18/09/2015: New exit pelagic.

Due to the fact that the last exit pelagic corresponding to the Saturday 12 September was cancelled by the conditions of the sea desfavorables, have programmed another route for next Friday 18 of this month.

Like  the period in that we are is one of the best of the year to observe marine birds in migration, ¡encourage you to participate!.

It is you.

Photos of the last exit of Xan Diéguez.

 Delphinus delphis (SW Galicia), 6/9/2015, (c) X. Diéguez.

 Xema sabini, (SW Galicia), 06/09/2015, (c) X. Diéguez.

 Oceanites oceanicus, (SW Galicia), 6/9/2015, (c) X. Diéguez.

 Puffinus gravis, (SW Galicia), 6/9/2015, (c) X. Diéguez.

 Stercorarius skua, (SW Galicia), 6/9/2015, (c) X. Diéguez.

 Morus bassanus, (SW Galicia), 6/9/2015, (c) X. Diéguez.

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.