12 Aug 26 - Solar Eclipse Back In Purbeck

There was a total solar eclipse on 11 Aug 99, which would be visible from Cornwall and the Scilly Isles. As the weather forecast predicted heavy clouds on the day, I couldn't face joining the traffic jams heading West. Dorset was predicted to have 99.5% coverage of the sun, but it would be full coverage a few miles South of the Dorset coastline. My cunning plan was to head to the coastal footpath above Dancing Ledge, where I would have a good view over the Purbeck coastline all the way to Portland. A few mates from Southampton joined me for the morning. I figured I would see the impacts of the solar eclipse over the sea.

Unfortunately, it was still cloudy in Purbeck back in 99. While we couldn't see the moon covering the sun, we did see it suddenly become very dark over Portland, as if there was about to be a tremendous storm. The darkness race East until it reached and passed us. There was also a noticeable drop in temperature, although that picked up again as the skies brightened. It had been a fun morning and given the traffic jams in Cornwall, it was a wise move to stay local. The only downside was I didn't have a decent camera in those days to capture the event. I can remember the forecasters saying there wouldn't be another full solar eclipse in the UK until 2090. There would have to be an amazing increase in life expectancy for me to see that one locally.

19:01: It was starting to get darker and fortunately, it was a virtually cloudless sky

There are occasional partial solar eclipses in the UK and the best for a generation happened on the evening of 12 Aug 26. I finished my regular volunteering day on Brownsea and without a lot of time to travel, I figured my best option was to head to the St Aldhelms patch. Unfortunately, quite a few others decided on the same plan and the car park was packed. More people parking inconsiderately on the approach road and on the private track leading to the Chapel, including one idiot car driver, who would have made it impossible for the farmer or quarry workers to get a wider vehicle past. As I've got permission to drive to the Chapel, I decided that was my best Plan B. Only a few vehicles had driven down the rough track so parking wasn't too bad when I reached the Chapel. There were quite a lot of people on the main coastal path, so I headed for the quiet of my main seawatching viewpoint.

19:07: Fortunately, this seemed to be about the peak darkness. At only 95% coverage, it was never going to be as dark as back in 99. There was a noticeable drop in temperature over the previous few minutes

Maybe I should have taken the big camera to take some close ups of the sun. However, I was worried about leaving it pointing at the sun for the duration of the eclipse, so all my photos were taken on the IPhone.

19:07: A close crop from the last photo (which I've also darkening) shows the sun was partially obscured

19:17: The light levels are starting to pick up again

19:24: The light levels continued to increase and the temperature was slowly getting warmer

19:41: It's a good job these clouds didn't appear an hour earlier

6 Feb 26 - ORCA Canaries Cruise - Western Palearctic Chaffinches

One of the daily tasks for the ORCA team on the Saga Canaries Cruises, is to produce a daily slide for the ship's TV. Usually, these slides are Cetacean-based. However, we sometimes cover some of the other wildlife that we encountered on the cruise. One of the slides I offered to produce was on the Madeira and Canaries Chaffinches.

The ORCA Chaffinch slide: The original slide is sharp, so it's frustrating that Blogger has made this image look so fuzzy

Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace proposed that species isolated on remote islands will adapt to the conditions and over time will evolve into new species. It was Wallace's write up of his ideas that finally spurred Darwin into writing up his observations. The two papers were presented at the same meeting on the Royal Society. In the end, Darwin had the higher social standing and it is Darwin's name that ended up being taught in schools as the 'Father of Evolution', whilst Wallace was largely and unfairly forgotten. It shouldn't be hard to change this to acknowledge that both men made important contributions. Wallace's observations were on closely-related Butterflies, Beetles, etc, which he noticed changed appearance as he moved through different islands in Indonesia. Darwin observations included the well-known Darwin's Finches on the Galapagos.

