After a month of rough ocean and strong wind we got a much calmer pelagic expedition. It did not bring so many seabird species as in the previous pelagics but it was 3 comfortable trips with very good views of the birds and, on the last day, of cetaceans as well! The most common birds, watched everyday were Bulwer's Petrel Bulweria bulwerii and Cory's shearwater Calonectris borealis.
14th July 2024 2024 - West wind up to 3 knots and flat ocean
13 Desertas/Fea's Petrel Pterodroma feae/deserta - 12 on the way up from which 9 were sitting on the water
5 Pterodroma sp. - too far to ID
Lesser Black-backed gull Larus fuscus
Bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus
2 Sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus
Short-finned Pilot whales Globicephala macrorhynchus
Atlantic Spotted Dolphins Stenella frontalis
13th July 2024 2024 - Easterly wind up to 8 knots, relatively flat sea
8 Desertas/Fea's Petrel Pterodroma feae/deserta - 7 on the way up with 2 of them sitting with a group of Bulwer’s
4 Pterodroma sp. - on the way up, too far for a positive ID
2 Wilson's Storm-petrel Oceanites oceanicus - 1 on the way up
3 Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis
Manx shearwater Puffinus puffinus puffinus
Common tern Sterna hirundo
2 Lesser Black-backed gull Larus fuscus
Swordfish
12th July 2024 2024 - 5 to 7 knots of North wind and northwest waves up to 1.2 meters
4 Pterodroma sp. - all on the way up
Desertas/Fea's Petrel Pterodroma feae/deserta - 1 on the way up
2 Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis
Zino's Petrel Pterodroma madeira
Lesser Black-backed gull Larus fuscus
2 Wilson's Storm-petrel Oceanites oceanicus
Barolo’s shearwater Puffinus baroli - flew past in a distance (as usual!)
Manx shearwater Puffinus puffinus puffinus - on the way back
Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus - a single one in Machico bay
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