Monday 12 December 2011

Great Skua from St Kilda wintering in English Channel off South Devon
I had a speedy response to yesterday's Great Skua sighting 30nm off Start Point.


The bird was ringed by Will Miles (of Leach's Petrel fame, if you subscribe to British Birds).


Will replied with the following interesting information on the bird:

"This is definitely one of mine, and the first ever record of one away from Kilda - totally brilliant! A live wintering at-sea record is particularly rare for these guys - so many thanks again. This fella is actually the second bird I ever ringed on Kilda. It is White/White (L) Red/White (R), ringed on Hirta on 22nd May 2007 as an adult (wing 441mm, weight 1510g, head&bill length 108.5mm). It nested every year on Kilda that I was there (2007-10) with only two other pairs on 'Mullach Sgar', quite a remote location away from the main colony in Glen Mor. Also, if I remember, the pair had rather a taste for Leach's Petrels too !"

Sunday 11 December 2011

10th DECEMBER, 2011
English Channel 30nm SSW off Start Point, Devon
Out on a fishing boat, a few interesting bits and pieces mid-channel. Two groups of Common Dolphins. Up to 15 wintering Bonxies around the boat, one carried colour rings (so awaiting some feedback on this bird as to where it was ringed); see photo below - left leg double white, right leg red over white. There were far more large gulls foraging around the boat than normal, mostly Herring, Great and Lesser Black-backs and good numbers of Kittiwakes. Fulmar numbers have picked up again and there was one dark phase (a dark as opposed to a double dark). Best bird was a cracking dark morph 1w Pomarine Skua, though sadly I have no photos as it disappeared soon as I waved a camera!
Below photos of colour ringed and unringed Bonxies and 'dark' Fulmar

Wednesday 7 December 2011

4TH DECEMBER, 2011

2 Harbour Porpoise past West Bexington
Reported by Mike Morse

1 Bottlenose Dolphin at the entrance to Brixham Harbour.
Reported by Penny Robson


26TH NOVEMBER & early DECEMBER, 2011

Killer Whale (Orca) spotted off Cornwall on several occasions around Newquay and Padstow, including 2 seen on the 26th November from Trevose Head, near Padstow.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/killer-whales-spotted-off-cornwall-124927982.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-16050956