Seabirds Galicia - Pelagics (2011-2015): 20/07/2013 - two Arctic Skuas, another Wilson and a freed Gannet

On Saturday 20th July 2013 another pelagic trip aboard of 'Chasula' was performed. The boat was full when we left O Grove harbour at 8:00 a.m. Sky was cloudy and sea and wind were calm. First bird species were soon noted (Mediterranean gull, great black-backed gull, lesser black-backed gull, little egret, grey heron, among other species), and first sightings of Cory's shearwater, Balearic shearwater and Arctic skua (first of 'autumn' migration) at the mouth of the 'ría' of Arousa. Sea was still calm and the forecast for the pelagic was presumably 'comfortable'. Hundreds of gulls were feeding at the horizon, suggesting food supply (in this case swimming crabs Polybius henslowii) near shoreline. Gannet passage by that time was good, and there was no evidence of the 'blank' between 3 and 12 nm offshore: only a couple of birds and two common dolphins were seen! First chum, 12 nm off W Ons island, was not successful at all, and the skipper decided to go northwards, till 12 nm off Sálvora island. In this second chumming, one or two Wilson's storm petrels, an European storm petrel, some great skuas and dozens of gulls showed well, and sun, mussels and albariño wine made photographers happy. Back route was quite up to 2 nm off Couso point (Ribeira), with hundreds of gulls feeding on swimming crab 'flocks', along with Cory's and Balearic shearwaters and five common dolphins. Short after sailing inside the 'ría' by North channel, an immature Northern gannet was seen entagled alive in a fish net. We managed to pick up both the bird and the net and, with a knife, freed the gannet from its torture, releasing it into the wild with apparently no damage. Fish net was carried to harbour. A flock of 35 Balearic shearwaters near Rúa island was highly appreciated by photographers in our way to O Grove harbour.

Here you are the complete list of sightings. In bold, highlights. In italics, approximate numbers:

Latin name	English name	TOTAL (non repeated)	Notes
Melanitta nigra	Common scoter	10	Migration southwards
Calonectris diomedea	Cory's shearwater	9	Low number
Puffinus mauretanicus	Balearic shearwater	69	Good number; high proportion of juveniles
Hydrobates pelagicus	European storm petrel	1	Low number (cf with June pelagic)
Oceanites oceanicus	Wilson's storm petrel	1	Moulting
Hydrobatidae	Unidentified storm petrel	1	Possibly Oceanites oceanicus
Phalacrocorax carbo	Great cormorant	4	Early in the season
Phalacrocorax aristotelis	European shag	80	Very low number
Morus bassanus	Northern gannet	42	One of the freed from a fish net (see pictures)
Ardea cinerea	Grey heron	1
Egretta garzetta	Little egret	1
Stercorarius skua	Great skua	7	'Average' number (cf with June pelagic)
Stercorarius parasiticus	Arctic skua	2	First of 'autumn' passage
Stercorarius sp.	Unidentified skua	1	Possibly Stercorarius skua
Larus melanocephalus	Mediterranean gull	6	Five adults and one immature
Larus ridibundus	Black-headed gull	1	Low number
Larus michahellis	Yellow-legged gull	1487	Great group W of Sálvora island, feeding on swimming crabs
Larus fuscus	Lesser black-backed gull	351	Lots of birds in the group of gulls W of Sálvora island, feeding on swimming crabs
Larus marinus	Great black-backed gull	2	Adults, one of the apparently holding territory
Sterna hirundo	Common tern	3	Adults
Motacilla alba	White wagtail	1

Delphinus delphis	Common dolphin	7	Two individuals and a party of five

Prionace glauca	Blue shark	1

And some pictures, (c) Germán Ibarra, José Luis Lorenzo "Colón", Xoán Diéguez and Xosé Luis Fernández Carnero.

Common scoter (Melanitta nigra), migrating, 20/07/2013, off Couso point, Ribeira (SW Galicia) (c) Xosé Luis Fernández Carnero.

Wilson's storm petrel (Oceanites oceanicus), 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c)
José Luis Lorenzo "Colón".

Wilson's storm petrel (Oceanites oceanicus), 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c)
Xosé Luis Fernández Carnero.

