Slash's Ship List 2010 (1 Viewer)

[Matelot birder]

Last year I did a big Hants bird list. As I am in the Royal Navy this year I will be away a fair bit, so I thought I would do a 2010 Ship List. This will be birds that I see from my ship, whether I am in Portsmouth or if I am abroad or indeed in the middle of the Atlantic. Who knows what will turn up. I wont set myself a target but 50 to start would be good. Hopefully photos will be included for all those gems that land onboard.
To start with a quick look across Portsmouth harbour, produced one species

1 - Black-headed Gull

More to follow soon as we are off to sea on Wednesday

Three Amigo's Blog
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/amigo

 

[Matelot birder]

Alongside the wall in Portsmouth Dockyard yesterday and there was a bit more gull movement around one of the ferries stiring up the sea bed.

2 - Common Gull
3 - Great Black-backed Gull
4 - Herring Gull
5 - Great Cormorant

We will be at sea from now on, so hopefully some pelagic specialities soon

Three Amigo's Blog
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/amigo

 

[Matelot birder]

Alongside in Plymouth Dockayrd. Yesterday a quick walk around the upperdeck produced a regular visitor and a few flyover specials initially identified by their distinctive call.

6 - Mute Swan
7 - Redwing

Three Amigo's Blog
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/amigo

 

[Matelot birder]

Duty in sunny Plymouth. Today produced some of the species I would expect to see alongside the wall in any UK dockyard.

8 - Feral Pigeon
9 - Carrion Crow
10 - Rock Pipit

Three Amigo's Blog
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/amigo

 

[Matelot birder]

A great day yesterday. I was carrying out ceremonial on the flight deck, so stood facing the flag at attention. I heard a raptor calling above and sheepishly looked up to see a male

11 - Peregrine

pass food too a female. The male soared off and the female followed, slowly manoovering the catch in her talons.
Five minutes later I heard another family call and a single

12 - Pied Wagtail

landed on the jetty.

Three Amigo's Blog
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/amigo

 

[Matelot birder]

Today at sea, I spent half an hour looking out over a very calm English Channel.
During this time I had about thirty

13 - Guillemot

all sitting quitely on the sea, slowly moving away or diving as we approached.
A party of six

14 - Gannet

then flew by, all adults. Both these species are very common at sea off the
coast of the UK.

Three Amigo's Blog
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/amigo

 

[Matelot birder]

A few days without internet, so a report from mid-week.
At sea in the English Channel was pleased, but not surprised to see
a few

15 - Kittiwake

Diving and swooping around the ship's wake

Three Amigo's Blog
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/amigo

 

[Matelot birder]

Today was spent at a new berth in Plymouth and this morning whilst returning over the gangway a single

16 - Canada Goose

Flew over my head, honking all the way.
Later two more flew over, heading in the same direction.

Three Amigo's Blog
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/amigo

 

[Matelot birder]

Today, whilst at sea, I caught with a bird that I really expected to have had a while ago. Flying with a group of nine Guillemots, were two

17 - Razorbill

Also around were a few Common and Herring Gulls and a good number of Gannets. Loads of Guillemots were also sat on sea, swimming off as we approached.

Three Amigo's Blog
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/amigo

 

[Matelot birder]

I'm not sure how I missed this one but whilst on the upper deck today, just off the coast of Plymouth I saw one of these.

18 - Fulmar

These are a common bird at sea but I have had very little opportunity to take time out for some sea watching. Hopefully that will change when we deploy latert this year.

Three Amigo's Blog
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/amigo

 

[Matelot birder]

The ship is once again alongside in Portsmouth and today I could see a large mud bank in the middle of Portsmouth Harbour. Although far away I could make out some of the larger birds frequenting.

