Bay of Biscay Trip 31st August – 3rd September 2002
Paul Beresford, Richard Taylor, Andy Warren, Tim Wright
P&O Ferry Pride of Bilbao, Portsmouth to Santurtzi
Day 1 Saturday 31st August
Farlington Marshes (east of Portsmouth)
c70 Great Crested Grebe
2 Black-necked Grebe
c50 Cormorant
c10 Grey Heron
40+ Little Egret
4 Brent Goose
c40 Wigeon
c30 Shoveler
50+ Teal
1 Garganey
2 Pintail
2 Osprey
1 Kestrel
1 Sparrowhawk
c1000 Oystercatcher
c15 Ringed Plover
300+ Grey Plover
c100 Lapwing
4 Turnstone
4 Knot
c100 Dunlin
600+ Curlew
2 Whimbrel
500+ Black-tailed Godwit
2 Bar-tailed Godwit
10+ Redshank
5 Greenshank
4 (1ad, 3imm) Curlew Sandpiper
c75 Common Tern
1 Arctic Tern
2 Black Tern
2 Yellow Wagtail
1 Whinchat
1 Reed Warbler
1 Willow Warbler
1 Cetti’s Warbler
1 Spotted Flycatcher
c10 Long-tailed Tit
3+ Reed Bunting
Boat – Sailed 20:00 - Insufficient daylight.
Day 2 Sunday 1st September
Sea state (see end of document) predominantly 1 throughout the day, infrequently 2. Visibility excellent all day.
06:06 Herring Gull (2)
Gannet *
06:20 Manx Shearwater
06:22 Grey Heron
06:42 Meadow Pipit
06:50 Collared Dove
06:55 Yellow Wagtail
06:58 Balearic Shearwater
07:01 Golden Plover (3)
07:02 Balearic Shearwater (2)
07:06 Great Shearwater
07:10 Yellow Wagtail
07:15 Great Black-backed Gull
Tree Pipit
07:18 Great Shearwater
Pomarine Skua (juv)
07:26 Balearic Shearwater
Fulmar
07:31 Wheatear
07:38 Great Shearwater (2)
07:40 Great Shearwater
07:42 Great Shearwater (2)
07:46 Yellow Wagtail
07:48 Great Shearwater (3)
07:55 Sunfish
Storm Petrel (3)
08:00 Great Shearwater (2)
08:02 Storm Petrel
Grey Phalarope
08:10 Storm Petrel (4)
08:16 Tree Pipit
08:20 Great Shearwater (8)
08:25 Dolphin sp.
Great Shearwater
08:26 Harbour Porpoise (3)
08:46 Great Skua
08:57 Great Shearwater
09:00 Pied Flycatcher
09:01 Storm Petrel (2)
09:03 Great Skua (3)
09:14 Fulmar
09:16 Redstart
Yellow Wagtail
09:26 Storm Petrel
09:29 Storm Petrel
09:35 Sunfish
09:40 Willow Warbler
09:44 Reed Warbler
09:45 Turnstone
09:50 Manx Shearwater
09:54 Fulmar
10:00 Pied Flycatcher
10:19 Arctic Skua
10:30 White Wagtail
Great Skua
10:33 Sooty Shearwater
10:44 Great Skua
10:58 Willow Warbler
11:06 Willow Warbler
11:15 Collared Dove (2)
