Seabirds Galicia's 1st birthday

Today, 10th September 2012, Seabirds Galicia celebrates the first aniversary for its very first pelagic trip. That was not a successful journey, as sea was too rough, and we could not go further from Sagres archipelago (information here). However, ongoing pelagics were successfully performed up to the end of October, even with a surprise (see here). After a productive journey in the ría of Arousa in December (click here), pelagics were restarted in February, running up to July. Bad sea conditions were responsible of cancellations in July and August, but on the 8th of September sea was almost perfect and the first pelagic of the postbreeding migration was successfully performed (see here).

For celebrate this birthday, we are preparing a special wear, hoping it will be finished before the trip of 22nd September (pelagic already full).

Thank you for your trust and support.

Isidro, the skipper of the 'Chasula' [photo (c) Jesús Menéndez]

8 September 2012 - Sabine's bonanza

Today, 8th September 2012, a new pelagic of the Seabirds Galicia platform was performed. Leaving from O Grove harbour early morning aboard the 'Chasula', fog seems not a good welcome for the crew and 12 participants, but after 3 hours sky became cleaner and pelagic could be done without any trouble. Sea was in good condition.

List of species observed (highlights in bold, approximate numbers in italic):

BIRDS
Wigeon (Anas penelope): 2. First record for the pelagics of Seabirds Galicia!
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos): 1.
Cory's shearwater (Calonectris diomedea): 23.
Great shearwater (Puffinus gravis): 30.
Sooty shearwater (Puffinus griseus): 10.
Balearic shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus): 11.
Manx shearwater (Puffinus puffinus): 1.
Wilson's storm-petrel (Oceanites oceanicus): 1.
European storm-petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus): 10.
Northern gannet (Morus bassanus): 44.
European shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis): 115.
Great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo): 2.
Grey heron (Ardea cinerea): 3.
Little egret (Egretta garzetta): 2.
Ringed plover (Charadrius hiaticula): 1.
Sanderling (Calidris alba): 5.
Ruddy turnstones (Arenaria interpres): 8.
Common sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos): 2.
Great skua (Stercorarius skua): 8.
Pomarine skua (Stercorarius pomarinus): 4.
Arctic skua (Stercorarius parasiticus): 10.
Long-tailed skua (Stercorarius longicaudus): 1, distant, seen only by 2 observers. Second record for Seabirds Galicia!
Mediterranean gull (Larus melanocephalus): 10.
Black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus): 13.
Sabine's gull (Xema sabini): 22+ (at least 47 sights, with 'duplicates'), including adults (breeding and non-breeding plummage) and juveniles. Second record and highest count for the Seabirds Galicia pelagics.
Yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis): 165.
Lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus): 419.
Great black-backed gull (Larus marinus): 10.
Sandwich tern (Sterna sandvicensis): 28.
Common tern (Sterna hirundo): 16.
Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea): 1. Second record during pelagics trips aboard the 'Chasula'.
Black tern (Chlidonias niger): 2. First record for Seabirds Galicia!
Barn swallow (Hirundo rustica): 2.
Black redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros): 1.
Carrion crow (Corvus corone): 3.

MAMMALS:
Bottle-nosed dolphin (Tursiops truncatus): 1.
Common dolphin (Delphinus delphis): 60.
Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena): 3 individuals observed. First record for Seabirds Galicia.

FISH:
Sunfish (Mola mola): 1.
Blue shark (Prionace glauca): 2.

And some pictures:

The 'Chasula'. Early morning. (c) Jesús Menéndez.

Common dolphins in the mist. (c) Manolo Carregal

Common terns lingered the boat. (c) Manolo Carregal

Storm-petrels' breakfast: olive oil with fish guts. (c) Manolo Carregal

First great shearwater 'on the move'. (c) Manolo Carregal

Great shearwater. (c) Manolo Carregal

Flight shot of great shearwater (true handsome seabird, indeed). (c) Manolo Carregal

Sooty shearwater. (c) Manolo Carregal

Moulting Sabine's gull at its best! (c) Jesús Menéndez

Sabine's gull. (c) Jesús Menéndez

Two adults and one juvenil (top right) of Sabine's gull. (c) Manolo Carregal

Nice flock of Sabine's gull (different moult stage). (c) Manolo Carregal

Juvenile Sabine's gull. (c) Jesús Menéndez

Same individual, closer. (c) Manolo Carregal

Arctic skua, dark morph. (c) Manolo Carregal

Great skua (top left) with lesser black-backed gulls. (c) Manolo Carregal

12th August 2012 - Radio Galega interview!

