This time last year I found my sea legs and did three
pelagics out of the Isles of Scilly looking for seabirds. I kept my lunch down on each so, thus emboldened, I booked again this year, timed to fit in with a family holiday to Cornwall (they're camping, so I was surplus to requirements). The first two pelagics under the belt were a bit slow on the bird front but enjoyable, highlights being close encounters with a pod of Common Dolphin, a Great Shearwater, a Sooty Shearwater and some diminutive European Storm Petrels - always a marvel to sea these sea-going waifs struggle against the conditions.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVg0493IHFRRn3UWXoJgF1Jrmy0ePrRU0LbTSkCsKF690HK219HlO2bHDRfQwldo9zMJnty2FqWvFXGy_pevAfjMir-gpirpZp0_63zF71ZnA3MKUpCOCJ5ToZBVDTx7bciT8Y8ddWQge-/s1600/Blog+Gt+Shear+2.JPG) |
A single Great Shearwater swung around the stern of the MV Sapphire before heading out to sea again |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlnZyGk0L2CzGX_kA0CAJOqzyiHqokS3mShNQOTP7R9aFC2PazBJlEKnE4TbMXAIJe60W6cd-Jo-_XmNJe4c86lePsLodvomfYDE0Y4p0bJ4ntqR5XKGOMtt64EdB7wuL9AWSmlqbQKN_/s1600/Blog+Gt+Shear.JPG) |
A very elegant bird |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrF4jkm0WN-n1KhGubvONLObpOiXWZE_G-i7zbNfMJ5jpodpktgjri0F8x3nqx61HiOeKaRoAi5q51ZiRNZRJebgXdmOKIoF3ZEhy6J8_myH-d8RTPNtK7LY5VFVccf4BINnEORkWu6BBY/s1600/Blog+Manx.JPG) |
Far commoner in the waters around our coast is the Manx Shearwater - these two were photographed from the deck of Scillonian III on the way over |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbMaMr4dq0OiMQM0huI70PfZTocjz9SguByEbL_KwzCGj2elBULzyrFAxwwLOb3F_8H2zCNDdkl53tnZ0Po9_8MkGax3bF5550exC1eYzV1V76F2aiMFF5AI4ZY_OxQHmVz-rbwOvfXGs/s1600/Blog+Manx+2.JPG) |
This one was photographed from the MV Sapphire looking back at the Isles of Scilly (St Agnes coastguards on the left and lighthouse on the right) |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO7HLR7oGLoU1O20aeAA10DecyFgGjY_IGXNiXYROypbgIEwTaMudEneWqvvk7nKovX0uUdtXdXlFz2EAr6BEuOQpapbuuHSzfleDbFRnLNsauKUxOBNs9vb4XhkwQyNjowiNXMadeL53a/s1600/Blog+Manx+3.JPG) |
A Manx Shearwater would occasionally follow the boat when we were dragging a bag of chum |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifkHgBmJNc6xbG6IkXNIlHsIgNcKD6g24PASjajrTXxqY5cLCgFQsozApvkuTscb6LqeCvbZt6jwJ8YDNQ-_95wWggXyTIYm64PszIAczvYjnX0NJIIFPaxA3R2RgU2QpJknOXV3tr7pny/s1600/Blog+Manx+4.JPG) |
This one was mixing it in among the gulls at the back of the boat |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzb45Flj0CEsh32citA7oF7kzGouzAiEICH9dTvE5rVDwyXa1q9KrKb0KiXj2jGOWKOPMKdoyH8nYrLtbKJbsXMnKzXFVJLLwPWkDL7VAoDswSqhX62l5GNK-G6G9xppew3pjXsTSU77_a/s1600/Blog+Sooty+3.JPG) |
A Sooty Shearwater also came in close to the stern |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZmdAWRpDPywSQE2K8hEplypj98snlY1a6pseq9ezAgzNABe1V2BHYBhW2KoXVatKfQ7V9oGq_KyMGpBnU59-evLowHBrPtMoTkQyhfei0xaKi-ZgmT0muY6DP3KhUsg5BVyT7ONas-Ec/s1600/Blog+Sooty+4.JPG) |
Banking both ways, the autofocus found it surprisingly difficult to lock onto this bird... |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjSM8pC_XPTbxn19j4T1Spaki4RsxbayaknnEYPDUvApbDqeAERXyIaycvOSb5ecf5EPf6sk0dpk-lFJjkgkpV6DB168zjt0js5GC_jHk_Gv5q72ARCA5c2X91uPtVDlJN6YZswho_O20/s1600/Blog+Sooty+6.JPG) |
A few shots from many taken were sharp, however |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFhfCN7DlUP-IJQQ2Ze1o6W_P36jcl8kn0pZTJHJZP8bCFosAi8yoljupeUF4YIpm1HwRo3Eu4Mt-fsZesWt5GqdG49qu-CPkqlT7DQfx59cPRmNyGNIwgkzeyo7PGIbpWBO8Vsn4mkii0/s1600/Blog+Sooty+7.JPG) |
