26th SEPTEMBER, 2011
English Channel up to 30nm SE of Start Point, Devon
Seen from boat while fishing: Sooty Shearwater, 5 Black Terns, 15+ Great Skuas, 10 Common Terns, 'Blue' (dark) Fulmar in with 100+ light phase, 6 European Storm-petrels and juv Sabine's Gull. While heading back in 2 Balearic Shearwaters 5nm SE of Dartmouth.

Above, two different Black Terns

Above juv Common Tern ( quite a dark bird!)

Above Common Tern (immature 1s?) and juv Gannet (up close quite striking plumage)

Above Sabine's Gull juv. Photos ©Mark Darlaston

23rd SEPTEMBER 2011
Portland Survey
A Grey Phalarope and 2 Great Skuas were the only highlights during JNCC/MARINElife transect survey.

Grey Phalarope ©Kevin Lane

25TH SEPTEMBER. 2011
Start Point, Devon
Seawatch 08:00-12:00, heading SW: juv Sabine's Gull (at 08:40), 5 Sooty Shearwaters, 37 Balearic Shearwaters, 2 Manx Shearwaters, 5 Bonxies, 8 Arctic Skuas, 2 Arctic terns, 8 Common Terns, 3 Black Terns, 9 Sandwich Terns, 472 Gannets, 38 Razorbills, 6 Guillemots, 2 Puffins & 25 Kittiwakes.

14TH SEPTEMBER, 2011

33 Balearic Shearwater on the Shambles Bank off Portland Bill.
Report by Chris Caines.

1ST SEPTEMBER, 2011

A 7.5m Northern Bottlenose Whale stranded at Beg-Meil, in Fouesnant, France.

26TH AUGUST, 2011

Berry Head, Seawatching 0830-1030hrs:
469 Manx Shearwater, 1 Balearic Shearwater, 2 Yellow-legged Gull (juveniles), first independent juvenile Herring Gull (8) also passing headland today, 3 Arctic Skua, 1 Common Tern, 1 Sandwich Tern, 17 Common Scoter, 54 Kittiwake, 50+ Gannets. Also 2 Common Dolphin 0840-0945hrs & 2 Harbour Porpoise 0910-0915hrs
Report by Mike Langman

21ST SEPTEMBER, 2011
English Channel 20nm south of Start Point, Devon
From a fishing boat: at least 6 Sabine's Gulls (5 juvs, 1 adult), Little Gull juv, 3 Sooty Shearwaters, Balearic Shearwater, 15+ Great Skuas, 10+ European Storm-petrels, 150+ Fulmar (including some interesting birds, will do a separate post on these later). A few photos for now!

from top to bottom, Great Skua, Balearic Shearwater (x2), adult Sabine's Gull, juv Sabine's Gull (x3), juv Little Gull (x2) ©Mark Darlaston

16th SEPTEMBER 2011
Berry Head, Devon
63 Balearic Shearwaters following one returning trawler and 54 behind another (normally 8 is a good count doing this!). Also Sabine's Gull, Black Tern, Arctic Tern

15th SEPTEMBER 2011
Lyme Bay Survey
132 Balearic Shearwaters (only 2 Manx Shearwaters) and 9 Harbour Porpoise were the highlights during JNCC/MARINElife transect survey of western Lyme Bay.
Balearic Shearwater ©Kevin Lane

This follows an incredible run of Balearic Shearwater records off Devon, where the Devon record has been broken numerous times this September - the larger counts as follows:

14th SEPTEMBER 2011
Dawlish Warren / Orcombe Point, Devon
c200 Balearic Shearwaters (still feeding).

13th SEPTEMBER 2011
Prawle Point, Devon
81 Balearic Shearwaters west

12th SEPTEMBER 2011
Start Point, Devon
383 Balearic Shearwaters (new Devon record!), 14 Sooty Shearwaters and 1148 Manx Shearwaters heading SW.

Dawlish Warren / Orcombe Point, Devon
229 Balearic Shearwaters

11th SEPTEMBER 2011
Orcombe Point, Exmouth, Devon
376 Balearic Shearwaters (short-lived Devon record!). Though there may be circulation of birds here.

Budleigh, Devon
250+ Balearic Shearwaters

Dawlish Warren, Devon
220 Balearic Shearwaters

Seaton, Devon
77 Balearic Shearwaters

Chesil Cove, Dorset
140 Balearic Shearwaters

10th SEPTEMBER 2011
Orcombe Point, Exmouth, Devon
100+ Balearic Shearwaters.

6th SEPTEMBER 2011
Berry Head, Devon
304 Balearic Shearwaters heading S (short-lived Devon record! Previous was 145).

Start Point, Devon
238 Balearic Shearwaters heading SW.

Prawle Point, Devon
160 Balearic Shearwaters heading W.

5th SEPTEMBER 2011
Berry Head, Devon
Several thousand feeding shearwaters out in Lyme Bay, most Manx, but a sample count of c1000 closer birds indicated 6% Balearic Shearwaters (so there could be 300+ out there).

3rd SEPTEMBER 2011
Start Point , Devon
The Balearics have arrived! Seawatch 10:45-19:00 surprisingly good for the SeaWatchSW target species, especially late pm, heading SW were : 101 Balearics Shearwaters (strongest passage 14:00-19:00 when 90 past, also one very pale bird on underside with white into undertail coverts, although Balearic on structure), 13 Sooty Shearwaters, 1 large shearwater (most likely great), 1192 Manx Shearwaters, 1 Bonxie, 1 Arctic Skua, 12 Whimbrel, Common Scoter, 2 Puffins, 2 Sandwich Terns, 6 Common Terns, juv/1w Yellow-legged Gull.

2nd SEPTEMBER 2011
Sea area off Portland , Dorset
11 Balearic Shearwaters, 55 Manx Shearwaters, 2 Fulmars, 3 Bonxies, 47 Gannets, 13 Herring Gulls, 18 Great Black-backed Gulls and 2 Guillemots during JNCC/MARINElife transect survey.