We joined the Stena Vinga on a beautiful autumn morning and after settling in on board we waited to be called to the bridge to start our survey. After being informed that there would be a short wait, we decided to get some fresh air on deck and watched a large flock of gulls feeding on the water.
Once on the bridge we were warmly welcomed by the crew, and by 10:00 we were set up and able to start the survey. Within a few minutes the first bird species was recorded, a Mediterranean Gull, soon followed by several Gannet sightings. Our next observation was a rather surprising Wood Pigeon which was heading with purpose towards the Isle of Wight.
The weather remained fine with excellent visibility as we sailed onwards towards the French coast and we enjoyed a steady stream of sightings, mostly Guillemot and Gannet but also a few Manx Shearwater and a single diver, annoyingly too distant to identify to species. Around lunchtime a lone Common Dolphin was spotted off the port bow and gave a spectacular leap as it crossed in front of the ship. As Alderney came into view we started to see Razorbill, and this continued for the remainder of the survey along with views of a couple of lone Kittiwake and an unidentified skua.
We took an easterly route into Jersey and, as we came closer to land, we had good views of an adult Great Black-backed Gull and saw the odd Cormorant. Two dolphins were sighted as they surfaced momentarily on the port bow but frustratingly, they could not be relocated, and the view was too brief to identify the exact species.
We concluded the survey as we entered the harbour at St Helier, with our last sighting being a group of seven Shag perched on the rocks just outside the harbour walls. We remained on the bridge until the ship had docked then thanked the captain and his team before returning to the lounge area and enjoying a relaxed evening before retiring for the overnight crossing back to Portsmouth.
We would like to send our sincere thanks to Captain Hafstrand and all his crew for their friendliness and support during our time on board, and for their interest in the work of MARINElife. It was a pleasure to meet everyone, and we look forward to surveying on this route again in the future
Jenny Ball and Helen Mears, Research Surveyors for MARINElife (Registered Charity No. 1110884; Registered Company No. 5057367)
Weather: sunny with some cloud cover, wind SW-NW force 4-6
Species recorded
Marine mammals
- Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis 1
- Unidentified Dolphin sp. 2
Seabirds
- Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo 9
- Gannet Morus bassanus 30
- Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus 2
- Guillemot Uria aalge 52
- Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla 3
- Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus 13
- Mediterranean Gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus 2
- Razorbill Alca torda 68
- Shag Gulosus aristotelis 9
- Diver sp.1
- Skua sp.1
- Auk sp.23
Terrestrial birds
- Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus 1