Seabirds at sea: sightings from British research vessels,
1997 - 2001

Dr Russell B Wynn
Southampton Oceanography Centre

Introduction

During my work as a Marine Geoscientist, I regularly undertake research cruises in the north-east Atlantic Ocean. These cruises have mostly taken place on board the NERC research vessels RRS Discovery and RRS Charles Darwin. Although the work is principally geology-based, I always manage to find time during cruises to observe seabirds and any land-based migrants that hop aboard. Below are some of my offshore sightings made during the period 1997-2001, covering cruises offshore of the Canary Islands, the UK margin, and southern Spain.

February 20th–March 6th, 1997: Madeira - Lisbon

Hoopoe

A week on Madeira before the cruise produced some good birds, such as Berthelot’s Pipit and Plain Swift. The cruise began on February 24th, and the first six days south of Madeira produced small numbers of Little and Cory’s Shearwaters, Madeiran Storm-Petrels and a Painted Lady. March 2nd and 3rd saw the ship heading NE towards Lisbon, and a stiff NE wind saw some passerine arrivals about 200 km off Morocco. These included a Hoopoe, a white-spotted Bluethroat, White Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Kestrel and two Racing Pigeons. On March 5th we were about 100 km south of Portugal and Great Skuas and Gannets began to appear. A female Black Redstart visited the ship briefly, and two Painted Ladies skipped by. The cruise ended with a steam into Lisbon which produced more of the regular seabirds and two turtle species.

September 14th-October 13th, 1997: Southampton – Canary Islands

We left Southampton on September 14th for a six-day passage to the Canary Islands. Straight away it was obvious birds were on the move, and the first day in the western English Channel produced 16 Great Skuas and 150 Gannets, all moving south-west. On September 15th we began to cross the Bay of Biscay, and saw a Little Shearwater that was unfortunately just outside British waters. A juvenile Long-tailed Skua headed south straight overhead, and good numbers of Great and Arctic Skuas, Gannets and Common Terns were also moving south. On 16th we were about 60 miles off NW Spain and experienced a small ‘fall’ of passerines. This included Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, Redstart, Robin, Reed Warbler, Chiffchaff and Yellow Wagtail. Most of these birds only paused briefly before continuing their journey south. Seabirds were relatively scarce, but included a few Little and Cory’s Shearwaters. The following day (17th) saw us about 100 miles off west Portugal. The seabirds were again unspectacular but this was made up for by some very unusual migrants. Two Yellow Wagtails and a Reed Warbler preceded the unusual sight of four Grey Herons flying south overhead, presumably on passage to their wintering area. However, things became even stranger when we drifted by a black object sitting on the sea. I was amazed to find it was a very lost Moorhen, being eyed up hungrily by a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull! This bird was probably a migrant from northern Europe, as this population migrates south and winters as far down as Iberia, Morocco and even sub-Saharan Africa. A few Red Admirals and Silver-Y Moths were also seen on the ship at this time. By the 18th we were 140 miles SW of Portugal.

A single Great and two Little Shearwaters were eclipsed by a stunning flock of ten adult Pomarine Skuas, while four Yellow Wagtails touched down briefly before continuing south. A couple of Great Skuas were also noted. On 19th we were 180 miles NW of the Moroccan coast, and a juvenile Wheatear landed onboard. Common Terns were still moving south, and another two adult Pomarine Skuas were seen. The following day we were rapidly approaching the Canary Islands. About 80 miles north of Tenerife we began to see large numbers of Cory’s Shearwaters, as well as five Madeiran Storm-Petrels and another Pomarine Skua. However, the highlight was my first ever Bulwer’s Petrel, quickly followed by four more. From September 21st to the end of the cruise we were working within a few miles of the western Canary Islands. Seabirds included hundreds of Cory’s Shearwaters, several Little and Great Shearwaters, and nine Pomarine Skuas (all pale adults). Passerines became scarcer but a few Yellow Wagtails were still being seen, together with single Swallow and Redstart. Two Whimbrels flew SW (24th). Insects included Hummingbird and Convolvulus Hawk Moths. One night I was working in the main lab when I was surprised to see a light-dazzled Storm-Petrel crash-land on the floor. Upon closer inspection it was revealed as a Madeiran Storm-Petrel, and it was carefully photographed before being released at dawn. All in a day's work!

