Feeding frenzies

There were massive seabird feeding frenzies seen from pelagic trips out of the Isles of Scilly the day before my arrival and the day after my departure for three trips out on the Sapphire earlier this month. I might have felt a bit cheated but for the fact that we encountered our own on the return journey on Scillonian III on the Sunday evening. We were approaching the mainland not far from the Wolf Rock lighthouse when Manx Sheawaters and Short-beaked Common Dolphins started appearing in large numbers.

Short-beaked Common Dolphin  - this one was taken on a pelagic on 5th August

Common Dolphin from Scillonian III

One from earlier in the day on the Sapphire

Views of Great Shearwater from Scillonian III were exceptional

A steady stream of Great Shearwaters crossed our bows as we headed for Penzance

There are five Great Shearwaters in this shot alone - the view for several hundred yards ahead of us was similar

Sooty Shearwater from Scillonian III

Manx Shearwater from Scillonian III

Cory's Shearwater from Scillonian III

Manx Shearwater

We disturbed several rafts of Manxies as we steamed through, and on close inspection some of the rafts appeared to contain more Great than Manx Shearwaters. The odd Sooty and Cory's were also present. There were birds on the water as far as the eye could see and when dolphins started to cause the surface of the water to boil it felt like we were approaching the centre of the action. This was confirmed shortly afterwards when a whale appeared to blow some distance ahead. I readied the camera as we approached the spot and managed to get a few shots of a Minke Whale surfacing close to the ship.

First view of the Minke was quite distant

A dolphin surfaces behind the Minke Whale as Manx Shearwaters track it in the air

The next time the Minke Whale surfaced it was much closer to the ship

Several flocks of Arctic Terns were seen at sea

Arctic Tern

Fulmar is a frequent companion on pelagic trips

Gannet with rising Moon behind

Great Skua was seen on all three pelagics

Close scrutiny of photos revealed this to be an adult Long-tailed Skua

Sooty Shearwater with Bishop Rock lighthouse behind

Pelagic poetry

Of all the birds seen regularly in Britain, Balearic Shearwater is one of the rarest in global terms, being regarded as critically endangered by the IUCN. Tourist industry development near its breeding colonies and introduced mammals such as cats and rats are largely responsible for the perilous position of the species. Despite their small population, however, we are fortunate to see them annually off Portland Bill, but pelagic trips, such as the ones I enjoyed last weekend on the Isles of Scilly, generally provide better opportunities to see the species up close. On my first trip of three this year, an evening excursion, one flew alongside the Sapphire long enough for a few pictures. It was outnumbered by Sooty and Great Shearwaters, which we saw on all three days, and Manx Shearwaters, which have been present in the waters around Scilly in their thousands over recent weeks. All four species seem to move so effortlessly over the open sea - poetry in motion and a joy to watch.

Balearic Shearwater off Scilly, 4th August

A view showing the plain upperwings and toes protruding beyond the tail

Note the unclean white underparts and pot-bellied appearance...

...compared to the more clearly contrasting black and white Manx Shearwater

The black upperparts of Manx Shearwater can be invisible against a dark sea but its' presence is revealed when it banks to reveal gleaming white underparts

Manx Shearwater overtaking the Sapphire

A very elegant bird in flight

We disturbed several small rafts of Manx Shearwater as we headed out of St Mary's

Sooty Shearwater were seen frequently

Note darker belly and longer wings compared to Balearic Shearwater

Like the Great Shearwater, this is another long distance wanderer from the southern oceans

An effortlessly flier which overtook us with ease

Sooty Shearwater

Sooty Shearwater shows a silvery underwing and flesh coloured feet

A bit close to fit the whole bird in the frame

This bird was with a small raft of Manx Shearwater

Sooty Shearwater - all the key features on view here

An improbability...

...of Shearwaters. That's the collective noun New Zealanders apparently give to this family (I can't find an English equivalent despite, ooh, 30 seconds of extensive research). We call it a raft, of course, when groups of them are sitting on the water, but that doesn't quite capture the way these birds are best enjoyed: shearing, as the name suggests, low over the sea. Four pelagics out of St Mary's in mid-August provided ample opportunity for me to practice. Best efforts below.

First up, the Great Shearwater, which, having bred on islands in the South Atlantic, winters during our summer off the coast of North America, passing through our waters on its southward migration. We saw this species on every trip, and they often followed the boat.

Next up, the Sooty Shearwater, another southern hemisphere breeder which spends its winter (our summer) north of the equator. Again, its southward migration brings it to our coastal waters. Several of these were seen over the long weekend, some coming in to investigate what we were leaving in our wake.

Next up, the Balearic Shearwater, which breeds much closer to home as the name suggests, but is much rarer globally than the other two - in fact, one of the rarest birds globally to regularly grace this country. Good numbers have been seen passing seawatching hotspots this year so hopefully that's a good sign. This one came in behind the boat and stuck with us for a while, risking attacks from gulls to dive for food just off our stern.

And finally, our very own Manx Shearwater, most of whose breeding population can be found in Britain and Ireland, including some on Scilly. 2014 saw Manxies successfully fledge young on the archipelago for the first time in a long time following a rat eradication programme.

Marvellous birds, every one, which with the Fea's, Wilson's and Storm Petrel, brought the photo year list up to #212.