29/08/2015: Another big list!

After several days of wind and rain, that day dawned with dense, wet fog, but calm. We left the harbour at 8:00 a.m. as usual, short after sunrise.

In the begining, still with mist, we managed to see some Sandwich Terns, Grey Herons, Ruddy Turnstones, Common Sandpipers, Great Black-backed, Black-headed and Yellow-legged Gulls, European Shags, Great Cormorants, Northern Gannets, Whimbrel, Dunlins, Carrion Crows... and Bottlenosed Dolphins.

Reaching the southern tip of Sálvora island, and already without fog, we enjoyed the first Balearic and Cory's Shearwaters, the first Grey Phalaropes and European Storm-petrels, Sanderlings, a Sunfish and a big group of bow-riding Common Dolphins.
  

Further offshore, we saw good numbers of Great, Sooty and Balearic Shearwaters, Common Terns, Wilson's and European Storm-petrels, all four skua species (Great, Arctic, Pomarine and a juveniles Long-tailed), Eurasian Oystercatchers, a juvenile Black Tern, dozens of Grey Phalaropes and a stunning total of 193 Sabine's Gulls. In addition, a group of Common Dolphins traveled with the bow of the 'Chasula' for a couple of miles.

Once in the 'ría', we saw some Mediterranean Gulls, Common Ringed Plovers, Little Egrets, more Sandwich Terns and a single Common Tern and a nice raft of 49 Grey Phalaropes, an inusual species inside the 'ría'.

The day was memorable, both in numbers and in species, and one of the participants stated that would satisfy any birder.

Here below is the detailed list of species, with highlights in bold and approximate numbers in italics:

An some pictures of the trip, (c) Xan Diéguez and Rubén Blanco.

 29/8/2015, (c) R. Blanco.

 

Xema sabini, (SW Galicia), 29/8/2015, (c) X. Diéguez.

 Xema sabini, (SW Galicia), 29/8/2015, (c) X. Diéguez.

Oceanites oceanicus, (SW Galicia), 29/8/2015, (c) X. Diéguez.

 Stercorarius longicaudus, (SW Galicia), 29/8/2015, (c) X. Diéguez.

 Stercorarius pomarinus, (SW Galicia), 29/8/2015, (c) X. Diéguez.

 Stercorarius pomarinus, (SW Galicia), 29/8/2015, (c) X. Diéguez.

 Sterna hirundo, (SW Galicia), 29/8/2015, (c) X. Diéguez.

 Xema sabini, (SW Galicia), 29/8/2015, (c) X. Diéguez.

Haematopus ostralegus, (SW Galicia), 29/8/2015, (c) X. Diéguez.

 Phalaropus fulicarius, (SW Galicia), 29/8/2015, (c) X. Diéguez.

 Chlidonias niger, (SW Galicia), 29/8/2015, (c) X. Diéguez.

Phalaropus fulicarius, (SW Galicia), 29/8/2015, (c) X. Diéguez.

 Sterna sandvicensis, (SW Galicia), 29/8/2015, (c) X. Diéguez.

 Ardea cinerea, (SW Galicia), 29/8/2015, (c) X. Diéguez.

Morus bassanus, (SW Galicia),  29/8/2015, (c) R. Blanco.

 Puffinus Mauretanicus (SW Galicia),  29/8/2015, (c) R. Blanco.

 Sterna hirundo, (SW Galicia), 29/8/2015, (c) X. Diéguez.

 Puffinus Mauretanicus (SW Galicia),  29/8/2015, (c) R. Blanco.

Phalaropus fulicarius, (SW Galicia), 29/8/2015, (c) R. Blanco.

Sterna hirundo, (SW Galicia), 29/8/2015, (c) R. Blanco.

Puffinus gravis, (SW Galicia), 29/8/2015, (c) R. Blanco.

Delphinus delphis, (SW Galicia), 29/8/2015, (c) R. Blanco.

Delphinus delphis, (SW Galicia), 29/8/2015, (c) R. Blanco.

 Puffinus gravis, (SW Galicia), 29/8/2015, (c) R. Blanco.

Xema sabini, (SW Galicia), 29/8/2015, (c) R. Blanco.

Stercorarius pomarinus, (SW Galicia), 29/8/2015, (c) R. Blanco.

Xema sabini, (SW Galicia), 29/8/2015, (c) R. Blanco.