Wilson's storm petrel (Oceanites oceanicus), 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c) Germán Ibarra.

Balearic shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus), 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c)
José Luis Lorenzo "Colón".

Balearic shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus), 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c) Xoán Diéguez.

Balearic shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus), 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c) Xosé Luis Fernández Carnero.

Balearic shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus), adult moulting, 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c) Xosé Luis Fernández Carnero.

Balearic shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus), 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c) Xosé Luis Fernández Carnero.

Cory's shearwater (Calonectris diomedea borealis), 20/07/2013, 2 nm off Couso point, Ribeira (SW Galicia) (c) José Luis Lorenzo "Colón".

Cory's shearwater (Calonectris diomedea borealis), 20/07/2013, 2 nm off Couso point, Ribeira (SW Galicia) (c) Xosé Luis Fernández Carnero.

Northern gannet (Morus bassanus), immature, 20/07/2013, North channel of the 'ría' of Arousa, near Aguiño, Ribeira (SW Galicia) (c) Germán Ibarra.

Northern gannet (Morus bassanus), immature, 20/07/2013, North channel of the 'ría' of Arousa, near Aguiño, Ribeira (SW Galicia) (c) Xosé Luis Fernández Carnero.

Northern gannet (Morus bassanus), immature, 20/07/2013, North channel of the 'ría' of Arousa, near Aguiño, Ribeira (SW Galicia) (c) Germán Ibarra.

Northern gannet (Morus bassanus), immature, 20/07/2013, North channel of the 'ría' of Arousa, near Aguiño, Ribeira (SW Galicia) (c) Xoán Diéguez.

Northern gannet (Morus bassanus), immature, 20/07/2013, North channel of the 'ría' of Arousa, near Aguiño, Ribeira (SW Galicia) (c) Germán Ibarra.

Northern gannet (Morus bassanus), juvenile, 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c) José Luis Lorenzo "Colón".

Northern gannet (Morus bassanus), immature, 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c) Xoán Diéguez.

Northern gannet (Morus bassanus), immature, 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c) Xosé Luis Fernández Carnero.

Northern gannet (Morus bassanus), immature, 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c) José Luis Lorenzo "Colón".

Northern gannet (Morus bassanus), immature, 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c) Germán Ibarra.

Northern gannet (Morus bassanus), juvenile, 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c) Germán Ibarra.

Northern gannet (Morus bassanus), juvenile, 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c) Xosé Luis Fernández Carnero.

Mediterranean gull (Larus melanocephalus), adult, colour-ringed, 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c) José Luis Lorenzo "Colón".

Mediterranean gull (Larus melanocephalus), adult, colour-ringed, 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c) Xosé Luis Fernández Carnero.

Mediterranean gull (Larus melanocephalus), adult, colour-ringed, 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c) José Luis Lorenzo "Colón".

Lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus), subadult, 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c) José Luis Lorenzo "Colón".

Lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus), near-adult bird, 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c) Xosé Luis Fernández Carnero.

Yellow-legged (Larus michahellis) and lesser-black backed gulls (L. fuscus), 20/07/2013, off Couso point, Ribeira (SW Galicia) (c) José Luis Lorenzo "Colón".

Adult yellow-legged (Larus michahellis) (background) and lesser-black backed gull (L. fuscus) (moulting), 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c) José Luis Lorenzo "Colón".

Juvenile yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) fighting for food, 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c) Xosé Luis Fernández Carnero.

Moulting yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis), 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c) Xosé Luis Fernández Carnero.

Moulting yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis), 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c) Xoán Diéguez.

European shags (Phalacrocorax aristotelis), 20/07/2013, Sálvora islands (SW Galicia) (c) Xoán Diéguez.

European shags (Phalacrocorax aristotelis), 20/07/2013, Sálvora islands (SW Galicia) (c) Germán Ibarra.

European shags(Phalacrocorax aristotelis), 20/07/2013, Sálvora islands (SW Galicia) (c) Germán Ibarra.

Common tern (Sterna hirundo), adult, 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c) José Luis Lorenzo "Colón".

Great skua (Stercorarius skua) behind an adult lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus), 20/07/2013, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia) (c) Germán Ibarra.