22/09/2013: seabirds, television and another minke whale!

On Sunday 22nd September 2013 there was a special trip, hired by SK Kayak, of Girona, and that was filmed by an equipment of the Television of Galicia. Sea and weather conditions were outstanding, and were enjoyed by all participants. We left O Grove harbour at 8:30 h, spotting Balearic shearwaters and bottle-nosed dolphins inside the 'ría'. We passed through the north channel of Sálvora between hundreds of yellow-legged gulls and shags, and short after overpass Couso point a bunch of Northern gannets did 'plunge diving' beside the boat, delighting the passage. About 6 miles offshore we saw a minke whale, being a different individual from that seen on 17/08/2013 (see here), as we think this was a subadult, "only" of 5 m length. There were four sights of this elusive individual. The chum at 12 miles attracted Sabine's gulls, European storm-petrels and sunfish, besides great and Arctic skuas and a remarkable number of lesser black-backed gulls. A great and a Manx shearwater were celebrated by all participants. The way back highlighted with the sighting of a small group of common dolphins in the 'ría' of Arousa mouth (we were surprised as we didn't see more, check yesterday's records here) and a group a bottle-nosed dolphins near the harbour of O Grove made some nice leaps.

Before the table of records and pictures, we link the report of the evening news at Television of Galicia (click the picture to open the video link):

Now, table of sightings; highlights in bold and approximate numbers in italics:
(soon)

And also some photos, all (c) Carlos Martín:

Sooty shearwater (Puffinus griseus), 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia), 22/09/2013, (c) Carlos Martín.

Sooty shearwater (Puffinus griseus), 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia), 22/09/2013, (c) Carlos Martín.

Balearic shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus), 'ría' of Arousa (SW Galicia), 22/09/2013, (c) Carlos Martín.

Northern gannet (Morus bassanus), juvenile, 2 nm W of Sálvora island  (SW Galicia), 22/09/2013, (c) Carlos Martín

Northern gannet (Morus bassanus), adult, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia), 22/09/2013, (c) Carlos Martín

Northern gannet (Morus bassanus), juvenile, 2 nm W of Sálvora island  (SW Galicia), 22/09/2013, (c) Carlos Martín

Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis), Sálvora island (SW Galicia), 22/09/2013, (c) Carlos Martín

Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis), Sálvora island (SW Galicia), 22/09/2013, (c) Carlos Martín

Arctic skua (Stercorarius parasiticus), intermediate morph, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia), 22/09/2013, (c) Carlos Martín

Great skua (Stercorarius skua), possible juvenile, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia), 22/09/2013, (c) Carlos Martín

Great skua (Stercorarius skua), possible juvenile, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia), 22/09/2013, (c) Carlos Martín

Mediterranean gull (Larus melanocephalus), adult, 'ría' of Arousa (SW Galicia), 22/09/2013, (c) Carlos Martín

Lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus), juvenile, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia), 22/09/2013, (c) Carlos Martín

Black tern (Chlidonias niger), juvenile, 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia), 22/09/2013, (c) Carlos Martín

Bottle-nosed dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), 'ría' of Arousa (SW Galicia), 22/09/2013, (c) Carlos Martín

Sunfish (Mola mola), 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia), 22/09/2013, (c) Carlos Martín

Sunfish (Mola mola) and juvenile lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus), 12 nm W of Sálvora island (SW Galicia), 22/09/2013, (c) Carlos Martín