Wednesday 3 October 2018

Scillies Pelagic

Hello

On Monday I was fortunate to join a pelagic boat trip off the Isles of Scilly. The Scilly pelagic trips during the late summer and early autumn were particularly good this year and I was hopeful that maybe some of Great Shearwaters might be lingering in the deep water off the Scillies.

For the first ninety minutes or so we didn't see very much at all but we didn't need to worry as the skipper Joe Pender expertly guided us towards a feeding frenzy of sea-birds and Common Dolphins.
We stayed with them for a couple of hours, rafts of shearwaters including maybe a hundred Greats and smaller numbers of Sooty, Balearic and Manx being the main centre of attention.

Gannets were diving all around us, the water burst and spluttered as pods of dolphins fed frantically around us and a few each of Great Skua and Kittiwake joined the throng. A Minke Whale surfaced twice near to the boat, confirming that most of the activity was going on unseen below the waves. The supporting cast included a few each of Guillemot, Razorbill, Puffin and Grey Phalarope...

Regards

Neil M









Great Shearwaters.


Balearic Shearwater.




Sooty Shearwater.


Great Shearwaters.


Common Dolphins.

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