Spain here we come! Bay of Biscay 7th September 2021

We caught the 5pm Brittany Ferry from Portsmouth on Monday evening and set off for Bilbao in northern Spain. The cabins are basic but welcome for a nights rest! Tuesday morning we were up early and on deck where we met Chris and Jim who had already seen a Blue Whale!

Photo: Calm sea as we left Portsmouth

After a short while we picked up a small flock of 4 SABINE’S GULLS flying in parallel with the ship. Over the next 4 hours we recorded 4 more pairs making 12 in total! Surprisingly there were few other birds seen on the crossing; the highlights being 11 Grey Herons, 4 Yellow Wagtails, a Willow Warbler, several Gannets and Yellow- legged Gulls and a few Med Gulls and Shags. There were several other unidentifiable passerines

Photo: 2 Sabine’s Gulls - of a total of 12 seen

Non-avian highlights were 2 Fin Whales, a possible Minke Whale, several Common and Bottle-nosed Dolphin and a possible Striped Dolphin. Also 1 Ocean Sunfish. Overall a quiet crossing due to the lack of winds and good weather!