11:18 Common Tern (4)
11:20 Bottlenose Dolphin (c10)
11:34 Great Shearwater
11:35 Great Skua
11:36 White Wagtail
Spotted Flycatcher
11:49 Arctic Skua
11:59 Sanderling (7)
12:22 Balearic Shearwater
12:25 Turtle Dove
12:47 Sooty Shearwater
12:50 Dunlin (2)
Ringed Plover (11)
12:59 Great Skua (3)
13:27 Collared Dove
Great Black-backed Gull (2)
13:35 Great Skua (2)
13:38 Collared Dove (3)
14:05 Reed Warbler
14:20 Trawler - Great Shearwater
Kittiwake (c20)
Sabine’s Gull (3-4)
Arctic Skua
14:27 Sooty Shearwater
14:33 Great Shearwater (huge raft of c800)
Sabine’s Gull
Great Skua
Common Dolphin (50+)
Cory's Shearwater (c50)
Sandwich Tern
14:48 Great Shearwater (c100)
Cory's Shearwater (c10)
Great Skua (2)
15:01 Great Skua (2)
Leach’s Petrel (3)
Cory's Shearwater (c10)
15:03 White Wagtail
Black-headed Gull
Common Tern (4)
15:08 Sabine’s Gull (2)
Cory's Shearwater
15:10 Cory's Shearwater (2)
Great Shearwater (2)
15:13 Cory's Shearwater (4)
15:16 Great Shearwater (8)
Cory's Shearwater (2)
Petrel sp. (3)
Fin Whale
15:25 Cory's Shearwater (17)
15:28 Great Shearwater (2)
15:32 Great Shearwater (c30)
Cory's Shearwater (2)
15:34 Cory's Shearwater (2)
15:38 Great Shearwater (3)
15:43 Great Shearwater
Cory's Shearwater (9)
Storm Petrel
15:46 Great Shearwater (c15)
Cory's Shearwater (c15)
15:52 Great Shearwater (8)
Cory's Shearwater (7)
15:53 Arctic Tern (13)
15:57 Great Shearwater (10)
Cory's Shearwater
16:05 Great Shearwater (5)
Cory's Shearwater
16:06 White Wagtail
16:07 Great Shearwater (3)
Black Tern (2)
16:14 Great Shearwater (7)
16:25 Long-finned Pilot Whale
Great Shearwater (c30)
Cory's Shearwater (c14)
16:33 Great Skua
Great Shearwater
Cory's Shearwater (2)
16:50 Dunlin
16:59 Black Tern (2)
Great Shearwater
17:12 Great Shearwater (5)
17:20 Sabine’s Gull (adult summer plumage)
Great Shearwater
17:25 Great Shearwater (2)
17:31 Crossbill (male)
Great Shearwater (2)
Cory's Shearwater
17:38 Collared Dove
Great Shearwater (4)
Cory's Shearwater (5)
17:50 Great Shearwater (2)
Cory's Shearwater (2)
18:02 Cory's Shearwater
18:25 Killer Whale
Cory's Shearwater (4)
18:40 White Wagtail
18:53 Great Shearwater (3)
Cory's Shearwater
19:05 Great Shearwater
19:10 Great Shearwater
19:16 Dunlin
19:20 Striped Dolphin (3)
