Immingham-Brevik

Pete Howlett and Robbie Hawkins Research Surveyors for MARINElife

Weather: Eastbound NE 8-6; Westbound NE 3-5

Cetaceans
Harbour Porpoise Phocoena phocoena 19

Seabirds
Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata 1
Diver sp. Gavia sp. 1
Fulmar Fulmaris glacialis 402
Gannet Morus bassanus 187
Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo 1
Great Skua Stercorarius skua 4
Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus 1
Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus 2
Common Gull Larus canus 10
Herring Gull Larus argentatus 32
Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus 155
Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus 45~
Kittiwake  Rissa tridactyla 501
'Commic' Tern Sterna hirundo/paradisaea 15
Puffin Fratercula arctica 9
Guillemot Uria aalge 181
Razorbill Alca torda 41
Unidentified large gull sp. 4
Unidentified auk sp. 787 

Terrestrial birds
Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus 1
Common Buzzard Buteo buteo 10
Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus 2
Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus 2
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica 1
Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis 7
Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe 1
Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus 2
Common Redpoll Carduelis flammea 1

After arriving at Immingham on Saturday evening we were thankfully escorted onto the 'Tor Freesia' a few hours before departure and managed to get some sleep before heading to the bridge shortly after 07:00. We were greeted by the sight of the North Sea stirred by a north-easterly gale and heavy rain. The ship made light work of the sea conditions but surveying was challenging. A lone Arctic Skua provided some excitement late in the day.

The next morning we awoke to our first sight of Norway. The weather had improved and we were able to admire the distant snowy peaks and wooded shores of the fjord leading to Brevik with many groups of Eider duck floating into view. After docking we had time to explore the surrounding shore and woodlands, enjoying views of Peregrine, Yellowhammer and Hawfinch. After a look around the sleepy town and a tea in a waterside cafe we re-boarded to await departure the following morning.

The ship's schedule had been altered due to the May Day holiday which meant we could survey the Brevik-Gothenburg sector. Conditions were much improved with just a gentle breeze and clear blue skies. We were glad to record our first cetaceans, with several groups of Harbour Porpoise, or 'tumlare' as the Swedish crew called them. The other highlight was seeing some raptor migration, with several Common Buzzard, a Marsh Harrier, two Kestrels and a Sparrowhawk all seen crossing between Denmark and Sweden.

The day in Gothenburg allowed us to input the survey data already gathered, and sample some more Swedish dishes from the chef.

The final day's surveying started under blue skies but with a stiff northerly breeze. A Wheatear and Swallow, making use of the ship as a rest station, had to dodge a Sparrowhawk which circled the ship before continuing its journey to Norway and a lone Pomarine Skua was also a welcome addition to the list. The southern edge of the Dogger Bank provided excitement with a rash of Harbour Porpoise sightings. Further inshore from Dogger Bank we were kept busy when we encountered several large feeding frenzies of mixed auks, Kittiwakes, Fulmars and Gannets.

With daylight fading we called time on the survey at the mouth of the Humber.

Our grateful thanks go to the Captain and crew of the Tor Freesia for their hospitality on this extended survey.

Peter Howlett & Robbie Hawkins, Research surveyors for MARINElife

Maggie Gamble and Carol Farmer-Wright Research Surveyors for MARINElife

Weather: Eastbound; Westbound:

Cetaceans
Harbour Porpoise Phocoena phocoena 19
Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis  23
White Beaked Dolphin Lagenorhynchus albirostris  1
Unidentified Dolphin species 3+

Seabirds
Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis 53
Gannet Morus bassanus 328
Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo 18
Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus 40
Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus 42
Common Gull Larus canus 3
Herring Gull Larus argentatus 56
Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla 1609
Guillemot Uria aalge 833
Razorbill Alca torda 46
Unidentified Auk Species 1673
Unidentified large Gull Species 443
Eider Duck Somateria mollissima 483
Merganser Mergus serrator 2

Terrestrial Birds
Hooded Crow Corvus Corone Cornix 3
Mute Swan Cygnus olor 18
Goldeneye Bucephala clangula 2
Unidentified Duck species 16
Unidentified passerine species 4

The high pressure system over the North Sea area meant that day one of the survey started in thick fog.  However just as we settled down for an early lunch we emerged into clear skies and a sunny day and from our table we could see feeding Gulls, Gannets and Harbour Porpoise.  We were quickly welcomed back onto the bridge to find that we were over the Dogger Bank and promptly started recording more Harbour Porpoise and associated feeding birds.

Conditions were perfect for porpoise spotting, with calm seas and good light. As we cleared the Dogger Bank activity lessened but for the rest of the day we recorded steady sightings of seabirds. Some large splashes off the port side were probably Minke Whale but remained elusive. Leaving the bridge just after sunset we hoped that the good conditions would persist for the next day.   

