Jenny Ball, Research Surveyor for MARINElife
Weather: Outward: wind W f5-6, sea state 4-5. Return: wind S f5,
sea state 4-5, some rain and associated poor visibility.
Summary of sightings:
Marine Mammals
Grey Seal Halichoerus grypus 1
Seabirds
Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle 6
Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus 1
'Commic' Tern Sterna hirundo/Sterna paradisaea 1
Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo 6
Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis 4
Gannet Morus bassanus 52
Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus 6
Guillemot Uria aalge 180
Herring Gull Larus argentatus 11
Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla 42
Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus 17
Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus 196
Puffin Fratercula arctica 2
Razorbill Alca torda 7
Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis 2
Storm Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus 1
Tern sp. 7
I thought my luck was in, the first song played
on the Scotia's bridge radio when the Captain turned it on was
"Wind Beneath my Wings", followed a few tracks later by "It's a
Beautiful Day" - what an inspiring start to the survey! The day was
going to have a hard job living up to that billing though and so it
turned out. The weather was breezy and overcast, with a lively sea
making the surveyor's life just a little tricky. However, sightings
of seabirds came regularly throughout the day, the highlight being
a little group comprising three of our familiar auks: two Puffin, a
Razorbill and a Guillemot, resting together on the water as we
passed through the Walney windfarms. The only view of a marine
mammal was of a Grey Seal when we were already in the Victoria
Channel, approaching Belfast port.
Not content with supplying feel-good songs, the Scotia's bridge
was looking quite festive: a big helium balloon with lots of
ribbons was hanging in the corner. I heard that the Chief Officer
had recovered it on the Belfast-Heysham trip the previous night (I
had visions of him reaching out of the bridge window and grabbing
it, but I suspect it was probably snagged on something lower down
on the ship). I had an interesting conversation with the Deck
Officer about the hazards of letting balloons go and the damage
that they can cause to the seas and marine animals.
Following the customary and very welcome stay at the Jury's Inn in
Belfast, I was on the 'Stena Hibernia' for the return survey. The
visibility was poor at times and, apart from the Isle of Man giving
a bit of relief from the wind, the sea conditions weren't ideal for
spotting cetaceans. Bird life was mainly made up of Gannet,
Guillemot and Manx Shearwater, with a few Black Guillemot, Sandwich
Tern and Kittiwake. Four immature Gannet of different ages were
seen; whether they were birds hatched on Ailsa Craig and returning,
or from another colony seeing the sights, I don't know.
Stena Line are generous hosts for our surveys, and their staff are
often interested in our work. The steward on the Hibernia was keen
to find out if she'd really seen a shark and appreciated having a
look at our ID charts. She's very conscious of current
environmental issues, saying sadly that her daughter's school
friends back home in Lithuania are not learning to take care of
their surroundings. Let's hope that the message eventually gets
through, sooner rather than later.
Grateful thanks as ever to the Stena Line Captains Bakker and
Kasprzak for their welcome on board their ships and also to the
Jury's Inn for the comfortable room in Belfast.
Jenny Ball, Research Surveyor for MARINElife (Registered Charity
No. 1110884; Registered Company No. 5057367)
Helium balloon picked up at sea (Jenny Ball)
2nd summer Gannet (Library photo: Graham Ekins)