19 - Brent Goose
20 - Little Egret
21 - Eurasian Curlew

Three Amigo's Blog
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/amigo

 

[Matelot birder]

The ship is once again at sea and on it's way to do various exercises. At the moment we are still in the English Channel
This morning I had a few birds such as Gannets, Guillemots and a single Fulmar. Today I want to put a non bird on the blog so I wont give this one a number

Common Dolphin

As I ventured onto the upper deck, I heard a splash and three Common Dolphin were riding the wake on the portside. I watched them on and off for ten minutes or so.

Three Amigo's Blog
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/amigo

 

[Matelot birder]

An early evening visit to the Upper deck resulted in a few good finds. The ship disturbed a group of

22 - Manx Shearwater

and whislt I was watching them soaring and landing on the sea, they were further disturbed by a marauding

23 - Great Skua

flying above them. Shearwaters in numbers are always a fantastic sight at sea as they bank amongst the swell of the waves.

Three Amigo's Blog
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/amigo

 

[Matelot birder]

My early morning walk around the upper deck with cup of tea in hand prodcued a few Gannets and eight Guillemots.
Also heard before seen were a couple of Warblers. Eventually one decided to fly into the ship's hangar and a few quick snaps were taken.
The tired but otherwise ok bird turned out to be a

24 - Chiffchaff

A good sign of migration with hopefully more to follow

Three Amigo's Blog
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/amigo

 

[Matelot birder]

The internet has been down for a few days so I have two new birds seen over a couple of days. The day before yesterday I was talking on my mobile when a

25 - Eurasian Starling

flew over my head, I could not locate the bird again.
The next morning a

26 - Common Blackbird

was onboard but once again it was only a fleeting glimpse and could not be re-located. That afternoon a group of 25+

27 - Lesser Black-backed Gull

were flying around the ship and all settled together on the sea at one point.

Three Amigo's Blog
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/amigo

 

[Matelot birder]

Yesterday we spent the early evening at anchor just off the coast of North-west Scotland, as we were only 300 metres or so from shore I had an excellent opportunity to add a few birds. In the end I had five new species for my Ship List.

26 - Greylag Goose

two pairs seen flying over settlement.

27 - Eider

Several small groups around the Loch

28 - Black Guillemot

A least one pair diving near the ship

29 - Rock Dove

This is a lifer for me. Two birds sitting on the side of a small rocky outcrop.

30 - Hooded Crow

Three individuals seen over the land.

Three Amigo's Blog
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/amigo

 

[Matelot birder]

Today we are off Northern Scotland and the weather has changed a little for the worse after some glorious sunshine and calm seas last week.
This week has been about Guillemots and Fulmars (see blog below)
but today I had the fantastic sight of a

31 - Puffin

on the sea and then later another struggling to take flight and avoid the ship as it advanced towards it.

Also seen at distance, was a Tern (sp) either a Common or an Arctic flying north. Like the fisherman said "one that got away"

Three Amigo's Blog
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/amigo

 

[Matelot birder]

I had a call today telling me that a little birds was in the ship's hanagar.
I arrived to find a

32 - Willow Warbler

Flying up and down the lengt of the hangar, constantly calling.
Eventually it flew off to the North.

Three Amigo's Blog
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/amigo

 

[Matelot birder]

Today we left Portsmouth Harbour for our deployment.
I took 20 minutes prior to sailing to scan across the harbour.
A large group of gulls and terns were feeding along a channel and I picked up the two most common terns that visit our shores in the summer.
I also saw a single hirundine which appeared in my bins as I scanned the seabird flock.

33 - Sandwich Tern

34 - Common Tern

35 - Barn Swallow

We are now leaving UK waters so the other summer visitors will probably have to wait until later in the year.

Three Amigo's Blog
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/amigo

 

[Matelot birder]

The ship entered the eastern edge of the Atlantic this morning so I got up early with the hope of finding some evidence of migration.
I wasn't dissapointed as I found not one but two,

36 - Northern Wheatear

These proved to be a male and a female, both looking tired but hopefully ok.

Three Amigo's Blog
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/amigo