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Client Quote.... 'A wonderful trip with fantastic sightings' A & S. 2003
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BAY OF BISCAY 14-17 AUGUST 2004
Trip Report by Graham Tucker & Roy Beddard
This was a highly successful trip, and in spite of less than ideal conditions there were more than 80 encounters with in excess of 700 animals of eight cetacean species, and good numbers were seen on both legs of the journey. On the outward half of this crossing, the Sunday was marked by several hours of light but continuous rain and murky conditions. This didn’t clear until well into the afternoon. The next day the ship was running before an advancing deep Atlantic low, which brought a choppy sea with many white-caps at times.
Saturday 14th August
The terminal was very full but boarding started promptly and the ship left on time. Once on board, most of our group headed for the restaurants to avoid the queues that would form once the ship had left Portsmouth. After dinner, leaders and group met in the Whale and Dolphin Room for the introductory talk. The main sections of the trip were described and key times to be on deck were emphasised. Many people now turned in ready for an early start, and after a quick drink in the ‘Posh Bar’ the rest also retired full of anticipation for the day ahead.
Sunday 15th August
Arriving on deck at 0700 hrs, the leaders found that most of the group were there before them and enthusiastically scanning the sea. The weather was calm and overcast with reasonable visibility, and the ship was now off Normandy. We were in the area where Harbour Porpoise and perhaps an occasional Minke Whale could be expected. Sure enough, frustratingly brief views of porpoises were seen by several of our group and a probable breaching Minke was glimpsed. A steady trickle of porpoises were seen during the rest of the morning and early afternoon as we approached and passed Brittany and l’Isle d’Ouessant. Seabirds were also in evidence with plenty of Gannets, a few European Storm-petrels and, off Ouessant, our first Cory’s Shearwater of the trip, with a single Sooty Shearwater soon after.
By this time visibility was deteriorating and for the next few hours we had to put up with light but continuous rain as the ship passed through a front. After passing Finistère the skipper altered direction and headed on a more westerly course to reach the slope of the continental shelf more quickly. There is time to do this on the outward journey and it allows us to reach prime cetacean areas several hours early. The continental shelf has an average depth of up to 200 m, which increases rapidly going down the slope until the Abyssal Plain is reached, a depth averaging 4000 m! However, before we reached the shelf slope other small cetacean species were spotted, with good views of Common and Bottlenose Dolphin around lunchtime. Early in the afternoon a couple of Ocean Sunfish were seen wallowing on the surface as the ship glided past. The occasional Cory’s Shearwater was seen and a dark phase Arctic Skua passed by. The shelf slope was reached mid-afternoon and the deepening water soon brought new species. Several 1.5-metre long Yellow-fin Tuna were seen chasing bait-fish close to the boat, hurling themselves clear of the water. More Cory’s Shearwaters followed this sighting and then several scattered groups of Pilot Whales (probably Long-finned) passed close by.
A single Little Shearwater was seen by many on deck, and then half an hour later the excitement level increased with shouts of ‘blow’ announcing the first large whale. This was not identified but a Fin Whale blowing and diving 10 minutes later certainly was. In the next half hour several groups of Striped Dolphins and a group of three Fin Whales followed. By now the weather had improved somewhat but perversely the number of cetaceans had dropped, and it wasn’t for another hour before large whales were again spotted.
The ship now passed a very large group of Fin Whales scattered over perhaps 10-15 miles of sea. In the next 35 minutes at least 24 Fin Whales were spotted at varying distances. Once this large group had passed things were quieter, with two more small groups of Fin/large Whale and some smallish pods of Striped Dolphins. At 2000 hrs a tired but happy group of whale-watchers signed off for the day and headed for a shower and dinner.
Monday 16th August
The ship docked on time and at 0700 hrs we were waiting to disembark. Just three on the tour had opted for a morning of culture, and had taken the ship’s tour to Bilbao and the famous Guggenheim Museum. After a short taxi ride the rest of us arrived at El Mazo, the picnic area on top of the hill immediately behind Santurzi. Here there was a fine view over the port with the Pride of Bilbao looking like a toy beneath us. The weather was overcast but clearing with a hint of some sun to come. On the top there were a number of Red-backed Shrikes and Stonechats. When the sun came out so did the butterflies, including Clouded Yellow, possibly Berger’s Clouded Yellow, Long-tailed Blue and a bright but rather tatty Adonis Blue. A Cleopatra was seen by a few of us, and one observer also saw a Red-underwing Skipper. On the walk back down the hill there were more shrikes, Melodious Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Nightingale, Black Redstart, Spotted and Pied Flycatchers and brief views of Sardinian Warbler. A Red-rumped Swallow was also seen briefly and Cuckoo and Cetti’s Warbler were heard. Reaching the town, we made a quick call to a supermarket to buy a picnic lunch with Rioja, fresh bread, Spanish cheese (Manchego), sausage (chorizo), tinned fish and fruit. This we ate when everyone was assembled back on the top deck, and very enjoyable it was too.
