Northern Experience Wildlife Tours

Tag: Gannet

  • Of gannets and gulls: NEWT’s 4hr pelagics 25/09/26

    Yesterday we had our final scheduled pelagics for 2026 (although, watch this space…). On a breezy day, with a choppy sea once we were more than a mile from land, juvenile Gannets were demonstrating how they’ve not quite got the hang of ganneting just yet…while adults will circle repeatedly and locate prey before diving from height, the juveniles were often flopping into the sea from just a few feet 🙂 Guillemots and Razorbills were rafting, there was a steady passage of Red-throated Divers, dainty Little Gulls were dip-feeding everywhere from St Mary’s Island to Marsden Rock, Arctic, Pomarine and Long-tailed Skuas were heading north and ignoring the range of victims available to them over shoals of Herring, and Wigeon, Teal , and Common Scoter passed in flocks.

    Little Gull Hydrocoloeus minutus, North Sea, off South Shields 25/09/26 (c)NorthernExperienceImages
    Little Gull Hydrocoloeus minutus, North Sea, off South Shields 25/09/26 (c)NorthernExperienceImages
    Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata, North Sea, off South Shields 25/09/26 (c)NorthernExperienceImages
    Common Eider Somateria mollissima, River Tyne, North Shields 25/09/26 (c)NorthernExperienceImages
    Northern Gannet Morus bassanus, North Sea, Northumberland 25/09/26 (c)NorthernExperienceImages
    Common Guillemot Uria aalge, North Sea, Northumberland 25/09/26 (c)NorthernExperienceImages
    Northern Gannet Morus bassanus, North Sea, Northumberland 25/09/26 (c)NorthernExperienceImages

  • Forecasting; NEWT’s 4hr North Sea pelagic 02/06/21

    Yesterday’s 4hr evening pelagic looked in doubt a few days ago, with stiff easterlies and 1.5m waves in the forecast. As the day approached, the forecast was looking much more promising, so I left the office under clear blue skies and bright sunshine for the 25min drive to the marina. Half way there and Jo ‘phoned “There’s a thick fret rolling in”, and by the time I reached the marina it was murky, overcast, and a chilly southeasterly breeze had everyone checking that they’d packed hats, gloves and spare layers…

    NECP surveyors braving the cold were watching bottlenose dolphins in the mouths of the Tyne and the Wear as we sailed from the marina but, as we reached the fish quay, the dolphins in the Tyne had headed south, other than two briefly seen fins between the starboard navigation markers. South was the obvious direction for us too, and in increasing swell we passed Marsden Rock as kittiwakes, fulmars, razorbills, guillemots and gannets flew by. Jo spotted a small group of dolphins and we lowered our speed and changed course to avoid heading straight for them. We were on course to pass a few hundred metres to the side of them, but the dolphins had other ideas…

    A few of this year’s sailings are fully booked already but there are some with spaces still available. Have a look at our pelagics page to see which sailings are available and get in touch to book your place and join in the fun 🙂

  • Persistence; NEWT’s North Sea Pelagic 13/08/19

    Our first 10hr ‘Northumberland Ultimate Pelagic’ for 2019 had Fulmars, Kittiwakes, Gannets, Great Skuas, Puffins, Guillemots, a little bit of rain, a long rolling northerly swell, dark skies away over the mainland and, thanks to Kirstie’s sharp eyesight, some very obliging White-beaked Dolphins just before the squally weather reached us 🙂

  • The sun sets on our evening pelagics; NEWT’s North Sea Pelagic 07/08/19

    What should have been our penultimate 4hr evening pelagic for 2019 turned out to the final one, with poor weather and rough sea conditions getting the better of our planned sailing on Friday. Wednesday was another really odd quiet night, with a stiff westerly ruffling the surface of the sea, no Fulmars, Puffins or Razorbills, only one small group of Guillemots and a few Kittiwakes throughout the evening and a handful of Gannets. Another amazing sunset was accompanied by the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn and the summer triangle of Vega, Altair and Deneb 🙂

    An incredibly photogenic sunset brought the curtain down on our final 4hr evening pelagic for 2019

  • Desolate wastes; NEWT’s North Sea Pelagic 02/08/19

    Yesterday’s 4hr evening pelagic was a strange one; a few Guillemots, a Puffin, a Razorbill with juvenile, Fulmars circling, Kittiwakes following us, a Mediterranean Gull that came and inspected us before heading back towards the shore, a Common Seal, a briefly seen fin that was probably a Harbour Porpoise and then line after line of Gannets streaming north towards the Bass Rock after presumably heading well south of the Tyne in search of food…and we weren’t seeing fish on the echo finder anywhere between the Tyne and Newbiggin. The crazy thing about the fluidity of marine wildlife distribution is that we could well go out next Wednesday and be surrounded by dolphins 🙂

