Last trip of Seabirds Galicia and future

Fulfilling the timetable for Seabirds Galicia this year, a trip by A Lanzada bay and 'ría' of Arousa is scheduled for Saturday 5th December 2015, focused on seabirds and marine mammals. In case of rough sea conditions, the alternative date will be on 6th December.

This will be, unless last minute changes, the last trip managed through Seabirds Galicia platform. Since September 2011, Seabirds Galicia offered boat trips focused on seabirds and marine mammals, all throughout the year, and with reasonable prices. Seabirds Galicia was a new, much celebrated iniciative both by naturists and photographers.

After several changes in the management of Seabirds Galicia throughout 2015, and with the intention of broadcast this pelagic trips, the company Intramar, S.L. decided to create a new platform, to be called Chasula Aves / Chasula Birds, which is associated to a blog and a Facebook page. The managers of this brand will be Isidro Mariño (Intramar, SL) and Xabier Vázquez Pumariño (Habitaq Estratexias). Chasula Birds / Birds Chasula, along with Chasula Pesca, are services of Intramar, SL.

Cosme Damian Romay was responsible for the idea and strategy of Seabirds Galicia, and along with Martín Rodriguez Otero and Gustavo Ferreiro, managed the blog until 31.12.2015. David Leiro, Iago, Martín and, remarkably, the skipper Isidro Mariño, managed the 'chum', the food and the 'Chasula', owing the success of the pelagics.

Up to 31.12.2015 Seabirds Galicia and seabirdsgalicia mail (at) gmail.com will be active, while from 01.01.2016 the blog will just remain as a file depository.

From 1.1.2016 onwards Chasula Aves / Chasula Birds with its new team, will manage the pelagics via email: chasulabirds (at) gmail.com

Greetings and thanks for your trust in Seabirds Galicia.

14/11/2015: first November pelagic!

We left O Grove harbour early, at 8:15 h, with clear sky and light northerlies. After ticking the first Mediterranen Gulls and European Shags, we faced Aguiño (in the NW corner of the 'ría' of Arousa) as the wind increased in strenght. Some waders, Greater Black-backed Gulls and herons were spotted at the mussel rafts, and two Northern Gannets popped up near Aguiño. The sea became rough off Sagres islets, but Isidro the skipper decided to go SSW to avoid the facing waves and take benefit of the swell and wind. From that point onwards, trip was quite confortable. The first Great and Balearic Shearwaters appeared as close as 3 nm off Sálvora island and a weak southward migration of Atlantic Gannets was also noted. A Sunfish was also observed.

The first chum was freed 6 nm off Sálvora island, and dozens of Great Shearwaters and gulls came to it. First Kittiwakes (an adult and a juvenile) were detected, and a beautiful adult Arctic Skua (Parasitic Jaeger) was also seen.

As we faced the second chum, the wave height increased and Isidro decided not to go further on, so we stopped 8 nm off Sálvora island for chumming. Many of the Great Shearwaters and gulls followed the 'Chasula' from the first chum to the second, and 'settled' in the latter. Good chance to photography and even to hear the calls of these nice shearwaters, with a 'bonus' of three Sooty Shearwaters, Great Skuas, Kittiwakes and many Mediterranean Gulls. Moreover, two Razorbills on migration were seen.

The way back to the 'ria' was confortable and quite, with few birds and another Sunfish. Fresh mussels and, remarkably, tasty spider-crabs were enjoyed by the participants and crew, and, once inside the 'ría', three Atlantic Bottlenosed Dolphins were seen at close distance.

This was our first pelagic in November, since the beggining of 'Seabirds Galicia' in 2011. Here below is the list of recorded species, with highlights in bold and approximate numbers in italics:

And some pictures, (c) José Luis Lorenzo "Colón"  and (c) Cosme Damián Romay:

Sunrise. 14/11/2015. O Grove, SW Galicia (c) C. D. Romay.

European Shags (Phalacrocorax aristotelis). 14/11/2015. 'Ría' of Arousa, SW Galicia (c) C. D. Romay.

European Shags (Phalacrocorax aristotelis). 14/11/2015. Sagres Is., Ribeira, SW Galicia (c) C. D. Romay

Great Shearwater (Ardenna gravis), 14/11/2015, 6nm off Sálvora island, SW Galicia (c) J. L. Lorenzo "Colón".

Three Great Shearwaters (Ardenna gravis). 14/11/2015. 6nm off Sálvora island, SW Galicia (c) C. D. Romay.

Great Shearwaters (Ardenna gravis), 14/11/2015, 6nm off Sálvora island, SW Galicia (c) J. L. Lorenzo "Colón".

Resting flock of Great Shearwaters (Ardenna gravis) and José Luis Fernández Carnero. 14/11/2015. 6nm off Sálvora island, SW Galicia (c) C. D. Romay.

Great Shearwater (Ardenna gravis), 14/11/2015, 6nm off Sálvora island, SW Galicia (c) J. L. Lorenzo "Colón".

Great Shearwaters (Ardenna gravis), 14/11/2015, 6nm off Sálvora island, SW Galicia (c) J. L. Lorenzo "Colón".

Great Shearwaters (Ardenna gravis), 14/11/2015, 6nm off Sálvora island, SW Galicia (c) J. L. Lorenzo "Colón".

Great Skua (Catharacta skua). 14/11/2015. 6nm off Sálvora island, SW Galicia (c) C. D. Romay.

Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), adult. 14/11/2015. 6nm off Sálvora island, SW Galicia (c) J. L. Lorenzo "Colón".

Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla), juvenile and adult, plus a Mediterranean Gull (L. melanocephalus) first winter. 14/11/2015. 6nm off Sálvora island, SW Galicia (c) J. L. Lorenzo "Colón".

Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), adult. 14/11/2015. 6nm off Sálvora island, SW Galicia (c) J. L. Lorenzo "Colón".

 

 

 

Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), juvenile. 14/11/2015. 6nm off Sálvora island, SW Galicia (c) C. D. Romay.

Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), adult. 14/11/2015. 6nm off Sálvora island, SW Galicia (c) C. D. Romay.

Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), juvenile. 14/11/2015. 6nm off Sálvora island, SW Galicia (c) J. L. Lorenzo "Colón".

Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), juvenile. 14/11/2015. 6nm off Sálvora island, SW Galicia (c) J. L. Lorenzo "Colón".

Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), juvenile. 14/11/2015. 6nm off Sálvora island, SW Galicia (c) J. L. Lorenzo "Colón".

Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), juvenile. 14/11/2015. 6nm off Sálvora island, SW Galicia (c) J. L. Lorenzo "Colón".

 

Mediterranean Gull (Larus melanocephalus), adult. 14/11/2015. 'Ría' of Arousa, SW Galicia (c) C. D. Romay.

Atlantic Bottlenosed Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). 14/11/2015. 'Ría' of Arousa, SW Galicia (c) C. D. Romay.

Iago and Isidro at the 'Chasula', 14/11/2015, near Sálvora island, SW Galicia (c) J. L. Lorenzo "Colón".

Spider crab and Sálvora Island, 14/11/2015, near Sálvora island, SW Galicia (c) J. L. Lorenzo "Colón"

Lunch at the 'Chasula', 14/11/2015, near Sálvora island, SW Galicia (c) J. L. Lorenzo "Colón".