Seawatching off St Ives Island

The wind was NW backing W, but declining in strength.  I decided to give St Ives a try for a couple hours before work.  The photography opportunities are the best possible from mainland here, but on reflection, nearby Pendeen definitly gets greater numbers.  These are the numbers from yesterday, allbeit, Pendeen counts are for a longer period.

St Ives Island, 61m-8.45. 1,000's Manx, 6 Balearic Shearwater, 5 Great Skua, 4 Arctic Skua, 1 Common Tern, 1 Arctic Tern, 21 Sandwich Tern, 1 Grey Phalarope, 5 Common Scoter, 2 Curlew.

Pendeen: 2 Great Shearwater, 75 Sooty Shearwater, 14 Balearic Shearwater, 1'000's Manx, 1 Leach's Petrel, 3 Storm Petrel, 22 Great Skua, 25 Arctic Skua, 1 Pomarine Skua, 2 ad Sabine's Gull, 26 Sandwich Tern, 10 Arctic Tern, 17 comic tern, 12 Common Scoter, 13 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Curlew. Courtesy CBWPS site.

The images below were taken from St Ives Island at a distance of 100-150m.  They are all heavily cropped, some up to 40%, which means they are at the edge of degradation.  Not an ideal scenario but they are record shots. Bring on the Fea's....

Grey Phalarope



Manx Shearwaters

Balearic Shearwater (really scarce this year)

Ad dark phase Arctic Skua