And so Biscay 2012 came and then went.......it was a bit like Cliff getting a round in at the bar, it sort of never happened.
The excitement of a few days at sea from a fresh bunch of eager participants was quickly kicked firmly into touch when it became very apparent that the Force 8 gale we'd sailed into was going in precisely the same direction as a description of Melon-headed Whale in the swimming pool on board.....nowhere.
Dawn on the first morning and conditions at sea were frankly horrific (and they got worse). So it was with some surprise that we actually saw anything at all. On board however, our crew mates were dropping like flies. First to call for Ralph was '2-foot' Hughes who threw up even before leaving his cabin on the first morning (although in fairness it had nothing to do with the sea state....that came later). And as the day progressed so the weak continued to drop. Only the hardy soldiered on.
Thankfully, good numbers of cory's sheawater brought dawn on the first morning to light and these were joined by a nice smattering of great sheawaters and the obligatory sabine's gull (is it actually possible to get bored of seeing sabine's gull?) put in regular appearances. An adult long-tailed skua was a nice addition to the list and by midday we were frankly pretty bored of large shearwaters and in desperate need of some Cetacea. And then, all hell broke loose....
The next 2 minutes of frankly shocking Cetaceae identification will no doubt rumble on for some time yet. All I do know is that I am proud to say that 'I was there' to document the first ever 'Two Whale Theory' and the discovery of a new species for science. Minke-backed whale Megabaleaenoptera clutchingatstrawsicus was the last thing any of us expected but there it was....and in the blink of the other eye it was gone.
Apart from that, and the fact I shook hands with Michael Jackson, Joek became a member of the Jackson 5 and one of our group was asked to leave and was then taken back to their room in a wheelchair by security, it was all rather dull? You'll be pleased to hear that the magician was once again brilliant.
Trip Highlights:
Birds
Cory's Shearwater c1,000
Sooty 2
Great +50
Manx 20
Balearic 10
Storm Petrel +40
Pom Skua 1
Arctic 1
Great 3
Long-tailed 2
Sabine's Gull 17
Little 2
Black Tern 1
Sandwich 2
Common +40
Arctic 2
Cetacea
Humpbacked whale 0.5
Minke whale 0.5
Fin whale 4 (plus 6 large unidentified rorquals)
Sei whale (don't ask...it's just not worth going there)
Bottlenose dolphin 5
Striped dolphin 6
Common dolphin +50
Other
Yellow-finned tuna +10
Ocean sunfish +10
PS apologies to both Wader and 2-foot for waking you up and thanks for letting me into the cabin at some ungodly hour of the morning yesterday, you probably saved me from an unspeakable fate.
12 comments:
Thanks guys for organizing an unforgettable experience once again. It was well lush.
Tidy.
sorry Randal, I fell asleep on the way, having dosed myself on anti-sickness pills, Smudger can vouch for that, was it anywhere near that appalling noise that was supposed to be a tribute to Michael Jackson ? but thanks all the same for arranging another brilliant trip,will buy you a pint !
Don't worry Cliff. We'll do it all again next year.
A full house next year just to watch cliff Buy a pint..
Many thanks to the organisers. Despite the lack of Cetaceans and fewer birds than last yr. nevertheless it was defo 'half tidy'. Irritating to have been unable to get on to either L-t Skua [which being one of a couple of bogey birds, would have been a lifer], whilst getting on to everything else, but hey, there's always another day.
Well I must say thank you to everyone who came with us,birders and non-birders alike. I have some great memories from the trip, Cliff thinking his 8p tip on a £580.00 bill would suffice (no joke!!), Randal's face when Dirty Dianne sat on it,Joek 'tito' Jackson (did you bleach your skin too?) strutting his stuff on the dance floor with the Jackson 5 tribute and '2ft' Hughes' green face on the first morning after leaving his gaseous cabin that Wader and Randal had left him in to name but a few.
2012 will live long in the memories of the salty sea dogs that made up the party - not to mention the honoured guests.{Trying desperately to find a way to avoid saying sea bitches}
Tiger once again provided the comedy. Slaphead the wigs, Joek the dance moves. Squirrel the authenticity,2 feet provided the chum and last but not least God provided the lousy weather and put salt in everything from scrota to camera lenses.
On the success side {?} - a new sea mammal of the order cetacea / OR a case of two whales appearing at once being identified as two separate species that are totally and utterly unmistakeably different!!!!!!!!!! priceless!
Well done - the organisation of the room tickets was absolutely shite but the rest was seriously average - brilliant well done.
Thanks for the positive comments Rich,maybe next year you can pull the thumb out of your arse and organise things?
To the 2 Nigels, before I throw away my boarding tickets, would you like to check them just ONCE more ?? (over a pint perhaps)
if you buy the beer.....now there's a first.
Salt everywhere indeed. Bins have already been dunked in a bowl of warm water, and waterproof is currently soaking to dissolve the white crystals which adorn it.
Seriously boys well done it takes a lot to organise most of us and even more to organise one of us!
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