Med Cruise May 2016-at sea observations.

Generally seabirds were not seen in large numbers but I got in on some spring skua passage during the outward journey; a dark Arctic Skua off the Brest Peninsular on 12th was followed next day by a small flurry of skuas  off the Portuguese coast when  2 Poms, 2 Long-tails and 2 Bonxie were seen. The sight of a pale morph Pom and an adult Long-tailed heading north together over the open ocean was one of my trip highlights.

Arctic Skua off the Brest Peninsular

Sheawaters were well represented with Cory's off the Atlantic coast of Spain and Portugal replaced

by Scopolis  Shearwater in the Med. Balearic Shearwater were seen in the Western Med while further east Yelkouan Shearwater was noted. In fact the only time I came across this species was  a large concentration of birds (800) in the Adriatic on the approach to the Island of Korcula, Croatia.

 Top two taken on the Atlantic side of the Strait of Gib are presumably a Cory's Shearwater showing extensive dark 'hand' while the two below are presumably a Scopolis with extensive white inner webs to the primaries creating a pale 'hand'. Not an easy feature to judge owing to changes in lighting conditions. I can be fairly confident about the Scopolis purely on range; it was well into the Med between Sicily and Gibraltar.

 A large raft of Yelkouan Shearwaters and Yellow-legged Gulls attracted to fish shoals off the Island of Korcula. Yelkouan Shearwaters are pretty close to Manx in appearance but browner above and with a tendency for more brown on the underwings and undertail coverts.