Madeiran Storm Petrel

May 29th-June 25th, 1999: 120 km WNW of Shetland

The trip from Glasgow to the work area produced several regular seabirds, including Black Guillemot, Puffin, Manx Shearwater and European Storm-Petrel. Non-bird sightings included Common Dolphins, Common Porpoises, Long-Finned Pilot Whales and Grey Seals. One evening two House Martins roosted on the ship during their journey north. From May 31st onwards we were in the work area about 120 km WNW of Shetland. Several ‘blue’ Fulmars were noted, as well as Great and Arctic Skuas. Three large divers (probably Great Northern) were distantly seen heading north on June 1st, when a tired Snipe landed on the deck. Cetaceans included single Sperm and Fin Whales. Only one Leach’s Storm-Petrel was seen. A brief port call to Stornoway (Isle of Lewis) on June 14th produced a bonus in the form of a first-summer Glaucous Gull in the harbour. Red-throated Divers, Ravens and Greylag Geese were also seen around the harbour.

July 20th-August 10th, 2000: Outer Hebrides, Scotland – SW Ireland – Southampton

This trip was split between two main work areas. The first of these was about 160 km NNW of the Outer Hebrides (July 22nd-31st). Regular birds included Fulmar, Gannet, Kittiwake, Puffin, Great Skua, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Guillemot, Razorbill, European and Leach’s Storm-Petrel, Manx Shearwater and Arctic Tern. For several days, a flock of Kittiwakes took up residence on the fore deck of the ship, which became their roost site during the daytime. At night they would hunt fish fry attracted to the ship’s lights, with the birds homing in on the reflective eyes of their prey. This led to a comic moment when one of the crew members threw a glowing cigarette butt over the side. A Kittiwake obviously mistook the glowing light for a fish and dived on it as it hit the water. For a brief moment I was confronted by the surreal sight of a Kittiwake flying no more than five feet away with a glowing cigarette in its beak! More conventional ‘highlights’ included eight Sooty Shearwaters, eight ‘blue’ Fulmars, and five Pomarine Skuas. On 25th a stiff NE wind produced two very tired Ruff which attempted to land on deck. The 29th was an interesting day, with five Greater Black-backed Gulls passing through, one of which was ringed. There was also a good wader passage at this time, presumably of birds returning south-east from Iceland or Greenland. This included 33 Knot, 21 Redshank and three Turnstones.

Sunfish

A Sunfish provided additional interest, especially this far north. From August 1st-2nd we were on passage to the second work area, about 110 km SW of SW Ireland. The passage produced another eight Sooty Shearwaters and 500+ Manx Shearwaters. Off SW Ireland we began to pick up more large shearwaters. From 3rd-6th small numbers of Great and Cory’s Shearwaters were seen, and on 7th a good passage produced 63 Cory’s Shearwaters moving SW in three hours. Fortunately, I found out that one of the kitchen staff liked birds, so I asked him to save all the food scraps and throw them overboard once a day when I was available. This produced spectacular results! One day I saw at least 16 Great Shearwaters on the water, accompanied by a Pomarine Skua, two Arctic Skuas, a Sooty Shearwater, 100+ Fulmars and several Great Skuas and Gannets, all within 100 m of the ship. The food also produced close views of Storm-Petrels; we were regularly besieged by up to 30 European Storm-Petrels and careful scanning revealed a number of Wilson’s Storm Petrels. These often came close enough to see the yellow webs on the feet. Up to three could be seen at the same time but I was sure the actual total seen from 6th-8th was approaching ten birds.

