Friday saw the first West Coast Pelagic of 2024 on board the Helen Claire with Dale Sailing out into the Celtic Deep. At the furthest we were some 54km from St Ann's Head. On our way out we had a small pod of bow-riding Common Dolphin, and the odd sighting of Puffin, Guillemot, Razorbill and Manx Shearwater. Small groups of Northern Gannet were heading to and from Grassholm. Unusually no rafts of shearwater, and just a single passing European Storm Petrel.
Once at our designated spot we cut the engines, and started 'chumming'. Fulmars began to arrive, starting with a single bird and rising to 11. A small flock of Lesser Black-backed Gulls assembled, with birds coming and going, and attracting a single adult Kittiwake and 3 Great Black-backed Gulls. We were surprised to see first a Swift, and then 2 Sand Martins, head over the boat! After 90 minutes of drifting and chumming, we were rewarded with our main target of the trip: a moulting adult Wilson's Storm Petrel. This bird stayed with us for over an hour, and after 45 minutes was joined by a second bird, which was clearly different due it not being in moult! 15 minutes later we recorded a third bird (in moult, but not as heavily as bird 1) and 5 minutes after that, just as we were about to start heading for home, a 4th bird buzzed past the boat, this another fresh looking bird (no moult) but with a less obvious greater covert bar than bird 2. 4 birds is a new day record for Wales (the previous max. being 3 on 25th August 1999 and 19th August 2022, all in the Celtic Deep).
We have another 6 sold out trips in the diary, hopefully the weather enables most to go and the birds and cetaceans are as good as on this trip!
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| Wilson's Storm Petrel, in moult, showing the pale bar on the greater coverts and broad wings |
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| Showing the white rump extending extensively down the sides, and darkish underwing |
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| Classic 'wave-dancing', with wings held flat and long legs skipping the surface |
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