The ship was 30 minutes late leaving in a calm sea with patchy cloud and some sun. The departure from Santurzi is down a deep marine canyon, which is one of the best areas for beaked whales. However, this day things started quietly and we were 2-3 hours into the voyage before a group of four Cuvier’s Beaked Whales were spotted fairly close to the boat. Three adults and a calf gave excellent views as they passed down the port side of the ship. Soon after a pod of about 60 acrobatic Striped Dolphins livened things up and a distant medium-sized cetacean was spotted through a ‘scope but didn’t reappear. It remained quiet for the next hour until the first Fin Whales were spotted, two followed a few minutes later by another two. Forty minutes later distant blows from a large whale were seen and then a closer Fin Whale. The first Cory’s Shearwaters of the return trip were spotted at about 6.30 p.m. and soon afterwards distant large splashes were seen. These were made by two Fin Whales lunge feeding at the surface in a confused mix of blows, backs/fins and monstrous splashes. Over the next one and a half hours this scene was repeated many times. During the lunges the whales would take several tons of water into their mouths and expel it through the baleen, retaining whatever fish or crustaceans they were feeding on. This is a mode of feeding not witnessed often in Biscay and we were privileged to see it. Some 25 Fin Whales were counted in total on the return leg and many of them were feeding in this style.
Seabirds were not numerous, with Cory’s Shearwater and European Storm-petrels being the most common. A few Arctic and Great Skuas were seen and very few Gannets, which are usually scarce in the southern part of the Bay. The last of the Fin Whales was seen in fading light at 2018 hours, although a member of the group who went for dinner earlier reported seeing a blow and a Fin Whale back while seated at dinner!
Tuesday 17th August
Our group were easily the keenest on board and in spite of the scarcity of cetaceans several people were on deck before 0700 hrs. The boat was now just past l’Isle d’Ouessant and heading for the long trip back up the Channel. After an early morning watch with Gannets, European Storm-petrels, more Bonxies (Great Skuas) and Common Terns we all headed for a large breakfast. This was followed by a call of the log and a review of the trip that everyone agreed had been most enjoyable, with a total of eight cetacean species and more than 80 large whales being spotted. The more dedicated sea-watchers then returned to the viewing deck. This part of the journey usually consists of seabirds only, but the dedication paid off and finally at 1450 hrs a distant back and dive sequence of a mid-channel Minke Whale was spotted. Contrary tides and an engine problem slowed us down and it wasn’t until 1900 hrs that the ship glided in past the Royal Navy Dockyard into its berth in Portsmouth Harbour.
Roy Beddard
Graham Tucker
Summary of sightings
Cetaceans and fish
Fin Whale 66
Uni’d Large Whales 18 (probably most were Fin Whales)
Minke Whale 3 (1 seen breaching 3 times)
Pilot Whale 42
Cuvier's Beaked Whale 4 (3adults, 1calf)
Uni'd Small Whale 3
Common Dolphin 185
Striped Dolphin 133
Bottlenose Dolphin 180
Harbour Porpoise 45
Uni’d Dolphin 45
Also 5 Sunfish and a minimum of 5 Yellow-fin Tuna
Note that these counts are the combined counts of port and starboard sides
Birds whilst at sea
Fulmar 7 Great Skua 13
Cory’s Shearwater 49 Arctic Skua 5
Little Shearwater 2
Sooty Shearwater 4 Yellow-legged Gull Present
Manx Shearwater 2 Great Black-backed Gull Present
European Storm-petrel 55 Lesser Black-backed Gull Present
Gannet 100+ Sandwich Tern 1
Ringed Plover 1 Common/Arctic Tern 45+
Turnstone 1 Black Tern 2
Dunlin 20 Duck Sp. 4
Whimbrel Pipit Sp. 1
Black-tailed Godwit 1
Birds on land at Santurzi
Kestrel 2 Blackcap P
Mediterranean Gull 1 Sardinian Warbler 1
Yellow-legged Gull P Whitethroat 1
Common Tern P Zitting Cisticola 3
Woodpigeon P Cetti’s Warbler 1
Collared Dove P Melodious Warbler 1
Cuckoo P Willow Warbler 2
Common Swift P Spotted Flycatcher 1
Red-rumped Swallow 1 Pied Flycatcher 1
Swallow P Blue Tit P
House Martin P Great Tit P
Tree Pipit P Red-backed Shrike ~10
White Wagtail P Magpie P
Wren P Carrion Crow P
Robin P House Sparrow P
Nightingale 1 Starling P
Black Redstart 1 Greenfinch P
Stonechat P Goldfinch P
Blackbird P Linnet P
Butterflies at Santurzi
Red-underwing Skipper 1 Gatekeeper P
Small White P Small Heath P
Clouded Yellow P Speckled Wood P
Cleopatra P Wall Brown P
Peacock P Small Copper P
Red Admiral P Long-tailed Blue 2+
Painted Lady P Common Blue P
Marbled White P Adonis Blue P
Meadow Brown P
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