Three weeks ago I secured the last place on Ed Carty's pelagic out of Dingle. We departed at 8.00am last Tuesday morning, 27th August from Dingle Harbour ticking Fungi the Bottle-nosed Dolphin on the way out (as every good tourist does), to what were calm looking seas in Dingle Bay. Two hours later and five miles north-west of the Blasket Islands it all began. Manx and Sooty Shearwaters first appeared once the troughs started to deepen and after six hours on open sea and lots of chum later, we had managed to clock up the following; two adult Sabine's Gulls, 12 Great Shearwaters, 50 plus Sooty Shearwaters, one second year Pomarine Skua, five Bonxies, one blue Fulmar, 50 Storm Petrels, six or seven Minke Whales, lots of Common Dolphins and three to four Ocean Sunfish. Very enjoyable even though the weather was misty in parts.
Inistearacht Island, the most westerly cliffs of the Blaskets © John N Murphy
One of 12 Great Shearwaters © John N Murphy
Blue Fulmar with Northern Fulmars © John N Murphy
Sooty Shearwater © John N Murphy
One of five Great Skuas (Bonxies) that arrived for the chum © John N Murphy
Pomarine Skua with badly abraided tail spoons © John N Murphy
Adult Sabine's Gull catching a small sprat © John N Murphy
Storm Petrel © John N Murphy