This view shows the silvery under-wing... |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BU2RRpEJYqX3hCv2Gzp9HyIWDj_mJ5NbnfQo0QEamoAJFLinnO_SAk26fo9hy1UBoOPixBbDHTRCm9IsSkWE_1tmrGbP8VUPqeZ8hwq0tqr43mdSEPT8gdZKFXtN8zLOs1fkS02Tz3eS/s1600/Blog+Sooty+8.JPG) |
...and this one the long thin wings... |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj1J-WdG4UBU-EfniUqDTuuJIE-OddncJbNdvxS8QFUpVuD6DYn4LV3IPIN3lHRy8OvjyGBGP5HrfLlardRk9k16oiL68dJRIIvqkvPndf3Gfg93OJVd_r4j7ZPDBGcbg-y8qMYmOZCuSy/s1600/Blog+Sooty+9.JPG) |
...while this shows surprisingly long legs, the toes of which protrude beyond the tail in flight |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHEZNy6ZT_k2Hl85hCFeK0sYrN89Zk3ZWmLvLHZYlFBmyrdD9YLa5jW1_rjRHgs0hU3NESw2KpVExu43MAFdQwDZNskttqslA9gZDlbbSESUeIkqE14XMyzoO37Zefu01iW3ZCgO7CwU4U/s1600/Blog+Sooty+10.JPG) |
A very feisty bird which showed aggression when fighting for scraps with much larger gulls |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBeXS0BjoMHoqE0YwsaWr5zDt0VXQFy3AjVmKWj88aMRnTdVRsRRmR3LvA1wXHDcgT71FrDrf-y_99AJY59j22mOHVoWxyx05s5rJRJJP9TceCbgFuLTFS7myEZysrHFmPWFzFl8a6B85/s1600/Blog+Sooty.JPG) |
The Sooty would land in the wake, take off and catch the boat up at will |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzaDMVMAcpPbcOlv3Q8hkhtgGS2vKOx1opjWrFjYOwzvrLCl2CvwMMEmKgN0rFETu4725GatpEVuqw1RKkZ0ase1HBknRHmjjdsoXFQPF5abmHHPbbRiAdRWlLyxqcFT12otZafwwhMOHX/s1600/Blgo+Fulmar.JPG) |
Fulmar |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNs0oVUmOWI8FOoFmDLrzVvAvNDm3ExkG0VQBTuMbVBcPQcgP_IzdD-fSGQgqvDUXbt-9JAvQNI28ZVL_rmdCIXLC1CkbaEr4_paic0vr7SE3WqGfm-mWKrYaAogFZHlubBXu_ABMMqGuv/s1600/Blog+Stormie.JPG) |
Storm Petrel pattering on the surface of the chum slick |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7x13ni2vMrP8KcSr_N5fjz_YMhobBmN69a2k8ug6_Dvk_Rh2jQUb4EJHVimjtZOusg4_4Wao25AJ_0WP4Q6udcrfIIBcSzimrohHYMZnhk2bYvTy2GHnRxwvLggpNchO_JMCXKxmVfo1G/s1600/Blog+Arctic.JPG) |
A pale phase Arctic Skua caused some consternation among the other seabirds following the boat |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_fOqOGCsY-yZJSdOPZ_1MWkWk6iQ1rVbEvkwA2xOd36cjj43BapuI1XKVVz9COuyVQlWKMoqDU9yaGHTnwvKJqaB2fWxrM029HyDfF4CiJuWYpB3uOH7px-bfrifmoiMQgOEjfBNtXYTA/s1600/Blog+Gannet.JPG) |
Gannets also moved in from time to time |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQL3Ejc-2t4MEm_Lu5dfss4IXka9JqGz0qPpt8pQY2JR7jB6HDcW3Oj3uTTi8ep4VL29zfOJ04tbEGPdKfILy3AfSmTBJ_t0bN8UyXGX5AT34z0aBvqnAzh7DegoMg-MuAGAfp18ffjzb/s1600/Blog+Gannet+3.JPG) |
Gannet |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6uOoq3krtjE5eC3IAWgHXGi4J0BZKMWXjc4tQMuvcWJzzmI79MW5NlFvOHTmDdo24tN_byk6gy20x9HlpOSc_2gNdsMpyxL60-2RGJBG0AXS8id3cmA-ed4cH2g_17WVSl5CEjanOLPJz/s1600/Blog+Gannet.JPG) |
Like the Shearwaters, Gannets also skim the surface with their wingtips |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXFyvugntU5-o9SEwbQRgscxCMUudGSfGWOatCJzv6a7EEItzGQ17R51wq4fESPGH7VeYdiSP79nZZEBaLOO1ceaiLBi2ObTW_Biwy-muoEFYC8UH44iJmcx1NzYWtDpoliCEVJoOCLFTM/s1600/Blog+Dolphin.JPG) |
A family party of Common Dolphin joined the boat at one point - this the only sharp shot I managed |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWdtY-zBAuFHfQFB1UGNPM-auLDCtdY3PZg0B51rHnjVcGpJ2VI607YW4qYtP_SJYHqhIFHosZANEEBv35YdMSDOf56GDNH5q4Kordc1rKUromfnpsw3A6I58ITlJolAvhGz7Fwu0IoA1/s1600/Blog+Sunset.JPG) |
A dramatic end to the Friday night pelagic |
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