Fin Whale
Great Shearwater
19:38 Fin Whale
19:45 Fin Whale
Unidentified Blow
19:52 Willow Warbler
* individual sightings not recorded
3 Fulmar
c170 Cory's Shearwater
c1100 Great Shearwater
3 Sooty Shearwater
2 Manx Shearwater
5 Balearic Shearwater
13 Storm Petrel
3 Leach’s Petrel
3 Petrel sp.
300 Gannet
1Grey Heron
11 Ringed Plover
3 Golden Plover
c7 Sanderling
4 Dunlin
1 Turnstone
1 Grey Phalarope
1 Pomarine Skua
3 Arctic Skua
18 Great Skua
7 Sabine’s Gull
1 Black-headed Gull
2 Herring Gull
3 Great Black-backed Gull
c20 Kittiwake
1 Sandwich Tern
8 Common Tern
13 Arctic Tern
4 Black Tern
8 Collared Dove
1 Turtle Dove
2 Tree Pipit
1 Meadow Pipit
4 Yellow Wagtail
5 White Wagtail
1 Redstart
1 Wheatear
2 Reed Warbler
4 Willow Warbler
2 Pied Flycatcher
1 Spotted Flycatcher
1 Crossbill
2 Sunfish
50+ Common Dolphin
c10 Bottlenose Dolphin
3 Striped Dolphin
1 Dolphin sp.
3 Harbour Porpoise
4 Fin Whale
1 Long-finned Pilot Whale
1 Killer Whale
1 unidentified blow
Day 3 Monday 2nd September
1 Shag
c1000 Yellow-legged Gull
1 Common Tern
Santurtzi – El Mazo – 07:15 – 11:00
1 imm. Peregrine
2 Kestrel
1 Turtle Dove
1 Little Owl
c5 Swift
2 Hoopoe
4 Wryneck
c10 Tree Pipit
2 Meadow Pipit
2 Yellow Wagtail
3 Wheatear
c10 Whinchat
many Stonechat
c6 Blackbird
1 Robin
11 Black Redstart
5+ Redstart
1 Wren
10+ Fan-tailed Warbler
3 Cetti’s Warbler
2 Melodious Warbler
20+ Whitethroat
2 Lesser Whitethroat
1 Blackcap
2 Sardinian Warbler
30+ Willow Warbler
20+ Pied Flycatcher
c5 Spotted Flycatcher
c10 Great Tit
1 Blue Tit
15+ Red-backed Shrike
2 Magpie
c10 House Sparrow
c10 Chaffinch
c15 Goldfinch
c30 Greenfinch
2 Serin
1 Siskin
1 Crossbill (Heard)
From Boat in Santurtzi Harbour 11:15 – 11:45
5 Griffon Vulture
3 Honey Buzzard
3 Common Buzzard
1 poss. Black Kite
3 Buzzard types
Return Sailing Through Biscay
Sea state (see end of document) predominantly 1 throughout the day, infrequently 2. Visibility excellent all day.
11:58 Honey Buzzard (2)
12:16 Gannet (2)
12:25 Sooty Shearwater
12:35 Cormorant (7)
12:41 Grey Plover (4)
Sooty Shearwater
Yellow-Legged Gull (c20)
12:50 Common Dolphin (c100)
13:00 Reed Warbler
White Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail
13:02 Minke Whale (2)
13:10 Cuvier’s Beaked Whale (2)
13:11 Great Shearwater (3)
13:15 Sooty Shearwater
13:16 Common Dolphin (c20)
13:27 Sooty Shearwater (2)
Great Shearwater
Cory's Shearwater
Arctic Skua (chasing hirondine)
Shoal of Tuna
13:37 Balearic Shearwater
Yellow Wagtail (2)
13:40 Black Tern
13:59 Arctic Skua (2)
Great Shearwater
14:02 Sooty Shearwater
14:15 Great Shearwater
Striped Dolphin (c20)
14:42 Great Shearwater
15:10 Cory's Shearwater
15:21 Turtle Dove
15:28 Willow Warbler
15:40 Common Tern (2)
Little Shearwater (accompanying the terns – very close in)
Yellow Wagtail
15:43 Great Shearwater
15:47 Cory's Shearwater (2)
Great Shearwater (4)
16:00 Sooty Shearwater
16:01 unidentified blow (probably Fin Whale)
16:06 Great Shearwater
16:37 unidentified blow
pipit sp.
16:40 Great Shearwater (6)
16:52 Great Shearwater
Cory's Shearwater
16:55 Great Shearwater
17:04 Spotted Flycatcher
17:12 Cory's Shearwater
17:15 Great Shearwater
17:30 Sabine’s Gull
Gannet
17:33 Sabine’s Gull
17:35 Cory's Shearwater (4)
Black-headed Gull
17:42 Gannet (3)
17:45 Sabine’s Gull (3)
Grey Phalarope
17:50 Dolphin sp. (c6)
18:10 Fin Whale
18:17 Fin Whale (6)
Gannet
18:25 Fin Whale (2)
18:35 Grey Phalarope
18:54 Yellow-Legged Gull
19:10 Striped Dolphin (c20)
19:18 Striped Dolphin (4)
Long-finned Pilot Whale (3)
19:24 unidentified blow
Summary of day 3 (from ferry)
10 Cory's Shearwater
22 Great Shearwater
7 Sooty Shearwater
1 Balearic Shearwater
1 Little Shearwater
7 Gannet
7 Cormorant
2 Honey Buzzard
3 Arctic Skua
4 Grey Plover
2 Grey Phalarope
c20 Yellow-legged Gull
5 Sabine’s Gull
1 Black-headed Gull
2 Common Tern
1 Black Tern
1 Turtle Dove
1 pipit sp.
