Today, I took part in my second ever ‘Pelagic’ off Falmouth today with both Emma & Matt Parkes and was also joined by fellow Hampshire birder, James Cutting and his partner Jo. We had to be at the dock around 9.30am for a 10am start and after having a superb breakfast back at the hotel, we were all so looking forward to a good day out at sea. https://www.akwildlifecruises.co.uk/
Above, the boat leaving Falmouth Harbour and below, James, Jo, Matt and Emma getting ready for an unforgettable birding experience.
One of many Common Dophin sightings and below, one of many Gannets seen today.
Above and below, the Common Dolphins got very close to the boat.
Our Captain, a chap called Keith Leeves and his crew of three made sure we had a great time and encouraged all of us to shout out any good sightings of the birds and possible Cetaceans we should see. So after a good briefing from both the Captain and the crew, we set sail on the 'Spirit of our Seas', a 10 metre long Catamaran. My only complaint was the wooden slatted seating, which was a bit uncomfortable at times, the wildlife we saw simply took our minds away from that bit of discomfort an the whole day was worth every penny. In fact, I enjoyed standing up at the back of the boat, carefully trying to pick out some of our rarer seabirds.
Above, a couple of Sooty Shearwaters with juvenile Herring Gulls and below, one of the Sooty Shearwaters taking off as the boat got too near.
One of the star birds, the Great Shearwater. At least three were seen including one that sat near the boat among the Gulls, but my photos all came out blurred of that individual. Fume!!!
Above and below, Manx Shearwaters.
I shall let my photos do most of the talking as I took so many and it was hard to choose which ones to put on here. Both the birds and other wildlife seen were very close at times and though it was a bit choppy at times, especially when we got at least 12 miles out to sea, those with camera’s, especially those with big long lenses, managed to grab some superb photos, despite a rocking boat at times. Captain Keith was intent on chasing the huge spectacular Tuna, for they were hunting for ‘Bait Balls’ (large numbers of small fish together one can see on David Attenborough programmes!), for these ‘Bait Balls’ attract the seabirds too, including the larger Shearwaters.
Above, an adult Gannet on the water and below, a Fulmar sitting on the water.
Above, I am not entirely convinced that this is a Storm Petrel judging by the wing shape and pale wing bars on the upper wing and could be a Wilson's Petrel. Below, a mass scramble of mostly Herring Gulls above a Tuna 'splash'. Can you see the juvenile Gannet among them?
Above, another photo of the spectacular 'Bait-ball' action. The boat would pull alongside and sit on the sea so we could check the birds within the large flock. Below, a Fulmar passing close to the boat.
In all, I had seen NINE ‘year-ticks’ on this trip here that included Manx, Balearic, Sooty and Great Shearwaters, Storm and Wilson’s Petrel (the latter, a photo was sent to me of a Wilson’s we had seen, but did not identify at the time; taken by a friend of James, who had a huge long lens camera. Well done that chap!), a small flock of four Arctic Terns and also a Guillemot and Razorbill!
Above, a Fulmar heading straight for the boat and below, one of the Storm Petrels. At least 20+ 'Stormie's' were seen today, though most were distant.
Another couple of photos of the Storm Petrels.
Above, Emma takes photos of the Dolphins with Matt looking on and below, another close Manx Shearwater passing the boat.
Leaving Falmouth Harbour, a Kingfisher flew over the water (which was a good start to the trip) and a few Sandwich Terns flew over the harbour too. Apart from the many Gulls, including good numbers of Mediterranean Gulls, at least two adult Kittiwakes were seen and up to at least three Fulmars and many Shags were seen on the sea as well as on the way back when we skirted the rocky shoreline. Also on the shoreline, both Curlew and Whimbrel were seen and the Captain asked us to keep an eye out on the cliff tops for Chough, which had been seen recently here. No Choughs, but a male Kestrel was seen on the rocks and a probable Peregrine flew off north over the top of the hills.
Above, Matt chilling out enjoying the trip on the upper deck and below, an adult Kittiwake with a Manx Shearwater photo-bombing!
Above, an adult Kittiwake and below, Manx Shearwaters close to the boat.
Above, more Manx Shearwaters by the boat and below, one of the Common Dolphins showing well by the boat.
There were many Common Dolphinsightings and some were so close to the boat that it was difficult at times to get focused to take a photo. A Harbour Seal was seen on the way back close to the shoreline doing a thing called ‘Bottling’, where the animal goes to sleep and leaves its head out of the water pointing skywards!
Above and below, Gannets over the sea.
Above, St. Anthony's Lighthouse and below, the Wilson's Petrel that was taken by another birder on the trip.
Above, a Balearic Shearwater by the boat. Photo by James Cutting.
To round off this entry to my Blog, we got back to the car around 5pm and then made the long journey back home reflecting on an incredible trip to the West Country. I would like again to thank both Matt & Emma for taking me there and back and being simply great company to be with. Hopefully, we can do this again this time next year?
The male Cirl Bunting at Labrador Bay RSPB Reserve.
After my wife kindly dropped me off at Matt & Emma’s house, the three of us then made our way to Cornwall and for tomorrow’s Pelagic from Falmouth. However, there was a slight change of plan as the guys wanted to hopefully pick up the Cirl Buntings on the way there at Labrador Bay RSPB Reserve, near Torquay, then onto our Premier Inn Hotel booked in Truro. We had sightings of Common Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel on the way there and to be honest, the traffic was very good all the way there.
Labrador Bay RSPB Reserve, nr Torquay, Devon.
The view from the top of the Car Park overlooks Labrador Bay.
It only took a few hours to get to The RSPB Reserve and parking up within the small car park that overlooked Labrador Bay to the south, the guys had all the info that the Cirl Buntings would be showing here from the Car Park. Well, that wasn't quite true for us as we soon found a footpath that led us to a large open space that was surrounded by hedgerows and a small wooded area to the west. The view here was stunning as was the light and it didn't take too long to find our Cirl Bunting; a nice plump male bird. We could hear at least two singing birds in the distance, but they were a long way off, but a bird flew out of the grass and landed nicely for us in the hedgerow and we had our Cirl Bunting ‘ticked off’!
One of the Info Boards put up for the Visitors.
The Bunting performed nicely for us and long enough for a few photos and a bit of film footage until it flew back down into the grass. Other birds we saw here included a couple of Whitethroats flicking about in the hedgerows, a Willowchiff calling nearby and a small flock of House Martins distantly down in the valley below. Over the dead calm sea, we saw at least one distant adult Gannet and a Shag over the water. Very happy with Cirl Bunting added to our year list, we then made our way to the Hotel in Truro.
The male Cirl Bunting at the RSPB Reserve this afternoon.
Earlier today, both Geoff and Andy managed to hear at least one Quail over at Gander Down, near Winchester. Matt & Emma had heard them a little earlier than the guys in the morning and put them conveniently onto where the Quails were calling from. There were at least three birds calling in the area, but I am glad Andy finally caught up with one.