Phalaropus fulicarius, (SW Galicia), 29/8/2015, (c) R. Blanco.

A Morus bassanus, (SW Galicia),  29/8/2015, (c) R. Blanco.

18/07/2015: the Greater Black-backed Gull of the 'ria'.

As usual, we left the harbour of O Grove at 8:00 a.m., while we took some coffee and muffins.

As we 'bent' the mole, the first Mediterranean Gull popped up and, further on, some Bottlenosed Dolphins were seen jumping off the water. The sea was calm, and we forecasted a good birdwatching day.

In the distance, still inside the 'ría', we saw a 'jewel' resting in a mussel raft: a Galician-ringed Great Black-backed Gull, born in the 'ría' de Arousa. On its right tarsus wore a green ring with white digits ZCJM. It was ringed as a chick on 3rd July 2013 in the tiny islet of Guidoiro Pedregoso, being one of the few Great Black-backed Gulls being ringed in the Iberian Peninsula ever.

A nest of Yellow-legged Gull with two eggs was found in the folded ropes of a mussel raft.

In addition to these birds we observe European Shag, Northern Gannet and the first Balearic Shearwater.

Further on, off Sálvora island Northern Gannets (90% of them immatures), Cory's, Great and Sooty Shearwaters, Great, Pomarine and Arctic Skuas, Common Terns and Dunlins in migration were spotted. A Sunfish was also noted.

Very quickly, the trip turned uncomfortable due to rough sea and prevented us to go further offshore; we had to sail towards Sagres archipelago, where big rafts of European Shags were observed along with feeding Balearic Shearwater, plus Sandwich Terns, many Yellow-legged Gulls at their nests, more Great Black-backed Gulls, more Bottlenosed Dolphins and Black-headed and Mediterranean Gulls.

The Atlantic and their birds never disappoint us!

Here below is the detailed list of species, with highlights in bold and approximate numbers in italics:

And some pictures of the trip, all of them (c) J. L. F. Carnero.

18/07/2015 (SW Galicia) (c) Xosé Luis Fernández Carnero.

 Balearic Shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus), 18/07/2015 (SW Galicia) (c) Xosé Luis Fernández Carnero.

Balearic Shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus), 18/07/2015 (SW Galicia) (c) Xosé Luis Fernández Carnero.

Cory's Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea borealis), 18/07/2015 (SW Galicia) (c) Xosé Luis Fernández Carnero.

 Pomarine Skua (Stercorarius pomarinus), 18/07/2015 (SW Galicia) (c) Xosé Luis Fernández Carnero.

29/03/2015: Puffins!

The pelagic trip scheduled for 21st March had to be delayed to the following week. This is the report of the trip performed on 29th March... very early in the morning: the change of hour let us to start before dawn and half-asleep. As we left the harbour of O Grove, we crossed the polygons of mussel rafts, with European Shags, Great Cormorants, Yellow-legged and Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Sandwich Terns and Bottlenosed Dolphins. From this point we head west till the island of Sálvora, in the Atlantic Island NP, and by the southern tip we saw our first Northern Gannet and, short after it, the first Atlantic Puffin.

Further west from the island, the first miles deserved us increasing numbers of Northern Gannets, some Common Dolphins, another Atlantic Puffin and a flyby Razorbill/Guillemot.



Around the 'chum' 12 nm off Sálvora there were good numbers of gulls, along with some Mediterranean Gulls, Sandwich Tern, 8 Great Skuas, 1 Arctic Skua and a Sunfish.

Already in the way back two other Atlantic Puffins popped up, with more Great Skuas and Northern Gannets. Once inside the 'ría', more European Shags and Yellow-legged Gulls were observed, and more Bottlenosed Dolphins, Great Black-backed and Black-headed Gulls and Ruddy Turnstones.

Althoug the 'stars' were the Puffin, the good numbers of Great Skuas were also remarkable.

Here below is the detailed list of species, with highlights in bold and approximate numbers in italics:

An some pictures of the trip, (c) Xoán Diéguez, J.L. Lorenzo and J. R. Martín.

 29/03/2015. SW Galicia (c) J.L. Lorenzo.

29/03/2015. SW Galicia (c) J.L. Lorenzo.

 29/03/2015. SW Galicia (c) J.L. Lorenzo.