  • Murky; NEWT’s North Sea pelagic 26/07/19

    Glassy calm sea, Fulmars, Kittiwakes, Guillemots, Puffins, Common Scoters, Gannets, a couple of Harbour Porpoises putting in brief appearances…and torrential rain and generally murky conditions all made for a quite atmospheric 4hr evening pelagic 🙂

  • A swell time 😉 NEWT’s North Sea Pelagic 19/07/19

    Friday’s 4hr evening pelagic headed out of the Tyne piers into a stiff breeze and long rolling swell…

    Kittiwakes and Fulmars circled the boat, Gannets soared by, Manx Shearwaters rose out of the troughs and up over wave crests before vanishing back behind the swell, Puffins , Guillemots and Razorbills sat on the water before making a frantic escape and small flocks of Common Scoter passed by.

    Heading south a dolphin put in a brief and stealthy appearance so we were soon on our way again…and six White-beaked Dolphins were suddenly bow-riding in the gloom of a cloud laden sunset 🙂

  • Blustery; NEWT’s North Sea Pelagic 17/07/19

    Wednesday’s 4hr evening pelagic had a forecast that looked good…

    We checked south of the Tyne first and were accompanied by Kittiwakes and Fulmars on a stiffening westerly as Puffins, Guillemots and Razorbills sat on the water, Gannets soared past and flocks of Common Scoter speckled the dark grey sky. By the time we found a couple of White-beaked Dolphins the rain was quite heavy but almost everyone stayed out on deck watching them 🙂

    Our 4hr evening pelagic on 17/07/19 brought a stiff westerly wind, rain and White-beaked Dolphins
    Our 4hr evening pelagic on 17/07/19 brought a stiff westerly wind, rain and White-beaked Dolphins
    Our 4hr evening pelagic on 17/07/19 brought a stiff westerly wind, rain and White-beaked Dolphins
    Our 4hr evening pelagic on 17/07/19 brought a stiff westerly wind, rain and White-beaked Dolphins
    Our 4hr evening pelagic on 17/07/19 brought a stiff westerly wind, rain and White-beaked Dolphins

  • Subtle sunset…and here come the White-beaks 🙂 NEWT’s North Sea Pelagic 10/07/19

    After a cetacean-free pelagic last Friday I was hopeful that Bottlenose Dolphins have mainly moved north and White-beaked Dolphins would be here any day now…

    A flock of Common Scoter off Whitley Bay liftg4d from the water and flew past us, Puffins and Common Guillemots were sitting on the sea, Gannets soared past and myself and Tim both spotted a large, slow moving fin away to the north. It looked like a probable Minke Whale, although we couldn’t relocate it, but then breaching White-beaked Dolphins appeared from the north and showed brief interest in the boat 🙂

    • The first White-beaked Doklphins of our 2019 pelagic season appeared off Blyth on our 4hr evening sailing on 10/07/19
    • The first White-beaked Doklphins of our 2019 pelagic season appeared off Blyth on our 4hr evening sailing on 10/07/19
    • The first White-beaked Doklphins of our 2019 pelagic season appeared off Blyth on our 4hr evening sailing on 10/07/19
    • The first White-beaked Doklphins of our 2019 pelagic season appeared off Blyth on our 4hr evening sailing on 10/07/19
    • The first White-beaked Doklphins of our 2019 pelagic season appeared off Blyth on our 4hr evening sailing on 10/07/19
    • The first White-beaked Doklphins of our 2019 pelagic season appeared off Blyth on our 4hr evening sailing on 10/07/19
    • The first White-beaked Doklphins of our 2019 pelagic season appeared off Blyth on our 4hr evening sailing on 10/07/19

  • St Mary’s sunset; NEWT’s North Sea Pelagic 05/07/19

    Friday’s 4hr pelagic demonstrated just how quickly things can change with our marine wildlife. A few Puffins, Guillemots, Razorbills, Gannets and small flocks of Manx Shearwaters and a bigger flock of Common Scoter were far fewer birds than on our previous sailings and the echo finder showed that there was very little in the way of shoals of bait fish. The end of the evening brought another stunning sunset behind St Mary’s Island, with a whale-shaped gap in the clouds, as we headed back towards the marina 🙂