quinta-feira, 12 de setembro de 2013

Pelagic trip Graciosa

Last week I changed my wel knowned land spots four some days of ocean near the small Island of Graciosa. Main target was the Monteiros Storm Petrel and it take not long to spot a dozen of them on the first day.


Monteiros Storm Petrel


Picturing this birds on a ful moving boat is not a easy but the good conditions whit a flat Ocean stil gave me a change to take some stuff. Fea, Band Rumped and Bulwers Petrel. Great Manx and Sooty Shearwaters and a Pomarine Skua was the main bird menu on this first day.


Feas Petrel


Corry Shearwater

Great Shearwater


Bulwers Petrel


Great Shearwater
 But it was not only birds passing by. At least 5 species of dolphins, some Beaked whales, a Blue Shark and lots of Turtles made the party complete.









The second day on the sea was completly different. A strong northern breeze made the trip less confortable and a new explores bank more south of the Island only brought us a lost Blue Shark. The afternoon back to the east side and still near the shore we found the 3th Brown Booby for the Azores (got the second by myself some years ago on my local patch) having trouble whit two Artic Skuas.

On the bank there was not much to do less a big number of Sooty Shearwaters flying by.
Slowly drifting back to Graciosa we had some Monteiros and Band rumped Storm Petrels but my best moment where the 3 Long Tailed Skuas apearing from nowhere.

Long tailed Skua

The last day on the sea whit even worse conditions did not alow us to go far out. So we checked out the Praia Islet where we got two Sooty Terns.

Sooty Tern



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