Category: Biology

We went on a pelagic trip in the Isles of Scilly with Sapphire skipper Joe Pender, departing Hugh Town harbour, St Mary’s Island on 9th July 2018 at about 5pm. Within seconds we were being tailed by dozens of Herring Gull.

Engines were cut about an hour out to sea and the anglers aboard began flicking their rods to catch mackerel, which they did, a dozen or so quite quickly. Then the fishing for Blue Shark (Prionace glauca) began. An 83-year old angler hauled in the first (with a little assistance from crew and fellow anglers to get lines around and from under the boat). The catch was a 2.3 metre specimen, it was photographed, scientifically tagged*, and returned to the waves largely unscathed, but perhaps a little confused. I must admit, you could almost see the fear in its eyes while they were doing the weights and measures and shoving the tag under its skin!

The older birdwatchers aboard jeered some of the subsequent efforts. But, by the end of the fishing it was a draw, 6 landed, 6 that got away.

Anyway, the birdwatching, was not quite the numbers game we had hoped for, but aside from the dozens of Herring Gull, we saw lots of Gannet, many over the boat and a distant flock diving on a patch of water where dolphins were also feeding. We had a few Fulmar and about the same number of Manx Shearwater (aka Manks Puffins).

The skipper called out another bird as it crossed our stern and I snapped at it as quickly as I could. I didn’t catch what it was at the time, I thought I heard him shout “Manxie!”. But, back home and on dryland with my laptop I could see it was a Skua that I’d photographed. The Facebook bird ID group called it out – it’s a Bonxie – a Great Skua (Stercorarius skua). Bonxie is a Shetland name for the bird probably a word of Norse origin. Skuas are piratical birds, they will steal food from other birds. But, they’re also predatory, and the Great Skua is capable of killing a kittiwake. Stuart Keenan on that Bird ID group tells me he’s seen one in Wester Ross kill and eat a first-year Great Black-backed Gull! In the same Facebook thread, Mike Honeyman told me that the Bonxies used to have a fairly good crack at the warden team on Fetlar. “We were suitably nervous in their vicinity!” he writes.

So, the Great Skua, a lifer for me, even if I didn’t get a decent shot. I wasn’t quick enough to get a focus lock on this bird as it crossed the stern of our moving boat, when the skipper shouted. The subsequent photos were reasonably sharp as it flew away but underexposed against the bright evening sky as, again, I wasn’t quite quick enough to adjust.

*UPDATE: 2024. The scientific work is important even if a few sharks have to be hauled from the water to be tagged.

The Mediterranean Blue Shark, a species critical to the marine ecosystem, is facing the threat of extinction due to overfishing and a lack of proper conservation efforts. A 2024 study explored the genetic differences between specimens in the Mediterranean Sea and the Northeast Atlantic Ocean to understand if they are separate populations. The results showed subtle genetic differences, suggesting that the Mediterranean sharks are largely isolated from Atlantic populations. This separation means they rely on local populations for survival, with limited new sharks coming from the Atlantic.

This has important implications for conservation. Current management often treats Blue Sharks as a single population, but this overlooks the unique risks facing the Mediterranean sharks. Overfishing in this region could push them closer to extinction, especially since they reproduce slowly and are not being replenished from elsewhere. Protecting these sharks requires more targeted conservation strategies and international cooperation.

This research is vital not only for blue sharks but for understanding how fishing and environmental changes affect marine ecosystems as a whole. Safeguarding such apex predators is essential for maintaining the balance of marine life.

I don’t know if Pender’s tags are specifically part of the data for this particular study, but they do feed into the bigger picture of Blue Shark movements in the Atlantic.

The Manx Shearwater is a medium-sized shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae, photo immediately below. The scientific name of this species is Puffinus puffinus. It’s a tautonym, which means the name repeats to indicate this species is the “type” for the family.

But, you’re perhaps wondering why isn’t it the Atlantic Puffin with its colourful beak the bird that gets to be called the “type” of the family instead of this largely black and white seabird. Well, the answer lies in the fact that Manx shearwaters were known as Manks Puffins in the 17th century. The word puffin has an Anglo-Norman etymology (in Middle English it’s pophyn) and it means “the cured carcasses of nestling shearwaters”, a delicacy at one time. So, back when animals were being given their scientific names and the science of taxonomy and its rules and regulations first being drafted by Carl Linnaeus, the Manx Puffin was the type and was given the appropriate name – Puffinus puffinus.

It is thought that the bird we commonly call the Atlantic Puffin today (Fratercula arctica) got its common name much later, perhaps simply because it has nesting habits similar to the Manx Shearwater.