At dawn we were back on the bridge to find it was a glorious morning with superb views of the Fjord and many small islands. Soon we were recording the first of many Eider Ducks the males resplendent in breeding plumage and Mergansers were also seen.  After docking we had plenty of time to walk around Brevik and admire the local Hooded Crows, before returning to the ship and data entry. Departure was at sunset which meant we could enjoy the stunning views as it was too dark to survey. 

Day three was another beautiful day and we had time to record Harbour Porpoise, gulls and plenty more Eider as we approached Gothenburg. Here we spent the day moored, bird watching and data entering before tucking into our new favourite meal - Flying Jacob!

Day four was bright with a light sea mist and was fairly quiet for most of the day with brief sightings of small groups of Common Dolphin and Harbour Porpoise. Then in the early evening we found ourselves in the centre of feeding activity spread over a wide area.  It was fascinating to watch as tight feeding frenzies of mainly Kittiwakes and Guillemots would form and then disperse to regroup elsewhere. We only managed to see cetaceans under one of these groups but from the bird behaviour we were sure they were there. Suddenly a shout from the bridge crew alerted us to a dolphin repeatedly breaching off the starboard side. Carol grabbed her camera and from the photographs identified it as a White Beaked Dolphin! A perfect end to a great survey.

Many thanks to all the crew of the Tor Freesia for their welcome and help during the survey.

Maggie Gamble and Carol Farmer-Wright, Research Surveyors for MARINElife

Rick Morris and Sharon Morris Research Surveyors for MARINElife

Weather: Eastbound: NNW-SSW 2-3; Westbound: NW-SSW 3

Cetaceans
Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus: 7
Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis: 2
Harbour Porpoise Phocoena phocoena: 1
Minke Whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata: 1
Grey Seal Halichoerus grypus: 2

Seabirds
Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis: 68
Gannet Morus bassanus: 147
Great Skua Stercorarius skua: 1
Common Gull Larus canus: 13
Herring Gull Larus argentatus: 1
Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus: 10
Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla: 154
Guillemot Uria aalge: 205
Razorbill Alca torda: 3
Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle: 2
Unidentified Auk Sp. 67
Unidentified Small Gull Sp. 2
Unidentified Large Gull Sp. 4
Unidentified Diver Sp. 1 

Terrestrial Birds
Feral Pigeon Columba livia: 1

We arrived at DFDS's terminal in Immingham on Saturday evening around 23:00hrs and boarded our ship at midnight, this meant we could get into our cabin and get some sleep as the ship was scheduled for a 05:00 departure. We awoke around an hour after departure and had time for breakfast before going up to the bridge to start the first leg of this first Brevik/Gothenburg survey.

The weather was kind to us as we had a bright start to the day with good conditions, we were very optimistic of some good sightings and at just gone 10am, we had a group of seven Bottlenose Dolphins, four of which came into the bow and three went down the starboard side, these were followed shortly afterwards by a Great Skua which flew across the bow of the ship.

Around midday we observed a large bull Grey Seal watching us watching him as we went past, then shortly afterwards our only Harbour Porpoise was spotted briefly as it hastily swam away from us, but the highlight of this trip came at just before 2pm when a Minke Whale was observed ahead lunge feeding and then showed nicely as it went down the starboard side. The rest of the day was punctuated with regular sightings of various seabirds which took us to sunset where upon we said goodnight to the officer of the watch and headed down for dinner.

The second day of the Brevik leg would have gave us around an hour of daylight before reaching port but we weren't able to survey along the fjord due to fog. This was a real shame, but we imagine the views to be stunning in good light. We decided not to leave the ship to look around town as the weather was not favourable so instead made use of the time to input the data collected into the laptop.

The next leg of this trip saw us leave Brevik at 9pm for Gothenburg in Sweden for an 8am arrival the next morning. This part of the survey will be more suitable for observation in the summertime as at this time of year we did not have any daylight on the way into Gothenburg.

After a twelve hour stopover in Gothenburg we set sail at 8pm for Immingham and after a good night's sleep and a spot of breakfast, were up on the bridge once again to start the homeward bound survey. With a sea state of three, again we were optimistic of some good sightings and just before 9am we recorded a Grey Seal then around half an hour later two Common Dolphins showed briefly, but alas that was to be all the cetaceans as at 10am we encounter mist and fog which stayed with us for the rest of the journey making it very difficult to observe, although we did record sporadic sightings of various seabirds.

We arrived back in Immingham just ahead of schedule at 21:30 and said our thanks and farewells. A big thank you goes to DFDS and the crew of the Freesia Seaways for allowing us to conduct this survey.

Rick Morris and Sharon Morris, Research Surveyors for MARINElife