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(Northern Gannet Surfbirds header by John Malloy)
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Pelagic Regions |
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Brittany Ferries (0870) 5360360 Twice weekly ferry service from Plymouth to Santander, Spain in Mar-Nov. Price £50-£100. Trip lasts 24 hrs Birds; British and Wilson's Storm Petrels, Cory's, Great, Manx, Balearic, Sooty Sh/ws, Little Sh/w (rare), N. Fulmar, N. Gannet, B. L. Kittiwake, Sabine's Gull.
The Company of Whales There are few locations in the world that offer such an extraordinary diversity of marine life as the Bay of Biscay. We are, therefore, proud to present another series of superb whale and wildlife watching mini-cruises from Portsmouth to northern Spain throughout the spring, summer and autumn of 2002. With the Company of Whales you will travel onboard the cruise-ferry Pride of Bilbao, through the rich, deep waters of the Bay of Biscay in search of whales, dolphins, seabirds and sharks.
With over 80 crossings of the Bay of Biscay between us, one might think that there would be few surprises left for our knowledgeable naturalist guides. Nothing could be further from the truth! The Bay of Biscay is such an exciting place to go whale and wildlife watching that even with our wealth of experience, barely a day goes by when we don't see something new and exciting. Last year, these new experiences included breaching Fin Whales, Killer Whales travelling with us at the bow, 23 Sperm Whales in two hours of watching, and perhaps most exciting of all, a True's Beaked Whale - the first confirmed sighting in the World of this species at sea! Its no wonder that our guides get just as excited about their next voyage as did about their first - and that our guests keep coming back again and again!
Ultimate Pelagics http://www.ultimatepelagics.com Get aboard the future of Pelagics, with the biggest and best fully dedicated cruises to the Bay of Biscay and now Southern Ireland.
P& O Ferry (0870) 2424999 Twice weekly ferry service from Portsmouth to Bilbao, Spain all year. Price £50-£100. 2 nights on board. Birds; British and Wilson's Storm Petrels, Cory's, Great, Manx, Balearic, Sooty Sh/ws, Little Sh/w (rare), N. Fulmar, N. Gannet, B. L. Kittiwake, Sabine's Gull.
Isles of Scilly Steamship Company, Penzance, Cornwall (0345) 105555 One pelagic on MV Scillonian III from Penzance, Cornwall, scheduled annually in August for British Storm, Leach's and Wilson's Petrel, Manx, Sooty, Great and Cory's Sh/w, Sabine's Gull, Grey Phalarope. Regular service from Penzance to St Mary's Isles of Scilly can yield Manx, Sooty, Great, Cory's Sh/ws, British Storm and Leach's Strom Petrel, Grey Phalarope, Sabine's Gull.
Isles of Scilly Pelagic trips The Isles of Scilly, positioned in the far southwest of Britain, are ideally located for pelagic trips in search of Northeast Atlantic seabirds. Every year a wide variety of breeding and passage seabirds are recorded, along with cetaceans, turtles and other pelagic creatures. Scilly´s breeding seabirds include British Storm-petrels, Manx Shearwaters and Puffins. The first two are virtually guaranteed on pelagic trips during their breeding seasons. Southern Hemisphere breeders on a huge clockwise Atlantic tour pass by Scilly. Great and Sooty Shearwaters are seen mainly September and October. Another long-distance migrant from the south is the much sought after Wilson's Storm-petrel, a species predominantly seen off Scilly in July and August. Dispersal of non-breeding and post-breeding seabirds northwards from the Canary and Mediterranean regions brings respectively Cory´s and Balearic Shearwaters into Scillonian waters. These species occasionally are seen on pelagic trips from July to October. North-south migration in spring and autumn brings two more waves of seabirds to the islands. For example, northern breeders including skuas funnel through the English Channel into the North Sea on the way to their breeding grounds. They return in the autumn months followed by their young. Other species that tend to move to the west of Britain also are recorded, especially in autumn, including Sabine's Gulls, Grey Phalaropes and Leach's Storm-petrels. Rarities turn-up too! Madeiran Storm-petrel (2007), Swinhoe's Storm-petrel (2005), Fea's Petrel (7 sightings), and Red-billed Tropicbird (2001, 2002). Other rarities will be seen off Scilly given the large number of pelagic trips run each year. Perhaps Little Shearwater or Black-browed Albatross? Dream birds include White-faced Storm-petrel, Bulwer´s Petrel, and Black-capped Petrel. Time will tell. Cetaceans: Various dolphins and whales occasionally are seen across the pelagic season. Leatherback Turtles may be encountered in August and September. Blue Sharks frequently are caught, tagged and released in July and August. These creatures add variety and additional interest, especially on evenings when birding is quiet. Trips: Pelagic trips are run on MV Kingfisher with skipper Aleck Hicks and MV Sapphire with skipper Joe Pender. They are in full swing June to early September, running at least four times a week, centred on weekends. This is the main shark-fishing season when ‘chum’ is used to attract Blue Sharks and plays the duel role of enticing in petrels along with other seabirds. Trips normally depart at 17.00 and return about 22.00. The skippers usually steam about six miles out and then drift using the "chum" to create an oily slick on which petrels feed. New birders only pelagic trips are offered in August at weekends and last eight or 12 hours. These trips offer a great way to maximise your