Cetaceans on the Frontier III

Niall Keogh (BirdWatch Ireland Seabird Fieldworker), will be surveying seabirds as part of a multidisciplinary study of the north-east Atlantic shelf edge along the Goban Spur & Porcupine Seabight, south-west of Co. Cork from 24th Feb-5th March with staff & students from universities & institutes across Ireland & the UK. 

Be sure to keep an eye on The Cetaceans on the Frontier III blog for updates & pics.

Winter Shears & Chilly Fulmars

Although the 2011 Seatrack survey season finished up on 6th November, there has been a nice run of winter seawatching records here & there since then, most notably during the period between Christmas & mid-January when the west coast was getting lashed by some pretty strong Westerlies.

Sooty Shearwaters are often more frequently recorded than Manx Shearwaters at this time of year and this certainly seems to be the case so far this winter. The record of a Great Shearwater which passed by at close range off Galley Head (Cork) on St. Stephen's Day must have been a truly amazing sight! There have even been two records of Balearic Shearwater over the past month. As the target species for Seatrack, we're extremely interested in receiving reports of this Critically Endangered seabird, especially outside the 'normal' seawatching season (July-November). It appears that a few 'Balearics' spend some part of the winter off the south coast of Ireland & sightings are usually linked with fish spawing events.

Not surprisingly, quite a few 'Blue' Fulmars were also noted during these seawatch sessions as well as some Great Skuas off traditional wintering sites such as Brownstown Head (Waterford) & Hook Head (Wexford), harassing flocks of gulls feeding on spawning Herring. Little Auks have been extremely scarce in recent years, and this winter doesn't appear to be any different with just 3 records so far.

I wonder what vagrants would turn up if we invested more effort seawatching during 'favourable' conditions in winter? (something large with a Southern Hemisphere accent I would think!)

Anyways, here's a round-up of some of this winters seawatch records:

15th January:
1 Balearic Shearwater & 1 Manx Shearwater off Carnsore Point, Co. Wexford (Kieran Grace).
13th January:
2 Little Auks, 7 'Blue' Fulmars, 1 Glaucous Gull & 1 Iceland Gull, 15km off Belmullet Peninsula, Co. Mayo (Dave Suddaby).
11th January:
1 Sooty Shearwater off Dursey Island, Co. Cork (Derek Scott).
8th January:
5-8 Great Skuas (Bonxies) seen 5-6km off the coast of the Waterford/Wexford coastline between Dunmore East & Hook Head during a whale watching trip (Paul Walsh, Mary Duggan & Andrew Malcolm).
1st January:
- 1 Little Auk flew south off Greystones, Co. Wicklow at 12:00 (Andrew McMillan).
- 1 Great Skua (Bonxie) off Ballynacourty Point, Co. Waterford (Paul Walsh).
29th December:
 - 1 'Blue' Fulmar off Killybegs, Co. Donegal (Derek Charles).
 - 125 pale phase Fulmars & 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls flew north past Bray Head, Co. Wicklow from 09:30-10:30 (Andrew McMillan). An excellent mid-winter count of Fulmars for the East Coast.
26th December:
 - 1 Great Shearwater & 3 'Blue' Fulmars off Galley Head, Co. Cork (Colin Barton).
 - 1 'Blue' Fulmar west past Helvick Head, Co. Waterford at 15:20 (Micheal Cowming Jnr).
19th December:
1 Balearic Shearwater off Curracloe, Co. Wexford (Andrew McMillan).
17th December:
1 Pomarine Skua off Burial Island, Co. Down.
9th December:
1 Grey Phalarope off Deelick Point, Brandon, Co. Kerry from 11:30-12:30 (Peter McDermott).
8th December:
1 Little Auk off Ramore Head, Co. Antrim.
27th November:
 - 5 Sooty Shearwaters, 14 Great Skuas (Bonxies), 2 Arctic Skuas, 17 Great Northern Divers & 7 Red-throated Divers off Bloody Foreland, Co. Donegal (Chris Ingram).
 - 9 Great Skuas (Bonxies) off Kilcummin Head, Co. Mayo (Joe Donaldson).
 - 1 Leach's Petrel, a 1st-winter Iceland Gull, a leucistic Great Northern Diver, 275 auks, 180 Kittiwakes & 100 Gannets were off Black Head, Co. Clare from 08:00-10:15 (Paul Troake).
1 Great Shearwater off Clogher Head, Co. Kerry (Aideen McConville).
25th November:
7 Sooty Shearwaters, 10 Manx Shearwaters, 28 Great Skuas (Bonxies), 5 Pomarine Skuas, 4 Grey Phalaropes, 3 Great Northern Divers, 1 Common Scoter, 3,700 Kittiwakes, 3,400 Gannets & 2,200 auks off The Bridges of Ross, Co. Clare (Paul Troake).

