Over the last few years in my time at Sagres, I have often contemplated taking part in a 'pelagic', or seabird trip. The purpose of such a trip is to hopefully, have close encounters with some of the off-shore seabird species which rarely make landfall or, are observed at great distance offering little detail. Species seen on pelagics should include skuas, shearwaters and perhaps petrels too. The prospect of such an adventure would be my only chance to see Wilson's Storm Petrel - a lifer and, having close views of Storm Petrels and the Shearwater species, of which I have observed Cory's Shearwater and Balearic Shearwater distantly from Cape St. Vincent. The downside to this excellent opportunity is the need to be ten miles South of Sagres, on the Atlantic Ocean, in a small boat! I have met people at Cabranosa having returned from their trip feeling rather unwell, to say the least, which is quite understandable. I was fortunate that I had the company of friend, Steve Mulligan on board, who had not only arranged our booking whilst still in the U.K, but he had done previous pelagics and, if a Wilson's was to crop up, he had the knowledge to quickly identify the species. So here it is, the small craft or RIB which was to take seven of us out to the edge of the continental shelf. I should say at this point that our weather was good with only a slight swell on the sea (at first!!). However, since the RIB is capable of speeds in excess of 25 knots, my advice would be to 'hang on as though your life depended on it and ENJOY THE RIDE!' A couple of miles out, we saw our first small gathering of Cory's Shearwaters and approached them slowly. This is when you first realise the detail you are able to observe on the birds, from making such a trip. This is probably the best time to offer my excuses as to how I had to stand, with the RIB wedged between my knees as it rose and fell a couple of feet and, having taken 560 images, there are remarkably few in focus! Out on the horizon a large stern trawler was fishing and the skipper knew a large number of birds would be following the vessel. We raced across the water, hitting the waves with a considerable thud, at which point I found the best way to travel was to adopt a position similar to riding a horse, thus alleviating some back pain! Arriving at the trawler, there were many Yellow-legged Gulls, some Gannets of varying ages and plumages and we soon saw among the gulls, our first Sooty Shearwater. This was a good bird for the day, having not seen Sooty in Portugal before. The all dark Sooty Shearwater sitting on the sea. Sooty treading water to lift off. Around the trawler, we had brief glimpses of our first Storm Petrels but they didn't linger for any time. The skipper decided we needed to be much further out and it was time to 'hang on' once more. Commencing another race across the water, we were joined by a pod of Common Dolphins which were so close, I couldn't wind the lens in close enough. They were swimming alongside the boat and it was possible to see small, young dolphins, swimming with the parent. More than once, a Great Skua visited us and showed extremely well. Closer examination of my images shows this Great Skua to be carrying a white plastic ring (2A93) on the left tarsus and a metal ring on the right tarsus. This indicates that the bird was ringed on either Fair Isle or Shetland and makes a fascinating sighting to the trip, seeing it at the opposite end of its lengthy passage. Given the length of time for the trip, a stop has to be made somewhere and this is when the bucket of 'chum' - bits of fish, fish oil and a horrendous smell, is thrown into the sea - to attract the Petrels. It is also the moment when you know whether your stomach's alright, or not!! The scanning and the wait begins now, for the Petrels to arrive - hopefully. Note the horizon! I was way too late in capturing this Balearic Shearwater as it passed, one of two seen on the trip. In a short while, one or two Storm Petrels began to approach and I had the most difficult but exciting photography session with these tiny birds. Steve duly found me at least one, maybe two Wilson's Storm Petrel during this time. It was clear to see the larger physical size as, one of them was flying with two Storm Petrels, leaving us in no doubt at all. I concentrated on my visual observation of the Wilson's (as it was my first) and probably haven't got an image on my initial look through. More Sooty Shearwaters. To summarise the trip - Well worth doing, great company in a jovial atmosphere, given the slight difficulties encountered at times. I would recommend using a RIB over a conventional craft for the following reasons - 1. High speed, gets you on the job quickly. 2. You can anchor your body over the seat, leaving both hands free for camera work.
Finally thanks to Mar llimitado the boat operator, who was able to give us a dolphin experience as well!
Cheryl Hewins
10/9/2019 11:38:02 am
Am I jealous? You bet! Looks like you had an amazing experience!
Rob and Anne Hunt
11/9/2019 07:19:28 pm
Not jealous at all! (Fingers crossed behind back) Great blog Nigel. Comments are closed.
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