10/05/2014: first Sabine's!

On Saturday, 10th May 2014, we left O Grove harbour by 8:15 h in the morning to maximize the daylight hours. It was not a trip aimed to see great numbers of seabirds, but good numbers of species both of birds and marine mammals.

The route across the 'ria' of Arousa to Sálvora island had some passerines, waders like whimbrels and turnstones and the always grateful yellow-legged gulls (with a total of 2374 individuals), plus some lesser black-backed gulls and a good numbers of the charming European shag.

Near Sálvora we began to see some Atlantic gannets (132 in total, of various ages) and the first Balearic shearwater of the year, in a stop-over on their way to the Gulf of Biscay.

Sandwich terns, great skuas and no less than 15 European storm-petrels popped up, and then we had a nice surprise as two summer-plummaged Sabine's gull appeared.

On the way back to O Grove we found one razorbill and one common guillemot at the mouth of the 'ria' of Arousa, close to Sálvora island.

The marine mammals were the targets of this pelagic, but we only managed to see a small group of about 8 bottle-nosed dolphins off A Mexilloeira beach. We also enjoyed throughout the entire journey of several sunfish.

Here below there is the list of species. In bold, highlights; in italics, approximate numbers:

Latin name	English name	N
Puffinus mauretanicus	Balearic shearwater	7
Hydrobates pelagicus	European storm-petrel	15
Phalacrocorax aristotelis	European shag	439
Morus bassanus	Atlantic gannet	132
Arenaria interpres	Ruddy turnstone	1
Numenius phaeopus	Whimbrel	1
Stercorarius skua	Great skua	7
Larus michahellis	Yellow-legged gull	2374
Larus fuscus	Lesser black-backed gull	2
Xema sabini	Sabine's gull	2
Sterna sandvicensis	Sandwich tern	17
Uria aalge	Common guillemot	1
Alca torda	Razorbill	1
Motacilla alba	White wagtail	4
Passer domesticus	House sparrow	4
Tursiops truncatus	Bottle-nosed dolphin	8
Mola mola	Sunfish	3

And some pictures of the journey, (c) by Xosé Luis Fernández Carnero and José Luis Lorenzo García "Colón":

Some participants of the trip. 10/5/2014, mouth of the 'ria' of Arousa. (c) J. L. Lorenzo "Colón".

Atlantic gannet Morus bassanus, subadult. 10/5/2014, off Sálvora island. (c) X. L. Fernández Carnero.

Balearic shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus. 10/5/2014, off Sálvora island. (c) X. L. Fernández Carnero.

Razorbill Alca torda, 2nd calendar-year, 10/5/2014, off Sálvora island. (c) X. L. Fernández Carnero.

European storm-petrel Hydrobates pelagicus. 10/5/2014, off Sálvora island. (c) J. L. Lorenzo "Colón".

Balearic shearwater P. mauretanicus. 10/5/2014, off Sálvora island. (c) J. L. Lorenzo "Colón".

Great skua Stercorarius skua. 10/5/2014, off Sálvora island. (c) J. L. Lorenzo "Colón".

Sabine's gull Xema sabini. 10/5/2014, off Sálvora island. (c) J. L. Lorenzo "Colón".

Common guillemot Uria aalge. 10/5/2014, off Sálvora island. (c) J. L. Lorenzo "Colón".

European shags Phalacrocorax aristotelis, juveniles. 10/5/2014, 'ria' of Arousa. (c) X. L. Fernández Carnero.