September and October 2012 pelagics - provisional

The following pelagics are already scheduled for September and October, although they will depend on sea condition and weather:

- Saturday 22nd September (COMPLETE). Seabirds Galicia celebrates its 1st aniversary and good numbers of storm-petrels, skuas, terns, shearwaters and marine mammals will be the best present.

- Saturday 13th October (9 avaliable 'seats'). If conditions and passage are similar to those of 2011 (check report), good numbers of Wilson's storm-petrel and great shearwater could be detected.

Oceanodroma castro in October 2011 (c) Xoán Diéguez.

16 June 2012 - half pelagic - photos

On Saturday 16th June we tried to perform a pelagic trip aboard of the 'Chasula', but heavy swell (2.5 m wave, 8 s period) was not good for sailing beyond 1,5 miles NW Sálvora island. However, we managed to see the first Cory's shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea) of 2012 for Seabirds Galicia and an early sooty shearwater (Puffinus griseus), well photographed near Sagres island. Highlights were also 3 bottle-nosed dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) near Cambados and summering ruddy turnstones (Arenaria interpres), great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) and lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus), the last being (probable) breeding birds for the nearby Sálvora archipelago.

Up to 13 species of birds and 1 marine mammal were recorded (minimum numbers are given, in italic approximate numbers, in bold, more interesting records):

Arenaria interpres

2

Calidris alpina	2
Calonectris diomedea	7
Corvus sp.	2
Larus fuscus	2
Larus michahellis	647
Morus bassanus	10
Passer domesticus	1
Phalacrocorax carbo	1
Phalacrocorax aristotelis	49
Puffinus griseus	1
Puffinus mauretanicus	35
Tursiops truncatus	3

First at all, a brief report of the pelagic:

          

Cosme Damián Romay, Atocha Ramos, Xoán Diéguez and Xosé Luis Fernández (c) Intramar, S. L. 16/06/2012

"Around 8:10 h we departed from O Grove harbour, and soon we spotted some bottle-nosed dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) at Cambados channel; those individuals did not showed well as in other pelagics, performing a shy and untrusted behaviour; thus, we decided to follow the route towars outer ría. As it was spected, waves were high (2.5 m) and had a short period, due to heavy winds of the former day, and a shift in wind direction. However, we tried 'chumming' 1.5 miles off SW Sálvora island around 10:10 h, attacting Balearic shearwaters (Puffinus mauretanicus), shags (Phalacrocorax aristotelis), Northern gannets (Morus bassanus) and yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis). Due to unsuitable situation of the sea, we decided to enter again at the ría, out of the Atlantic Islands NP waters, and we perform again some 'chumming' near Noro islet, with some shearwaters and gulls as guests. After a short time, we tried again the pelagic by the beautiful and legend-bearing outermost channel of Sálvora. Around 12:00 h, 1.5 miles off NW Sálvora, with a quiter sea, we left the 'chum' we still had, and we attracted Balearic and Cory's shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea), along with an early sooty shearwater (Puffinus griseus). Back in the ría, near Noro, we enjoyed pod razors (Ensis siliqua), ecological potatoes from Martín "Peixe" and canned sardines. After the expedition, we returned to harbour around 15:00 h".

And some pictures, all of them (c) Xosé Luis Fernández Carnero, but the last one, being (c) C. D. Romay Cousido:

Balearic shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus) (c) X. L. Fernández Carnero

Yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) at chum (c) X. L. Fernández Carnero

Yellow-legged gull (c) X. L. Fernández Carnero

Northern gannet (Morus bassanus) immature (c) X. L. Fernández Carnero

Sooty shearwater (Puffinus griseus) (c) X. L. Fernández Carnero

Sooty shearwater taking off (c) X. L. Fernández Carnero

Sooty shearwater (left) with yellow-legged gulls (c) X. L. Fernández Carnero

Sooty shearwater within a flock of yellow-legged gulls (c) X. L. Fernández Carnero

Birdwatchers on board, with Sálvora island in the background (c) C. D. Romay Cousido

12 May 2012 - some pictures

Hydrobates pelagicus, Arousa canyon, 12/5/2012 (c) X. L. Fernández Carnero

Hydrobates pelagicus, Arousa canyon, 12/5/2012 (c) X. L. Fernández Carnero

Stercorarius skua, Arousa canyon, 12/5/2012 (c) X. L. Fernández Carnero

More photos and a complete report soon.

Seabirds Galicia at the Galician TV (TVG)!