A regular-looking Male Chaffinch in the UK: Blashford Lakes (24 Mar 14)

On this Canaries and Madeira cruise, we saw how the Chaffinches have evolved into separate species, with different plumage and songs across the different islands we visited. Darwin came close to the opportunity to see this himself, as the Beagle was planning to visit Tenerife. However, due to a cholera epidemic in England, the Spain authorities wanted to quarantine English ships before the crews landed and the Captain decided to bypass the island. This was the safest decision for Tenerife, but a missed opportunity for Tenerife in the Theory of Evolution.

Canary Islands Chaffinch: Male. This is the bakeri subspecies which is restricted to Gran Canaria (29 Jan 26). It is one of four subspecies on the Canaries

When I started out Birding, there were two species of Chaffinch in the Western Palearctic: Chaffinch and Blue Chaffinch. Following various splits, there are now seven species: Chaffinch has been split into Chaffinch, African Chaffinch, Canary Islands Chaffinch, Madeira Chaffinch and Azores Chaffinch, while Blue Chaffinch has been split into Tenerife Blue Chaffinch and Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch.

Canary Islands Chaffinch: Male. This is the palmae subspecies which is restricted to La Palma (31 Jan 26)

Canary Islands Chaffinch: Male. Laguna de Barlovento, La Palma (31 Jan 26)

Madeira Chaffinch: Male. Palheiro Gardens, Madeira (1 Feb 26)

Hopefully, one of these days I will get to the Azores and be able to see and photograph the final Chaffinch split that I've not seen: Azores Chaffinch.

African Chaffinch: Male. Tafingoult, Western Sahara (15 Feb 14)

There are also two species of Blue Chaffinch on the Canary Islands. I've seen both species, but I only have photographed Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch. If I make it back to Tenerife again, I will have to go back up to the high Conifer forests to look for Tenerife Blue Chaffinch. It's a species I saw when I first visited the Canary Islands in Spring 94 and I wished I had made the effort to look for it again when I had a day on the island back in Jan 24.

Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch: Gran Canaria (29 Jan 26)

The Canary Islands are unique in the Western Palearctic in having more than one species of Chaffinches on some islands. There two species of Blue Chaffinches occur in the high Pine forests of Tenerife and Gran Canaria. I'm assuming this is due to a Chaffinch species arriving and adapting to live in the Pine forests which covered the islands in cooler periods of the Earth's history. As the Earth warmed up, these Pine Forests would have retreated to the higher and cooler parts of the highest islands. The ancestor of the Blue Chaffinches eventually evolved due to isolation into the two species of Blue Chaffinch. Assuming the ancestor of the Blue Chaffinch occurred on the other islands, they would have disappeared when the Pine trees died out on the lower, more arid islands or were out-competed by the Laurel forests. Much later, either Chaffinches or African Chaffinches must have re-arrived from Europe or North Africa, respectively and evolved again into the widespread Canary Islands Chaffinch which inhabits the lowland Laurel forests. The Chaffinch complex are an interesting group and they are the Western Palearctic's version of the Darwin Finches.

5 Feb 26 - ORCA Canaries Cruise - Heading Home

The sea and the wind had moderated as we approached the Brittany coast on our final morning at sea on the Saga Canaries Cruise. We were pleased to find the top deck was open again. We quickly started surveying. Unfortunately, we didn't see any Cetaceans and the Birds I saw were restricted to one Manx Shearwater, seven Little Gulls and a few Gannets, Kittiwakes and Razorbills.

The sea and the wind had moderated as we approached the Brittany coast and we were pleased to be able to survey from the top deck

We were maybe fifteen miles off Ushant as we rounded the Brittary coast

By late morning, we hit a band of steady rain that continued for a couple of hours. At least that coincided with lunch, but it was still too heavy to go back on deck, until mid-afternoon.

Fiona optimistically hoping the late morning rain would be over in a few minutes: It took a good two hours before we were through it

As we couldn't go back on the deck, Chris and I were watching from the cabin balcony. I saw what looked like a carrier bag going by on the surface of the water. I always check these to see what sort of marine rubbish it is and there is always the hope it might be more interesting like a Jellyfish etc. In this case, it was a carrier bag sized Sunfish: bingo.

