctic Skuas, 28 Great Skuas, 10 Black Terns, 1 Sandwich Tern, 20 Common Terns, 6 Arctic Terns and 12 'commic terns'. Migrants recorded on or from the ship included 15 Grey Herons, 1 Turtle Dove, 11 Swallows, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Wheatears, 14 Chaffinches and a rather bizarre record of a House Sparrow! Despite heavy rain, a large arrival of migrants was evident during our walk in Spain and we recorded 2 Turtle Doves, 20 Tree Pipits, 2 'flava' Wagtails, 20 Tree Pipits, 2 Wheatears, 2 Blackcaps, 1 Garden Warbler, 4 Sardinian Warblers, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Zitting Cisticolas, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Melodious Warbler, 50+ Willow Warblers, 2 Chiffchaffs, 1 Firecrest, 50+ Pied Flycatchers, 1 Spotted Flycatcher and a Red-backed Shrike. Due to the wet weather it was hardly surprising that no butterflies were seen!
HH
www.companyofwhales.co.uk
