After much planning and negotiating, MARINElife and shipping partner CLdN have reopened the exciting survey route from Purfleet to Leixões via Rotterdam and back.
It was a privilege to be the first surveyors on this re-established route. On arrival at Purfleet, our hosts gave us a warm welcome and escorted us to the MV Catherine.
After being shown to our quarters and unloading our equipment, we went to the bridge, where we met Captain Sergei, familiarised ourselves with the layout, and reviewed the route ahead. Shortly before 6pm, we left our berth and headed steadily along the Thames towards the mouth of the estuary.
To view the full 8-day report, download it at https://marine-life.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Purfleet-Leixoes-trip-report-full.pdf.
Species recorded
Marine mammals
- Common Dolphin (Short-beaked) Delphinus delphis 143
- Fin Whale Balaenoptera physalus 1
- Harbour Porpoise Phocoena phocoena 7
- Harbour (Common) Seal Phoca vitulina 4
- Northern Bottlenose Whale Hyperoodon ampullatus 1
- Sperm Whale Physeter macrocephalus 1
- Tuna sp. Thunnus sp. 1
- Unidentified Dolphin sp. 1
Seabirds
- Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus 1
- Auk sp. Alcidae 2
- Balearic Shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus 1
- Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus 113
- Commic Tern Sterna hirundo/Sterna paradisaea 12
- Common Gull Larus canus 56
- Common Tern Sterna hirundo 57
- Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo 565
- Cory’s Shearwater Calonectris borealis 292
- Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis 3
- Gannet Morus bassanus 205
- Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus 54
- Great Shearwater Ardenna gravis 68
- Guillemot Uria aalge 5
- Gull sp. Laridae 518
- Herring Gull Larus argentatus 68
- Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla 2
- Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus 109
- Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus 116
- Mediterranean Gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus 2
- Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis 1
- Petrel sp. 2
- Sabine’s Gull Xema sabini 47
- Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis 91
- Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis 1
- Shearwater sp. 82
- Skua sp. 1
- Sooty Shearwater Ardenna griseus 3
- Storm Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus 2
- Tern sp. 71
- Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis 5
Inland birds
- Carrion Crow Corvus corone 2
- Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto 1
- Curlew Numenius arquata 3
- Duck sp. 14
- Dunlin Calidris alpina 2
- Grey Heron Ardea cinerea 2
- Grey Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius 1
- Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola 1
- Jackdaw Coloeus monedula 1
- Little Egret Egretta garzetta 2
- Mallard Anas platyrhynchos 8
- Mute Swan Cygnus olor 1
- Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus 2
- Pigeon sp. 50
- Passerine sp. Passeriformes 2
- Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula 1
- Sandpiper sp. 1
- Woodpigeon Columba palumbus 4