Sunfish: They are such a bizarre Fish, with their flat shape, ability to swim vertically or lie on their sides. This was a small individual. An old adult can grow to about three metres in size and weigh around a metric ton

Sunfish: Sometimes, the first clue is a flapping fin breaking the surface: which is what I saw on the first individual on the previous day

Sunfish: It is the top fin that is usually seen flapping, as you pass it

As we woke up on the final morning, the Spirit of Discovery was making its final manoeuvres into the dock at Portsmouth. We had sailed just over three thousand, nine hundred and fifty nautical miles. It wasn't long after breakfast, when we were told the gangplank was open for passengers to disembark. Chris and I needed to head off early, as I was dropping him at the station for an early train home. Fiona lives in Brittany, so she wasn't in a hurry to get off the ship, as her ferry to France wasn't departing from same terminal until that evening.

It doesn't look like the Wave Knight (A389) had moved since we last saw her on our first afternoon

Sadly, the seas had been against us for just about all of the cruise. We experiences seas of four to five metre swells for most of the trip which rose to six to seven metre swells after we left Madeira. The sea state was generally between five and seven and whenever it reached seven we had to stop surveying. Typically, there were twenty-five to forty knot winds and due to the wind strength and swell, the top decks were generally closed. On the first day at sea, all the decks were closed, apart from a brief window when deck 6 was opened to allow us to see our sister ship, the Spirit of Adventure. After that we were generally allowed to watch from the back of deck 10.

The seas were often a challenge: At sea between Madeira and Vigo (2 Feb 26)

On some of the departures from the Canaries and Madeira, we managed to survey from the top deck and we were able to survey from there on the final day. In total, we only managed about twelve hours of surveying from the top deck. We often managed to survey from the back of deck 10, but this deck has too much of a restricted view to be considered as high quality survey data. But if that is the only deck we can survey from, it is better than nothing. In total, we recorded two Whale blows and about sixty Dolphins, many of which were Atlantic Spotted, along with a few Short-beaked Common Dolphins and the rest were unidentified. There were also two Sunfish. The totals were disappointing, but we had managed to get out surveying somewhere whenever we could and we had seen as much as the sea conditions allowed. With the top deck closed, we didn't get as much on deck passenger engagement as we normally do. But we did have a lot of lovely chats with passengers when we were inside the ship.

Atlantic Spotted Dolphin: One of a pod of about thirty-five seen as we approached Gran Canaria (29 Jan 26)

Due to the weather, we had spent extra days in the Spanish ports of Santander and Vigo and we had been unable to visit Cape Verde and Lisbon as planned. But we were told the extreme seas had severely affected shipping on both sides of the North Atlantic during our cruise. Saga did a brilliant job of replanning and laying on coach trips when we were in harbour. I would like to thank Saga for inviting the ORCA survey team onto the cruise and thank the crew for looking after us as well as they did. Finally, I would like to thank Chris & Fiona for being such pleasant surveying companions.

Myself, Fiona and Chris: (26 Jan 26)

4 Feb 26 - ORCA Canaries Cruise - Exploring Baiona

The Spirit of Discovery finally arrived around mid-afternoon on the previous day and we had stayed overnight in Vigo. The plan was for a lunchtime departure which allowed a morning of sightseeing. For me, a second walk around Vigo didn't have the same appeal, as a walk around Santander or La Coruna would have had: they are both more attractive cities. Instead, I booked up for the Saga coach trip to explore the nearby town of Baiona. Chris and Fiona had been on that trip on the previous afternoon and said it was a nice-looking place to explore. It was a good recommendation and Baiona is well worth a visit.

