Went off on a local Pelagic with many of the UAE birders yesterday ! Weather was perfect, with a lovely breeze on the boat. Probably the largest numbers of Sooty Gull I have seen over there easily in excees of 300 I would guess. There were many flocks of Persian Shearwater 200+. I saw 3 Arctic Skua, only one close enough to photograph though and unfortunately into the sun, but fab to see it up so close. Highlight for me was my first Flesh-footed Shearwater, very distant but certainly distinguishable. The only downside was a stranded Socotra Cormorant that was attached by the foot to some fishing line which had got caught on a Harbour Buoy and could not free itself. Fortunately shrap knife at hand allowed one of the team to cut the line and allow it to swim away. You can see a picture of this below. All in all a nice afternoon out ! :-)
Arctic Skua
(Stercorarius parasiticus)
Arctic Skua
(Stercorarius parasiticus)
Persian Shearwater
(Puffinus persicus)
Persian Shearwater
(Puffinus persicus)
Persian Shearwater
(Puffinus persicus)
Socotra Cormorant
(Phalacrocorax nigrogularis)
Flesh-footed Shearwater
(Puffinus carneipes)
Flesh-footed Shearwater
(Puffinus carneipes)
Persian Shearwater
(Puffinus persicus)
Socotra Cormorant
(Phalacrocorax nigrogularis)
Socotra Cormorant
(Phalacrocorax nigrogularis)
Socotra Cormorant
(Phalacrocorax nigrogularis)
Great serie, love the flying cormorant!
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