Scilly pelagic no 8 - Wind and Waves!!

The remnants of Hurricane Gert are arriving over the next 24 hours and with force 6 or stronger forecast for this evening plus 3 metre waves, a bumpy ride was in prospect! Harbours are sheltered places however and this was the placid scene there!

The plan was to go out via the Eastern Isles to escape the worst of the elements and then drift for an hour or so?

Other than Cory's Shearwater (22 seen), it was hard work but there is no finer sight than one working the winds and waves effortlessly. This image is a fantastic memory of the scene :-)

But they also came close again!

And for the first couple of hours, amazing light!

Just 2 Great Shearwaters and 2 Great Skuas to keep us company plus a single Wilson's Petrel to save the day when we least expected it!

 Here's the late evening scene! A single image doesn't convey the mobile scene!

The journey back was pretty long winded as we were heading into the wind and waves. Here's a bit of rock and roll to tempt you onto Sapphire (or put you off for life)...

More wind, waves in prospect for a long daylight session starting at 11.00 am in the morning...

Scilly Pelagic no 6 - evening pelagic

Whilst the main 'full on' birder pelagics run from Friday to Monday, evening pelagics (Tues/Thurs) are regularly put on by Joe with shark fishing in mind. Here we go with bread-drawn gulls hopefully dragging in something special?

The fishing trips certainly pick up the birds two and it was another BIG 3 result as we headed out South of St Marys in a 15mph westerly. 15 Great Shearwaters were the main cast...

with support from 3 Cory's Shearwater and 2 Wilsons Petrel. These were always distant but the supporting cast got in the viewfinder with this Bonxie...

And juvenile/1w  Kittiwake..

The BIG 3 seen (not all pictured here!) in 6 out of 6 trips so far and (knee injury permitting) another five to go...

Scilly Pelagic no 5 - Great Skua tucking in!

Another BIG three session this evening, we headed south with a 15mph Southerly. A single Wilson's Petrel, 16 Cory's Shearwater, mostly distant and 9 Great Shearwaters made up the target birds! Most were not imageworthy but here's a Great...

We also saw 4 Bonxies,  the archetypal 'bad guys'!

One of which provided the final piece of action this evening at the expense of an unfortunate juvenile Gull. Bonxies are seen every trip, regularly harrassing the Gulls and Shearwaters but this one went a step further this evening!

After attacking and stunning the Gull, it proceeded to drown it, we were slowly drifting nearby...

The next stage was to pluck and expose the meal within...

It's a tough life at sea and the food chain is much as on land regarding predator and prey...

The Skua needs to eat and if the morsels from regurgitated food aren't enough, this is the next resort!

The Gull was unlucky to be in the wrong place at the wrong time! We left the Skua in peace...

As these two Great Shearwaters drifted into the dusk...

Scilly Pelagic no 4 - The Ultimate part 2

One sure thing about a Shearwater on the water is the fact that it will eventually fly! And with so much going on, the panic of missing out on another frenzy meant take off moments were commonplace!

Not exactly Usain Bolt but once this Great Shearwater gets to full speed, its up up and away...

Having commented that I'd rarely seen Cory's Shearwater on the water, it was magic to watch them return to the air!

Meanwhile back on the water... We all know the outcome of plastic of plastic items at sea? They are there for a long long time!

But this Cory's was attempting in vain to recycle this bucket lid!

A backlit Sooty Shearwater...

And here's the Balearic Shearwater we had all been hoping for too! 

Finally,  a resume of yet another BIG three, successfully notched up!

Cory's Shearwater...

Great Shearwater ...

Wilson's Petrel...

The day isn't done yet!!

Scilly Pelagic no 11 - Wilson's finale

The final session for me aboard Sapphire and with a steady westerly wind of 15 knots we headed South for Petrels?

Here's a Great Skua on the way out.....

Another adult Sabine's Gull.....

Which loitered not far from the boat for quite some time but rarely coming in.....

Numerous Storm Petrels around the boat once again but eventually... One, TWO, three - make that FOUR Wilson's Petrels as the light was beginning to become 'difficult' but showing supremely well.....

Two in a row tip-toeing the waves, long legs dangling.....

And not the best image but showing the yellow webs nicely!

Eleven pelagics done! And that's NINE Wilson's personally for the trip - can't be bad :-)