We recently visited the Isles of Scilly (IOS), spent a few days island hopping from St Mary’s to Tresco, St Agnes and Gugh, St Martin’s, the Western Isles and Bishop Rock Lighthouse and the Eastern Isles. Given that Manx Shearwaters have started breeding here again we were hoping to see quite a few. I think in total we probably saw 20-30 over the course of the week whereas others had seen vast flocks of 1500-2000 the week before. Same applied to the Atlantic Puffins…we were there just a little bit too late in the season.

Meanwhile, we did take an evening pelagic (open-water) trip on a shark-fishing/bird-watching boat. The focus was very much the sharks for the fishermen at least.

The sea anglers caught six (another six got away). The first and largest was 2.3m from tip of its nose to the tip of its tale and was caught by an 83-year old gent with only a little assistance from crew and fellow anglers. All the sharks were scientifically tagged and returned to the water alive and flicking.

Our hope was to see a lot of Manx Shearwaters, like I said. I think we saw, at most three or four on that trip. We did see a lot of Gannets, Herring Gulls, several Fulmars, and a Great Skua.

However, perhaps a highlight was the appearance of a school of short-beaked dolphins (pictured below) accompanied by some bottle-nosed dolphins as we headed back to St Mary’s at sunset. The photo below is of Short Beaks skimming alongside our ferry back to the mainland rather than the low-light snaps I got of the various dolphins on the evening pelagic.

I’ve shared a gallery of my best bird photos from our IOS trip via a public link on Facebook and you can see the top 10% of all of our photos from the trip on Flickr.

There are lots of birds in the Isles of Scilly, although unfortunately, we were at the tail-end of the Puffin season. The islands had had good weather and Easterly winds for a while, which meant less marine bird activity and lower numbers. We saw Manx Shearwaters by the handful as opposed to flocks of 1500-2000 on pelagic trips the week before. Lots of Gannet meant dolphins: Bottlenosed and Common Dolphins on a couple of trips, and lots of seals on another. Oh, and a lone Red Squirrel, just to give the mammals a mention. We also saw six Blue Sharks being caught on our pelagic trip, measured, and scientifically tagged to be returned to the sea a little shaken but otherwise unharmed.

But, on the plus side, it meant no rain, blue skies and warm, sunny days. It was like being in The Caribbean.

We also added a few new species to the bird gallery on this trip: Manx Shearwater, Greenshank, Rock Pipit, Carrion Crow. Various juveniles: Dunnock, Linnet, Lapwing, Barn Swallow, and others. And, of course quite a few we had seen and photographed before, but in new locations: Puffin, Guillemot, Fulmar, Razorbill, Gannet, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Shelduck, Oystercatcher, Swallows, Wren, Reed Warbler, Stone Chat, Meadow Pipit, Peregrine. There were more House Sparrow here than anywhere we have ever visited but only the occasional Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Collared Dove, and other fairly common town and country birds.

Interestingly, someone told us on our island-hopping travels that Robins are rarely seen on the IoS, we saw at least four. Black-headed Gulls only rarely made an appearance. Birds we did NOT see at all that we normally see everywhere else in the UK: Buzzard, Kestrel, Jackdaw, Rook, Wood Pigeon, etc.

Our full IoS gallery of Birds, Boats, Mammals, and More is on Flickr and includes photos from Mr & Mrs Sciencebase. There’s also a bird-specific gallery on my Facebook, which should be visible to all visitors.

There are lots of Common Whitethroat (Sylvia communis) on the margins of farmland around Cottenham. I walked the dog along Broad Lane from Fen Bridge Farm to Archie’s Way and a little beyond (hoping to see or hear something rare). But, there was an abundance of Whitethroat, I had only seen one or two so far this year, but today at least a dozen, also Reed Bunting, Yellowhammer, Corn Bunting, Linnet. Also, lots of Reed Warblers in our local reed bed.

If you’re wondering what this warbler sounds like, have a listen to it on Xeno-Canto. What’s a warbler anyway?

As they pointed out on BBC Springwatch, the Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus) used to be seen only on or close to reed beds, but it has now spread its wings, taken a flight of fancy and is now quite common on farmland and even in country gardens. Walk along the Cottenham Lode or anywhere out on the Fen Edge Patch and beyond, where there are drainage ditches and listen out for its trilly call and you might spot one perched on a tall weed in a field of wheat or on the reeds.

Lots of Linnet (Linaria cannabina) around the farmland surrounding Cottenham right now too. Mentioned them last year in a blog post about RSPB North Warren. Here’s a female out on the fen today with a mouthful of berries. Female pictured below, but you can listen to the sound of the male here.

As well as the Reed Bunts, Linnets, and Whitethroats, mentioned earlier, there are also lots of Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) and Corn Bunting (E. calandra) around the Cottenham Fen Edge at the moment.

A couple of Corn Buntings perched on overhead wires allowed me to get fairly close to photograph them before flying off into the wheat fields.

Slightly overexposed poppies along Broad Lane, Cottenham

Cow parlsey along Broad Lane, Cottenham.