Great Skua (Bonxie) off the Waterford/Wexford coast © Andrew Malcolm

Will Minister Conveney listen to science when it comes to protecting the marine environment?

Seabirds, like humans, depend on a healthy marine environment, which is why BirdWatch Ireland is proud to be an active member of OCEAN2012, a coalition dedicated to ensuring that the 2012 reform ofthe EU Common Fisheries Policy stops overfishing, ends destructive fishing practices and delivers fair and equitable use of healthy fish stocks.

This week Minister Simon Coveney, along with other fisheries ministers, will signal how committed he is to protecting the marine environment.  In the space of a few days they will set fishing limits for stocks in a setting where science has taken second place to politics: this is unacceptable.

Puffin © Peter Loughlin

"We cant afford to damage fish stocks and squander marine resources", said Alan Lauder, BirdWatch Ireland's CEO. "The way the minister behaves now signals how seriously they are taking the ongoing review of Common Fisheries Policy which needs dramatic change so that healthy seas exist in the future, both for marine wildlife and for the people whose livelihoods depend on fishing."


"We will want to see technical measures to stop seabird bycatch, management tools like marine protected areas, and fishing methods that don't damage marine ecosystems," added Siobhán Egan, Policy Officer with BirdWatch Ireland.  "Birds depend on heathy seas. The current Common Fisheries Policy has been a disaster: will Minister Coveney be the man to make a difference?"

Click for more on the benefits of setting fishing limits that don't exceed scientific advice

Seabirds & Fisheries Interactions Survey

BirdWatch Ireland wish to better understand certain aspects in relation to fishing activity in Ireland and any possible interactions it may have with seabirds, cetaceans & other marine life.

If you are involved in the fishing industry we would appreciate if you could take the time to fill out the following survey. Feel free to pass on the link to anyone who might also be interested.

All the information will be processed confidentially.

Thank you.

Go to Survey

November Seatrack Update

A run of Atlantic weather systems moving through over the past two weeks produced some nice tallies for the time of year with late Balearic, Sooty & Great Shearwaters noted along with all four species of skuas & a few Grey Phalaropes. A flock of up to 450 Little Gulls off the Murrough coastline in Co. Wicklow on 22nd/23rd October was a nice find, but to be expected in the right weather conditions at this time of year. 

Little Gull (Dick Coombes)

The final Seatrack survey of the 2011 season takes place this weekend 5th/6th November starting at 08:30am. Whilst the forecast for the weekend seems rather unfavorable for any 'decent' seawatching, early Novemeber can often throw up a few surprises, with Little Auk certainly topping the seasonal wish list. Observers in the south-west should still be on the look out for our target species, Balearic Shearwater, which can often be found here well into the winter.

If you're interested in undertaking a Seatrack survey then e-mail Niall Keogh at seatrack@birdwatchireland.ie

Little Auk, coming to a bathtub near you! (Declan Murphy)

Location: Bloody Foreland, Co. Donegal

Date: 19/10/2011

Time: 08:00-11:05

Weather: F3 N-NW, showers & poor-mod visibility.

Observer(s): Chris Ingram

Great Skua (Bonxie): 23 W

Pomarine Skua: 7 W

Arctic Skua: 5 W

Skua sp: 6 W

Sabine's Gull: 12 W

Arctic Tern: 1 W

Red-throated Diver: 7 W

Great Northern Diver: 11 W & 1 E

Diver sp: 2 W & 1 E

Gannet: 164 W & 5 E

Kittiwake: 1431 W & 4 E

Guillemot: 1 W

Auk sp: 81 W & 16 E

Red-breasted Merganser: 36 W

Barnacle Goose: 54 W & 32 E

Location: Dursey Island, Co. Cork

Date: 17/10/2011

Time: 08:00-10:00

Weather: F6-7 W-SW, dry with excellent visibility

Observer(s): Derek A. Scott

Manx Shearwater: 2 N

Sooty Shearwater: 3 N

Pomarine Skua: 1 N

Arctic Skua: 3 N

Skua sp: 1 M (Arctic/Pomarine sat on the sea)

Fulmar: 190 N

Kittiwake: 105 N

Auk sp: 231 N

Harbour Porpoise: 6 M

"Undertaken from the comfort of our house, 2.2 km from the extreme south-western tip of the island. Our house is situated about 450 feet above sea-level and faces due south, so that we have a commanding view of the sea between Mizen Head and the tip of Dursey. Sea-watching can be quite good from the door of our house when there is a strong wind from the north-west or west and most birds are tracking WNW into the wind on a course from Mizen Head to Dursey Tip. A good telescope is, however, essential. The disadvantage is that we seldom see anything that is heading south-west past the tip from the north side of the island, as this is much too far away."

