Our YCN Seabird and Whale Adventures kicked off again in late July, but - having been in the US for the last few weeks (as every summer) - this was my first date guiding on the boat this season, and (also as every summer) I couldn't wait to get started.
This time last year was memorably exceptional, and I was very lucky to be in pole position throughout (see
here,
here,
here and
here); back to the present, meanwhile, and the team have had a fantastic few weeks (see e.g. Jono's post
here). This, combined with the preceding low pressure systems and weather fronts moving through over the last couple of days, brought out a bit of the pessimist in me...
... but thankfully I was only half-right (or less, depending on your approach). There had indeed been a huge clear-out of seabirds (particularly Sooties, of which we had none), but there was still plenty to enjoy, and the combined day list from the two trips was in fact really good.
Doing two trips back to back (in this instance, a three-hour first, followed by a five/six-hour) meant a 0420hrs start, a drive across the Moors as the sun came up (illuminating the surreal swathes of smoke from the still-smouldering fires), and an eBird checklist kicking off at 0630hrs (
see here); just shy of eleven hours later and it was back to car in the harbour for the drive home to York.
Minke Whales (above), Caspian Gulls (below)
Between those times, we had plenty to enjoy, including: four Minke Whales, four skua species (eight Arctic, single juvenile Long-tailed, single Bonxie and two Poms), a juvenile Little Gull, hundreds of Common Terns, Razorbills and Guillemots, a single Puffin, and two beautiful juvenile Caspian Gulls that arrived at the boat together some five miles offshore (and stuck around long enough for everyone to practically touch them).
By no means up to the lofty heights of preceding trips this month, but hardly dull either, and there's still plenty to play for in September....
Puffin (above), Arctic Skuas and Common Tern (below)
Between those times, we had plenty to enjoy, including: four Minke Whales, four skua species (eight Arctic, single juvenile Long-tailed, single Bonxie and two Poms), a juvenile Little Gull, hundreds of Common Terns, Razorbills and Guillemots, a single Puffin, and two beautiful juvenile Caspian Gulls that arrived at the boat together some five miles offshore (and stuck around long enough for everyone to practically touch them).
By no means up to the lofty heights of preceding trips this month, but hardly dull either, and there's still plenty to play for in September....