Three Sunfish were also seen during this period. Altogether the whole trip produced totals of about 10 Wilson’s Storm-Petrels, 100+ Leach’s Storm-Petrels, 1000+ European Storm-Petrels, 82 Cory’s, 39 Great and 20 Sooty Shearwaters. In total about 26 species were seen more than 10 miles from land.

August 19th-September 6th, 2000: Southampton - Southern Iberian margin

This cruise began at Southampton Oceanography Centre, where a Clouded Yellow and fly-over Little Egret were seen before we even left port! From August 20th-24th we headed south across the Bay of Biscay, following a similar route to the P&O cruise ships which have recently found favour with wildlife watchers. It was easy to see why these trips are so popular, with totals of 500+ Cory’s Shearwaters, 6 Great Shearwaters, 3 Little Shearwaters, 1 Pomarine Skua, 1 Arctic Skua, and several European and Wilson’s Storm-Petrels seen during our passage. Great Skuas, Gannets, Fulmars and Common Terns were abundant, and a single exhausted Knot and a Greenland Wheatear arrived on board (20th). Non-bird highlights included a Fin Whale, numerous long-finned Pilot Whales and Common Dolphins, and a Hummingbird Hawk Moth. From August 25th to September 6th we were working about 100 km south of SW Spain. Regular birds included Gannets, Common Terns, Cory’s Shearwaters, Wilson’s Storm-Petrels and Lesser Black-backed Gulls, mostly moving south.

Knot

On 27th a small ‘fall’ included Common Sandpiper, Willow Warbler, Collared Dove, Yellow Wagtail, Turnstone, Swallow and Sand Martin. More like a coastal headland than the deck of a small ship! I was reminded that I was 100 km offshore by a superb adult Long-tailed Skua, two adult Pomarine Skuas, an adult Arctic Skua, and a brief Fin Whale. The following day saw a Hoopoe land on deck (Figure 7) and two Grey Herons fly over, while another Pomarine Skua was seen over the sea. From 29th-31st we had to make a port call in Cadiz, and I managed to see Greater Flamingo, Kentish Plover and Monk Parakeet in the port area. From September 1st-5th we were again about 100 km offshore of SW Spain, and passerine migrants continued to arrive on deck. These included two more Hoopoes, Wheatear, Turtle Dove, Willow Warbler, Yellow Wagtail, Swallow, Turnstone and Whimbrel. Non-bird highlights included a single turtle, several flying fish, two Thresher Sharks, two Fin Whales and a probable Hammerhead Shark.

March 10th-20th, 2001: Madeira - Canary Islands

This trip began in Madeira, with three 1st-winter Ring-Billed Gulls seen enjoying the sun on the beach at Funchal. These were accompanied by good numbers of Atlantic Yellow-legged Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Numerous sightings of Canary, Common Buzzard and Monarch butterfly provided some additional interest. Once the cruise was underway we quickly headed south towards the western Canary Islands. The sea was generally quiet, although when we reached 55 km NW of La Palma island a Turtle Dove and three Swallows were on the ship (13th). The following day saw a Little Shearwater and five Cory’s Shearwaters on the sea. On 16th we came close inshore off Hierro island and began to pick up good numbers of Cory’s Shearwaters, as well as a single Great Skua and a few Atlantic Yellow-legged Gulls. However, the best bird arrived on the deck on the night of the 18th, about 100 km SW of Hierro island. The ship was stationary with all the deck lights on and I went out to see how the work was going. A movement in the corner caught my eye and I walked over to see a large petrel trying to hide away under some stairs. As I brought it out into the lights I was amazed to find myself holding a White-faced Storm-Petrel! Fortunately the bird wasn’t injured so I boxed it until dawn. At first light I took a series of photos and was relieved to see the bird skip away across the waves on its release. This species breeds in good numbers on the Selvage Islands (north of the Canary Islands) but is very rarely seen at sea so I was especially pleased to get one ‘in the hand’. A single Feral/Racing Pigeon on board later that day was something of an anticlimax! The trip ended in Tenerife with a few more Cory’s Shearwaters and large numbers of Portuguese Man-o-War jellyfish.