Ten Years at Sea. Seabird and Whale Trips 2024

Sat 26th Oct, 2024

Wow what a great season of pelagic boat trips we had this year. When I look back on the many great wildlife encounters, I feel a huge sense of joy that we were able to share these experiences on the coastline where we all grew up with so many people from all over the UK and abroad. We started our trips in 2014 so this year was our tenth year of our Seabird and Whale trips from Staithes in partnership with skipper Sean Baxter. Here is a summary of our highlights this year. 

We kicked off our 2024 trips on the 19th July. I clearly remember Sean saying we should have started earlier. The Minke Whales returned to our coastline earlier this summer with sightings in June which was a big surprise. But at least we were on the money with our first trip. Within an hour we found our first whale not far away from the harbour. To my amazement it was our old friend Cliff Hanger. Cliff has a very distinctive notch in the dorsal which we have recognised in four out of nine years. Welcome back Cliff! The beautiful calm sea allowed us to find whales on lots of trips. Numbers were still small but the sightings were really good.

Sean, Richard and Beth (North Sea Wildlife Trust Partnership) 19 August 2024 © Richard Baines

Joining us on each trip was a volunteer from the North Sea Wildlife Trust Partnership whose job it was to conduct a survey of all the cetaceans we encountered. Thier involvement in our trips not only helps conservation but also enables us to get an accurate assessment of the numbers of whales and dophins on each trip. 

Data from these surveys revealed the following statistics:

• Cetaceans: seen 81% of surveys on the YCN trips. 
• Minke whale: seen 67% of surveys on the YCN trips. 
• Harbour porpoise: seen 59% of surveys on the YCN trips.
• Humpback whale: seen 15% of surveys on the YCN trips. 
• Bottlenose dolphin: seen 7% of surveys on the YCN trips.

Minke Whale - Runswick Bay 2 August 2024 © Richard Baines

One of my personal highlights at this time was the passage of migrating Whimbrels which occurred on the 27th July. We could hear their atmospheric calls above the boat and eventually we found several flocks heading towards the coast straight in from Scandinavia. A magical sight.

Northern Fulmar - Staithes 26 July 2024 © Richard Baines

July and early August is always our best time for Northern Fulmars and this year didn’t disappoint. We welcomed my favourite Yorkshire nesting seabird behind the boat on every trip and on several dates, we got really lucky with the light. Against a dark sky lit up by the sun these birds look amazing.

nesting Kittiwakes - Staithes 27 July 2024 © Richard Baines

Late July is also a great time for watching Black-legged Kittiwake juveniles fledge from their nests in Staithes harbour. I always stop our groups or recommend spending time under the colony after the boat trip finishes, it’s a great thrill to see the chicks taking their first flights. A short time later we watched the same birds out at sea learning how to fish with their parents not far away. 

Razorbill & Guillemot Chicks & their Parents - Staithes 2 August 2024 © Richard Baines

Seabirds were everywhere in late July and early August. We had our annual flush of late summer auks. Hundreds of Guillemots and Razorbills in family groups. This is a great thing to witness as the small chicks beg for food and learn how to look after themselves. Not far away are dangerous gulls and of course some very heavy whales!

Puffin (juvenile) - Staithes 20 July 2024 © Richard Baines

The only species in lower numbers this year were the Atlantic Puffins. We still found some pufflins (juvenile Puffins) but less than in previous years. 

Guests on our Seabird & Whale Adventure - Staithes 20 July 2024 © Richard Baines

I remember one of the biggest surprises at this time were the Sooty Shearwaters feeding approximately five miles offshore. On the 19th July we found six feeding in a seabird flock. For the next two months we found them on nearly every trip with numbers peaking at a fabulous 200 birds on the 9th September.

Sooty Shearwaters - Staithes 16 September 2024 © Mark Pearson

Manx Shearwater feeding frenzy - Staithes 18 September 2024 © Mark Pearson

In even bigger numbers were Manx Shearwaters with regular shearwater feeding frenzies encountered on most trips in late July and early September. On the 19th I was very pleased to find our first Caspian Gull of the summer, it enjoyed the chum so much it followed us for most of the trip. 

Caspian Gull - Staithes 19 August 2024 © Richard Baines

Feeding Frenzy, Gulls & Minke Whale - Staithes 2 August 2024 © Richard Baines

By the third week of August, we were finding large areas of Herring spawn which was attracting increasing numbers of whales and seabirds. Waders were also on the move at this time with 21 Black-tailed Godwits, Ringed Plovers and Sanderlings seen flying past the boat on the 24th August.

Great Shearwater - Staithes 24 August 2024 © Mark Pearson

The rarest bird (from a Yorkshire perspective) was found by one of our guides Mark Pearson on the 24th August; a stunning Great Shearwater. This was the first Great Shearwater to be seen on our coastline this year so we were very excited. Alongside the great shear on this trip were 16 Minke Whales, our now daily Sooty and Manx Shearwaters, Roseate Tern, three Caspian Gulls, eight Arctic Skuas, three Great Skua and 25 Bottle-nosed Dolphins! 

Bottle-nosed Dolphins - Staithes 21 September 2024 © Richard Baines

I remember being so pleased for Mark and our guests after this trip but what I didn’t expect was for what we presumed was the same Great Shearwater to hang around until our next trip. On the 26th August it was Jono’s turn to lead a Great Shear trip! The next trip Jono guided was just as good with lots of Minke Whales and a Bottle-nosed Dolphin but pride of place on the 9th September was a Storm Petrel. A scarce bird in the North Sea and only the third for our trips in ten years. You can read about that day in Jono's blog 'That Petrel Emotion'. 

Humpback Whale - Staithes 2 September 2024 © Mark Pearson

After these trips we really didn’t thing things could get better but on the 2nd September they really did. The best way to describe the events of that day is to read Marks blog entitled Humpback in Anger - Staithes Pelagic, 2nd Sep '24. After many years hoping for a Humpback Whale we had not one, but up to three hanging around the Staithes area for several weeks. The last sighting from our trips was one which I guided (at last the boss gets a hump!) on the 21st September. On the 2nd September our guests were also rewarded with three Black Terns and massive numbers of Minke Whales with Mark estimating at least a hundred individuals. 

Balearic Shearwater - Staithes 21 September 2024 © Richard Baines

By mid-September we were on a roll with exciting sightings on every trip. On the 18th Mark found our fourth shearwater species of the season in the form of a Balearic Shearwater amongst 470 Manx. I managed to get in on the act a few days later on the 21st with a Balearic which was sitting on the sea next to a Sooty Shearwater and a Manx Shearwater a great comparison opportunity. 

At this time there were lots of other birds seen including Little Gulls, Pomarine Skua, Roseate Terns, waders and wildfowl including a Velvet Scoter on the 20th. Northern Gannets also increased in numbers with thousands of birds enjoying the big areas of Herring. 

Sooty Shearwater & Humpback - Staithes 2 September 2024 © Mark Pearson

At the end of our season, we had clocked up 34 trips between the 19th July and the 21st September. Huge thanks to Sean Baxter the skilful skipper of All My Sons, and a very special thanks to my fabulous team of guides Margaret Boyd, Mark Pearson and Jono Leadley. 

We are all very eager to start again next year. We will be hitting the waves on the 11th July with 52 trips planned. To see all the dates and book CLICK HERE.

Richard Baines. YCN Director and Wildlife Guide