 Fratercula arctica 29/03/2015. SW Galicia (c) X.  Dieguez.

 Fratercula arctica 29/03/2015. SW Galicia (c) X.  Dieguez.

 Morus bassanus 29/03/2015. SW Galicia (c) X.  Dieguez.

 Stercorarius skua 29/03/2015. SW Galicia (c) X.  Dieguez.

 Stercorarius skua 29/03/2015. SW Galicia (c) X.  Dieguez.

 Morus bassanus 29/03/2015. SW Galicia (c) J. R. Martín.

Stercorarius skua 29/03/2015. SW Galicia (c) J. R. Martín.

 Fratercula arctica 29/03/2015. SW Galicia (c) J. R. Martín.

Pelagic program outputs 2.015

As usual since we started the new season of outputs for watching seabirds and marine mammals in the Galician coast. Next we put the calendar for departures scheduled for this year . We hope to be of interest. Now you can book seats from now . These are:

Inside the ‘ría’ of Arousa: Saturday 28.02.2015 (alternative dates: 01.03.2015). The ‘traditional’ trip inside the ‘ría’ of Arousa, looking for red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator), common loon/great northern diver (Gavia immer), black-necked grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) and common murre/common guillemot (Uria aalge), among other species.

Pelagic of the puffins: Saturday 21.03.2015 (alternative dates: 22.03.2015). Focused on observing puffins (Fratercula arctica) and common murres/common guillemots off Sálvora island.

Pelagic of the dolphins: Saturday 16.05.2015 (alternative dates: 17.05.2015). Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus), common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) and the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) are possible sightings in this trip, along with skuas and shearwaters.

Pelagic of the shearwaters: Saturday 27.06.2015 (alternative dates: 28.06.2015). Groups of Balearic shearwaters (Puffinus mauretanicus) and Cory's shearwaters (Calonectris borealis) are almost guaranteed, and perhaps we will see the first groups of European storm petrels (Hydrobates pelagicus).

Pelagic of petrels: Saturday 18.07.2015 (no alternative date). This is good date for Wilson’s storm petrels (Oceanites oceanicus), European stormies and shearwaters. We'll keep an eye on possible minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)!

Pelagic terns: Saturday 15.08.2015.  Good dates to the terns (Sterna hirundo), (Sterna paradisaea)  and (Sternula albifrons) and for the European paíño and even the common tern.

Pelagic of the skuas: Saturday 29.08.2015. Great date for skuas, both great (Stercorarius skua), Pomarine (S. pomarinus) and Arctic skua (S. parasiticus), along with Wilson’s and European stormies. There is a great chance of seeing the first Sabine’s gulls (Xema sabini) of the season.

Pelagic of the Sabine’s: Saturday 12.09.2015 (alternative dates: 13.09.2015). We still remember those pelagics by early September 2012 (here) and 2013 (here), with incredible sights of dozens of Sabine’s gulls!. Although this beautiful gull is the aim of the pelagic, skuas, storm-petrels and dolphins are case guaranteed.

Pelagic of the great list: Saturday 26.09.2015 (alternative dates: 27.09.2015). Perhaps the most attractive of all Seabirds Galicia pelagics (along with that of the Galician Bank), once the summer visitors (Wilson’s stormies and Sabine’s gulls) are still in the area and typical autumn migrants (such as great shearwater Ardenna gravis and Arctic tern Arctic tern) may appear.

Pelagic of the whales: Saturday 17.10.2015 (alternative dates: 18.10.2015). After the unforgettable pelagic by mid-October 2013 (see here) we will try to see again some minke whales offshore, with common and bottlenose dolphins almost guaranteed and harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) as a "bonus". Some interesting birds, as Pomarine skua or sooty shearwater, are possible.

Late pelagic: 14.11.2015 (alternative dates: 15.11.2015). Last pelagic of the year, to be carried out by mid-November with red/grey phalarope (Phalaropus fulicaria), little gull (Hydrocoloeus minutus), kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) and Leach's storm petrel (Hydrobates leucorhous) as targets.

A Lanzada bay: 5.12.2015 (alternative dates: 6.12.2015). 2015 ends with a trip withing the ‘ría’ of Arousa and A Lanzada bay. Common loons/great norther divers, common scoters (Melanitta nigra) and auks will delight participants, as they are common in this area that month.