Took a trip guided by Orca, a Whale and Dolphin charity from 24th to 26th September on Brittany Ferries from Portsmouth to Santander then back to Plymouth Birds seen on 25th south of Brittany to Santander 1 small wader, showed id features of Curlew Sandpiper 2 Ringed Plover Wagtail sp. c15 Sooty Shearwater Many Gannets Arctic Tern Common Scoter few small flocks 1 pos. 2 Little Shearwater Skua sp. Pos Pomarine 2 1 Northern Wheatear 1 Willow Warbler 1 Yellow Wagtail Santander evening of 25th, small park near ferry port Spotted Flycatcher Pied Flycatcher Willow Warbler Chiffchaff Lots of Humming-bird Hawkmoth 26th northern Biscay and English Channel. Most of these areas affected by thick fog c20 Great Skua 1 Leach's Storm Petrel c15 Great Shearwater 3 Cory's Shearwater 4 Sooty Shearwater 1 Arctic Skua 4 Sabine's Gull 2 Sandwich Tern Meadow Pipit Yellow Wagtail 1 European Storm Petrel Lots of Gannets I took this same trip in 2011 at the end of August when the large Shearwaters numbered into the thousands, a much different story this time with long periods where no birds were seen, however the Whales and Dolphins were incredible. Fin Whale 6+ Pilot Whale 30+ Cuvier's Beaked Whale Unidentified Beaked Whale sp. 5 Northern Bottlenose Whale 1 Minke Whale 3 Killer Whale 100s Common Dolphin 100s Striped Dolphin 30+ Bottlenose Dolphin Lots Ocean Sunfish 1 Basking Shark 1 Oceanic Whitetip Shark 1 Thresher Shark
I managed to see most but not all of the above. A great trip with lots of enthusiastic and knowledgeable people.
Rob Smallwood said
Thu May 26 10:07 PM, 2011
Off tomorrow morning. You can tell I'm leaving the country, Least Sandpiper over the Pennines. Hey ho, here's hoping the winds have blown a Frigatebird into Biscay!
Rob Smallwood said
Tue Apr 26 3:52 PM, 2011
Brittany Ferries are operating Portsmouth to Bilbao and Plymouth to Santander.
Will be taking the P - B late May for a short stop in Northern Spain hoping for a day in Picos looking for Wallcreeper, Alpine Chough & Snowfinch as well as picking up some birds, dolphins and maybe a whale or two en route.
Phil Panton said
Fri Aug 27 6:46 PM, 2010
Is this the route that they're going to stop operating soon ?, seems a real shame with such a fantastic array of sightings.
pete berry said
Fri Aug 27 8:51 AM, 2010
Just got back from a 3 day mini cruise to Bilbao from Portsmouth,birds from the ship:-
15+ Sabines Gulls
2 Cory's Shearwaters
4 Black Terns
Good numbers of Manx Shearwaters
Storm Petrel
Gannets,Fulmars,Commic Terns
Plus a Dunlin and Turtle Dove which landed on the ship
Cetaceans seen
10 Sperm Whales
2 Fin Whales
1 Cuviers Beaked Whale
400+ Dolphins inc Common, Bottlenosed and Striped
Birds seen around Bilbao(in 3 hours)
Griffin Vulture
Honey Buzzard
Serin
Fan Tailed Warbler
Melodious Warbler
Kestrel
Whinchat
plus Willow Warblers/Chiffchaff etc
Good value for £87 return
Took a trip guided by Orca, a Whale and Dolphin charity from 24th to 26th September on Brittany Ferries from Portsmouth to Santander then back to Plymouth
Birds seen on 25th south of Brittany to Santander
1 small wader, showed id features of Curlew Sandpiper
2 Ringed Plover
Wagtail sp.
c15 Sooty Shearwater
Many Gannets
Arctic Tern
Common Scoter few small flocks
1 pos. 2 Little Shearwater
Skua sp. Pos Pomarine 2
1 Northern Wheatear
1 Willow Warbler
1 Yellow Wagtail
Santander evening of 25th, small park near ferry port
Spotted Flycatcher
Pied Flycatcher
Willow Warbler
Chiffchaff
Lots of Humming-bird Hawkmoth
26th northern Biscay and English Channel. Most of these areas affected by thick fog
c20 Great Skua
1 Leach's Storm Petrel
c15 Great Shearwater
3 Cory's Shearwater
4 Sooty Shearwater
1 Arctic Skua
4 Sabine's Gull
2 Sandwich Tern
Meadow Pipit
Yellow Wagtail
1 European Storm Petrel
Lots of Gannets
I took this same trip in 2011 at the end of August when the large Shearwaters numbered into the thousands, a much different story this time with long periods where no birds were seen, however the Whales and Dolphins were incredible.
Fin Whale 6+
Pilot Whale 30+
Cuvier's Beaked Whale
Unidentified Beaked Whale sp.
5 Northern Bottlenose Whale
1 Minke Whale
3 Killer Whale
100s Common Dolphin
100s Striped Dolphin
30+ Bottlenose Dolphin
Lots Ocean Sunfish
1 Basking Shark
1 Oceanic Whitetip Shark
1 Thresher Shark
I managed to see most but not all of the above.
A great trip with lots of enthusiastic and knowledgeable people.
Will be taking the P - B late May for a short stop in Northern Spain hoping for a day in Picos looking for Wallcreeper, Alpine Chough & Snowfinch as well as picking up some birds, dolphins and maybe a whale or two en route.
seems a real shame with such a fantastic array of sightings.