Location: Bloody Foreland, Co. Donegal

Date: 15/10/2011

Time: 08:25-11:35

Weather: F2-4 SW, light-nil rain in poor-good visibility

Observer(s): Ralph Sheppard & Chris Ingram

Manx Shearwater: 1 W

Sooty Shearwater: 2 W

Storm Petrel: 1 W

Great Skua (Bonxie): 1 W & 1 E

Arctic Skua: 3 W

Skua sp: 2 E & 1 M

'Commic' Tern: 1 W

Common Scoter: 8 W

Red-throated Diver: 1 W

Great Northern Diver: 13 W & 4 E

Diver sp: 1 W & 1 E

Fulmar: 1 W

Gannet: 535 W & 71 E

Kittiwake: 28 W & 4 E

Guillemot: 26 W

Razorbill: 31 W

Auk sp: 107 W

Black Guillemot: 1 W

Red-breasted Merganser: 1 E

Basking Shark: 1 W

Location: Brownstown Head, Co. Waterford
Date: 15/10/2011

Time: 08:55-12:00
Weather: 5-6 SW, vis moderate, some drizzle

Observer(s): Paul Walsh & Jonathon Bulfin

Great Skua (Bonxie): 2 E
Arctic Skua: 1 E & 1 W
Fulmar: 2 W
Gannet: 20 E, 29 W
Red-throated Diver: 1 W
Diver sp: 1 W
Wigeon: 13 W
Shelduck: 3 W
Kittiwake: 17 E & 159 W
Sandwich Tern: 1 W
Auk sp: 27 E & 34 W

Make Ireland an Ocean Champion! TODAY!!!

Within 24 hours, the Irish government could join a growing European call to strengthen fishing limits, but only if they hear from concerned citizens from across Ireland first!

The EU is currently reforming its “Common Fisheries Policy”, but the proposals don’t go far enough towards saving our seas through science-based catch limits. Ireland is one of the first countries to review the new plans and our government is hosting a public consultation for the next 24 hours.

Call for tighter catch limits and make Ireland an ocean champion by adding your voice here: 
http://www.avaaz.org/en/ireland_save_european_seas/?cl=1353469736&v=10852

Appeal to EU policy makers to stop needless seabird bycatch

Original article taken from the BirdLife International Community blog

BirdLife Europe launched exhibition at the European Parliament with stunning albatross images

On Tuesday 18 October, BirdLife Europe and LPO/BirdLife in France opened its remarkable photo exhibition “Albatrosses, legendary birds”, showing sixteen giant photos demonstrating the spectacular beauty and the unique adaptation of these birds to life in the harsh environment of the southern oceans, with a focus on the problem of their needless deaths through bycatch in the course of longline fishing operations. The exhibition also stresses the dire consequences of this impact on albatross populations. Indeed, 17 out of 22 species are already in danger of extinction. It is now urgent to take action to save them.

Jacques Perrin, French actor, filmmaker and the producer of beautiful wildlife documentaries, including the famous  “Microcosmos”, “Winged Migration” and “Ocean”s, opened the speeches and illustrated the extent of the problem “ Just one longline fishing boat can use a line of 130 km long, attached to which are 10-20 000 hooks. […] Each year, 100 000 albatross die this way.” Mr Perrin continued “Albatrosses are an ideal indicator of the health of our oceans, and we know they are being destroyed by short term fishing policies and exploitation practices by our nations”

(Photo Credit: Alison Duncan)

“Not only albatrosses are suffering from seabird bycatch, but also hundreds of thousands of birds in the EU seas” stressed Angelo Caserta, Regional Director of BirdLife Europe. On a positive note he added: “We have solutions for this problem. It’s not difficult and it’s not costly. We can create win-win situations for fishermen.”

For Estelle Grelier, the French socialist MEP who hosted the event, a data collection related to bycatch is a precondition to finding effective solutions, “Just as for the Common Fisheries Policy reform, fishermen will need to be associated to this process”

Lowri Evans, Director General of DG Mare confirmed that the Commission is planning to adopt the EU Seabird Action Plan by the end of the year, containing monitoring and mitigation measures that will reduce seabird bycatch in both European and international waters. She stressed, as advocated in the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, the need to move to a wider approach to fisheries management encompassing all elements of the ecosystem including seabirds. She called upon Members of the European Parliament, Member States, NGOs, the fishing industry and civil society to help bring about this change.

BirdLife Europe is encouraged by the positive news about the upcoming publication of the EU Seabird Action Plan, but at the same time highlights that this is just a first step in our efforts to save the birds. To be effective, the Action plan will need to be translated into the ongoing CFP reform and be accompanied by research, development of technical mitigation solutions, and awareness rising within the fisheries sector.