A special place... The Isles of Scilly are one of only two places in England where Manx Shearwaters breed
Under threat...The Isles of Scilly hold 3,000 fewer pairs of breeding seabirds than 25 years ago
Around Penzance harbour before departure we saw:- 3 Purple Sandpipers, 20+ Turnstone, 1 Male Eider and 1 Common Scoter
In a fairly strong SE wind between Penzance and Wolf :- 1 Great Skua, 1 Balearic Shearwater, 2 Manx Shearwater, 14 Kittiwake, 77 Gannets, 30 Guillemot, 6 Auk ?species, 108 GBB Gulls, 5 LBB Gulls, 3 Shag.
Between Wolf and St Mary's:- 104 Gannets, 1 Manx Shearwater, 4 Guillemot, 1 auk sp?, 20 Lesser Black-backed Gulls,9 GBB Gulls, 1 distant small Skua, 4 Kittiwakes and 2 Herring Gulls.
On the return from St Mary's to Wolf Rock:- 2 Balearic Shearwaters, 68 Gannets, 3 Storm Petrels, 6 Kittiwake, 4 GBB Gulls, 1 LBB Gull, 1 Guillemot, 3 auk sp?. Two pods of Common Dolphins with 6 and 3 animals showing. A Grey Seal watched us sail past.
Wolf towards Penzance sightings were reduced because of the poor light and dusk. However we still saw 1 Balearic Shearwater, 35 Gannets, 6 Auks, 1 Great Skua, 5 GBB Gull and 1 Minke Whale.
Brian Craven & David Curtis.
