As a seabird fanatic, seeing Great Shearwater was high on the list. To do so the first attempt was in 2002 to join the ferry between Portsmouth (UK) and Bilbao (ES). Since then I saw them on other pelagics and with every storm in the Netherlands I was always hoping to be lucky to get it on my Dutch list.
When news broke that one had been photographed in the harbor of Rotterdam on the 30th of September 2026, I started to get nervous and when the day after it was found again I made arrangement to go and see it.
Whilst driving Hans Overduin texted me the latest locations as it was moving west out of the harbor. When I just had 10 minutes left I got the message it was struck by a ship... I was afraid I would be too late but when I arrived it was resting on the surface and slowly drifting with the high tide till dark, sadly no trace of it the day after.
Rozenburg, harbor of Rotterdam 1st of October 2026
Earlier that month we saw several on the trip to Estaca de Bares, Galicia, Spain 5 September 2026. See trip report here.
On a "familiarization-trip" on behalf of a Nature Tour organization that I joined, we saw a Great Shearwater passing by to head to a fishing vessel we were trailing behind. Getting a photo from a dingy on rocking seas was quite a challenge. It almost costed me my Canon 20D that wasn't so spray resistible. Luckily refunded by Canon after filing a complaint.
Sagres, Algarve, Portugal 1 October 2010
From March to May 2011 I joined the Atlantic Odyssey near Gough and Tristan de Cunha we have good number of Great Shearwaters. Stunning to see these birds near their breeding grounds, knowing they cross the Atlantic Ocean and been all the way up to Greenland. Tristan de Cunha, Atlantic Ocean, 10 April 2011, see AO photos here.
In 2008 the Belgium organization Natuurpunt organized a peleagic to the Bay of Biscay. As they could not fill up the boat we got some last minute offers so joined this 6 day voyage for a very acceptable price. Bay of Biscay, Spain, 18 August 2008
In September 2002 we organized a trip to join the ferry crossing from Portsmouth-Bilbao and back again. It was a very productive trip with flocks of Great Shearwaters (300+), 5 Little Shearwaters, Sabine's Gulls, some Wilson's Storm-petrels and many cetaceans including a Fin Whale breaching 5 times. Photo is a scan of a slide.