4 Yellow Wagtail
1 White Wagtail
1 Reed Warbler
1 Willow Warbler
9 Fin Whale
2 Cuvier’s Beaked Whale
2 Minke Whale
3 Lon-finned Pilot Whale
3 unidentified blows
c120 Common Dolphin
c44 Striped Dolphin
c6 Dolphin sp.
Shoal of Tuna
Day 4 Tuesday 3rd September
Sea state (see end of document) predominantly 1 throughout the day, infrequently 2. Visibility excellent all day.
06.24 Gannet
06:30 small shearwater sp.
06:37 Great Skua
06:46 wader sp. (3)
07:06 Common Tern (2)
Gannet (4)
07:11 Lesser Black-backed Gull
07:35 Harbour Porpoise
07:40 Harbour Porpoise (3)
08:00 Great Skua (2)
08:15 whale sp. (2) – possible Minke’s
08:20 Harbour Porpoise (3)
08:57 Cormorant (3)
09:32 Fulmar
09:40 Great Skua
10:45 Great Skua (2)
10:55 Great Skua
11:10 Great Skua
11:30 Fulmar
11:50 Great Skua
12:10 Great Skua (2)
Fulmar (2)
12:38 Great Skua
13:00 Great Skua
Lesser Black-backed Gull (2)
13:26 Great Skua
13:38 Arctic Skua (2)
No further entries made after 13:38 – only occasional Gannet.
4 Fulmar
1 shearwater sp.
c250 Gannet (until recording ceased at 13:38)
3 Cormorant
3 wader sp.
14 Great Skua
2 Arctic Skua
3 Lesser Black-backed Gull
2 Common Tern
7 Harbour Porpoise
2 whale sp.
Summary of sightings from ferry (total of the three days):-
7 Fulmar
c180 Cory's Shearwater
c1122 Great Shearwater
10 Sooty Shearwater
2 Manx Shearwater
6 Balearic Shearwater
1 Little Shearwater
13 Storm Petrel
3 Leach’s Petrel
3 Petrel sp.
c550 Gannet
10 Cormorant
1Grey Heron
2 Honey Buzzard
11 Ringed Plover
3 Golden Plover
4 Grey Plover
c7 Sanderling
4 Dunlin
1 Turnstone
3 Grey Phalarope
1 Pomarine Skua
8 Arctic Skua
32 Great Skua
12 Sabine’s Gull
2 Black-headed Gull
2 Herring Gull
c20 Yellow-legged Gull
3 Great Black-backed Gull
3 Lesser Black-backed Gull
c20 Kittiwake
1 Sandwich Tern
12 Common Tern
13 Arctic Tern
5 Black Tern
8 Collared Dove
2 Turtle Dove
2 Tree Pipit
1 Meadow Pipit
8 Yellow Wagtail
6 White Wagtail
1 Redstart
1 Wheatear
3 Reed Warbler
5 Willow Warbler
2 Pied Flycatcher
1 Spotted Flycatcher
1 Crossbill
2 Sunfish
170+ Common Dolphin
c10 Bottlenose Dolphin
c47 Striped Dolphin
c7 Dolphin sp.
10 Harbour Porpoise
13 Fin Whale
4 Long-finned Pilot Whale
2 Cuvier’s Beaked Whale
2 Minke Whale
1 Killer Whale
2 whale sp.
4 unidentified blows
shoal of Tuna
Notes:-
Unless otherwise stated, number of individual birds/cetaceans is 1.
Cetaceans and fish shown in red.
All times shown in UK Time
Sea states referred to in this report:-
1=small wavelets; crests of glassy appearance, not breaking
2=large wavelets; crests begin to break; scattered white caps
3=small waves, becoming longer; numerous white caps
4=moderate waves, taking longer to form; some spray
Paul Beresford
5th September 2002
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