The old waterfront by the harbour

This replica of La Pinta is now a museum: Unfortunately, the museum didn't open until eleven, which was the time we due to depart from Baiona

The ship is a replica of La Pinta. She was one of the three ships in Columbus's fleet that discovered the New World, after first visiting the Canaries to reprovision as they sailed West. The largest ship was the Santa Maria, but she was wrecked in a storm in Haiti in Dec 1492. As she couldn't be salvaged, Columbus transferred to La Nina, which with La Pinta, returned to Europe at the start of the following year. The two ships lost contact in an Atlantic storm and La Nina put into the Azores, before reaching Lisbon and finally Palos in Southern Spain. The La Pinta made its first landfall in Baiona.

La Pinta: She can still put to sea and in the past, she has joined up with a replica of La Nina

The most obvious landmark in Baiona is the stunning Monterreal Castle. Construction took place between the 12th and 16th Centuries. In the 19th Century, the Marquis of the Pazo de la Merced bought the castle ruins to build a beautiful Neo-Gothic palace. This was declared a National Monument in 1950. It was restored between 1963 and 1966 and transformed into a stunning-looking Parador hotel. I spent an enjoyable forty-five minutes wandering around the castle grounds.

Monterreal Castle: The public can wander into the Castle grounds for free

Monterreal Castle: The outer gate

Monterreal Castle

Monterreal Castle: The beach alongside the Castle

Monterreal Castle: Passing through the entrance gate, the road continues between the outer and inner walls

Monterreal Castle: Looking back at the main gate

Monterreal Castle

Monterreal Castle: Looking from near the inner gate towards the main gate, a mere two hundred metres away

Monterreal Castle: The road continues through the inner gate

Monterreal Castle: These old cannons still guard the walls

Monterreal Castle: It is a huge Castle. It is five hundred metres from the main gate to the far end of the Castle

Monterreal Castle: Finally, you get to these stunning hotel buildings

After walking around the inner Castle grounds, I had chance to have a quick walk around the rest of the waterfront. Next to the car park outside of the outer walls, is this decorated wall which commemorates the five hundred anniversary of the departure of Columbus's ships in 1492. On the other side, is a tiled mural celebrating the arrival of the La Pinta in Baiona in 1493.

The decorated wall which commemorates the five hundred anniversary of the departure of Columbus's ships

A close up of the plaque commemorating the five hundred anniversary of the departure of Columbus's ships

The Tiles of the Arrival in Baiona of La Pinta: On the far side of the arched wall is this tiled mural of the arrival of La Pinta in Baiona and La Nina in Lisbon

The waterfront has a number of historic buildings and sites of interest.

One of the historic buildings on the waterfront

An old alleyway off the waterfront

The Statue of Pinzon: This statue was gifted to Baiona in 1977 by Palos, where Columbus and La Nina finally reached Spain. Pinzon was the Captain of La Pinta

A close up of the Statue of Pinzon

Statue of King Alfonso IX of Leon: This statue was erected to celebrate the eight hundredth anniversary of King Alfonso IX granted Baiona its charter in 1201

Common Sandpiper: This Common Sandpiper was feeding around the harbour

About eleven, we were heading back to Vigo.

This building on the edge of Vigo had this impressive Octopus artwork on it

The Monte da Guia: We spent a few minutes here for a brief photo stop. Fishermen's wives would climb the hill to make fires to guide their husbands back to the harbour. A small chapel was finally built on the top of the hill. There was a strong wind and it was clear than it wasn't going to be pleasant once we set to sea

We were all back on the Spirit of Discovery for twelve and after about thirty minutes, we were heading out to sea. After lunch, we headed out and found the top deck was open. It was good to be able to survey from the top deck, but it was windy. After a couple of hours, the wind strength was increasing and just as it was getting to the point where we were thinking of finding a more sheltered position, the top deck was closed by the Captain. Fortunately, we were still allowed to watch from the more sheltered side of the next deck down. This viewpoint was about halfway along the side of the ship, but it had a better view than the back deck.

Chris surveying from the top deck

Fiona surveying from the top deck

Robin was our most regular companion on deck

We still had one more day at sea off the French coast and the forecast was for the sea and the wind to moderate. I will cover that in the next Blog Post.