chances of seeing Scilly's range pelagic seabirds and catching up with a rarity. They are very popular and it is best to book early. Contact Bob Flood on tubenose@tiscali.co.uk Further information: Boards advertising forthcoming pelagic trips are located on St Mary's Quay. This information is also posted on the Isles of Scilly Bird Group's Bird Information Board outside the Pilot's Gig Restaurant, opposite the Mermaid Inn. Or 'phone Joe Pender skipper of Sapphire 07776204631 or Alec Hicks skipper of Kingfisher on 077468662229. You may contact Bob Flood with general inquiries on tubenose@tiscali.co.uk All pelagic trips are weather dependent. WHEN TO SEE MORE SOUGHT AFTER SEABIRDS: Great Shearwater: Numbers vary significantly from year to year. In a good year they are common in September and October (sometimes 100s). Otherwise, they are occasional to frequent in August, and rare in July. Cory's Shearwater: Like Great Shearwater, numbers vary significantly from year to year. In a good year non-breeders surge into Scillonian waters in July, perhaps for three or four days when 40 or 50 might be seen. Post- and failed breeders appear August and September (on and off). Records in June are rare. Sooty Shearwater: In June there are normally one or two records. Frequency of sightings picks-up slowly in July and August. They are fairly regular in September and October. Manx Shearwater: Present in reasonable numbers from April to August. Seen on every pelagic trip in this period. Frequently seen September and October. Alternatively, the Boatman's Association with guide Will Wagstaff run regular "Shearwater Specials" in the evenings during the breeding season to see the Manx's as they return to their burrows. Mediterranean Shearwater: Surprisingly rare with a few sightings on pelagic trips July to October. Fea's Petrel: Scilly has a good track record for this highly sought after Pterodroma. The total to date is seven, all since 1996, with sightings in four of the last six years. There is one early July record, with four in late August and two in early September. British Storm-petrel: Present from mid-May well into October. Seen on every pelagic trip in this period to date. Wilson's Storm-petrel: Scilly is the place to see this magical little seabird. Sightings are regular in July and August, but most reliable in the last ten days of July and the first few days of August. Rarely seen in June and early September. Leach's Storm-petrel: Rare and unpredictable in September and October. Pomarine Skua: Rare in May and July. Scarce August to October. Arctic Skua: Occasional May to July. Fairly regular August to October. Long-tailed Skua: Very rare September to mid-October. Sabine's Gull: Occasional late August to mid-October. Grey Phalarope: Occasional in September and October, but can be common. Puffin: Breeding on Annet mid-May to the end of August. Occasionally seen on pelagic trips in this period and to mid-October. During the breeding season and in good weather the Boatman's Association on St Mary's runs trips during the day to see the Puffins. CETACEANS SEEN IN RECENT YEARS: Harbour Porpoise (common)
Pembrokeshire Celtic Bird Tours Tel 01656 645 709 Cost £55.00. Depart Neyland Marina 07.00 returning 19.00. Trips in July, August and Sep from Neyland, Pembrokeshire into Southern Irish Seas Birds: British and Wilson's Storm Petrels, Great, Cory's, Sooty, Balearic and Manx Sh/ws. In recent years we have recorded White-sided Dolphin, Long-finned Pilot Whale, Minke & Fin Whale.
Shearwater Coastal Cruises - NORTH WALES "Shearwater" is a luxury charter boat operating from Pwllheli, in North Wales specialising in scenic coastal cruises and birding trips along the Lleyn Peninsula of North Wales. The boat is a large power catamaran that is fast, stable, extremely spacious and built for passenger comfort. With a relatively shallow draft, we are able to access many small coves and inlets along our very picturesque coastline. We run our standard, scenic cruises in association with North Wales Tourism and we are abel to arrange exclusive 'tailor-made' cruises for clubs/groups etc.
RSPB Shearwater Cruises -Bridlington, Yorkshire. (0191) 212 0353 Trips in Aug and Sept from Bridlington, Yorkshire. Birds; Manx and Sooty Shearwaters, British Storm Petrel.
Hebridean Wilderness Tours - MV Chalice (www.mvchalice.com) Please see our webpage at http://www.mvchalice.com for contact details and further information.
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SOME RECOMMENDED GUIDES FOR EAST COAST AMERICA
Go to our Regional Guides section of the book store. Go to our Bird Families section of the book store. Go to our Regional Families section of the book store. Go to our Bird Families Guides section of the book store
CHECK THE WEATHER BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT AT: http://www.facs.scripps.edu/surf/wams.html great animated wave models |
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The Bay of Biscay is one of Europe's last great wildernesses. With an abundance of marine life from Basking Sharks to Blue Whales and Striped Dolphins to Sooty Shearwaters, it is surprising that the Bay has remained such a well kept secret for so long! Located in warm temperate waters with a fantastic range of water depth and habitat type, the Bay supports almost every whale and dolphin species in the North Atlantic. Both the number and density of cetaceans (the collective name given to whales, dolphins and porpoises) is quite amazing and because these waters are tempting for rarities from the tropical south and the sub-polar north, we still expect to discover more new species for the region.
