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.
 |
| A single Great Shearwater swung around the stern of the MV Sapphire before heading out to sea again |
 |
| A very elegant bird |
 |
| 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 |
 |
| 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) |
 |
| A Manx Shearwater would occasionally follow the boat when we were dragging a bag of chum |
 |
| This one was mixing it in among the gulls at the back of the boat |
 |
| A Sooty Shearwater also came in close to the stern |
 |
| Banking both ways, the autofocus found it surprisingly difficult to lock onto this bird... |
 |
| A few shots from many taken were sharp, however |
 |
| This view shows the silvery under-wing... |
 |
| ...and this one the long thin wings... |
 |
| ...while this shows surprisingly long legs, the toes of which protrude beyond the tail in flight |
 |
| A very feisty bird which showed aggression when fighting for scraps with much larger gulls |
 |
| The Sooty would land in the wake, take off and catch the boat up at will |
 |
| Fulmar |
 |
| Storm Petrel pattering on the surface of the chum slick |
 |
| A pale phase Arctic Skua caused some consternation among the other seabirds following the boat |
 |
| Gannets also moved in from time to time |
 |
| Gannet |
 |
| Like the Shearwaters, Gannets also skim the surface with their wingtips |
 |
| A family party of Common Dolphin joined the boat at one point - this the only sharp shot I managed |
 |
| A dramatic end to the Friday night pelagic |
No comments:
Post a Comment