Black-browed Albatross - A Special Epoch of Time

A time for reflection. A summary of previous thoughts here

No apologies for potentially "over-egging" this particular record, as for me, it is THE ultimate species to see in Britain. Couple this with the fact it's just an hour up the road at the spectacular Bempton RSPB Reserve...what's not to like?

After Tuesday's yomp in the heat I felt I'd covered most angles with this bird. Reading the report on the Bempton Facebook site (as I mentioned in my last post) it got me thinking about a new strategy. I looked on the Yorkshire Belle website; there were tickets available on the 12-15 boat Thursday. I made a provisional booking.

So, yesterday morning I was up at 4.30 and giving Bud a good stretch (even though he didn't want one). I arrived at Bempton around 6.30 via McDonald's. I made my way down to an unfortunately foggy cliff. This wasn't part of the plan. I walked up to the Staple Newk viewpoint which thankfully wasn't crowded. I recognised Paul Doherty from Sherburn. It was his first visit and he told me the bird had already shown low over the promontory. He'd done well to see it...

The fog was patchy but with patience the ALBATROSS could be seen circling the rock...

I failed in my attempts to get a pic but it gave yet another almost surreal experience.

By 9 the bird hadn't been seen for some 45 minutes and one lady said she may have seen it heading out to sea, so I decided to go for a walk South along the path. The sun was trying to peep through but it was still quite foggy. I rang Phil who was considering joining me on the boat. I told him the current conditions and even as we were talking the visibility was improving. I reckoned the heat of the sun at this time of year gave a decent chance of a clear coast by lunchtime? He decide to make the trip.

I left Bempton at 11, made my way down into Bridlington and parked up. A short walk had me by the Quay for 11.45. Phil rang saying he was having trouble parking as the public ones were full. Not good.

I joined the queue, got my ticket and mentioned to the bloke my mate would be "on the minutes". I boarded the Yorkshire Belle...

...and kept my fingers crossed for Phil. Thankfully he appeared!

Once the boat was moving there was a lovely breeze as the sky was now clear and it was hot. The first bird I spotted as we left the Harbour was a Bonxie flying towards the Head. There were surprisingly few birds in the bay. After around 20 minutes we approached Flamborough Head...

Once around the Headland the number of birds started to increase dramatically. We were soon surrounded by Puffins (the most I've ever seen), Razorbills and Guillimots. The views were spectacular even if the Puffins kept diving! Then the Gannets started to appear in force as we passed Breil Newk...

This was the first time in all these years I'd "done" this trip and it was fantastic to see the Cliffs from the water and be surrounded by birds. The Skipper was very informative and had a great delivery as he gave out information on the area. Most people were watching the Cliffs while we were looking out to sea!

Now to the crux of the matter. My dream was to re-locate the ALBATROSS on the sea around the Reserve. Unfortunately after we rounded the Headland the sea became quite choppy which made viewing harder with the swell and the bobbing boat. We also didn't have the best seats for getting a clear view. Still, we had a chance and kept scanning. As we approached Staple Newk the skipper mentioned that the bird had been seen yesterday and if anyone spotted it, to give him a wave. More scanning.

The swell was still a problem, as was the boat movement and passenger heads. There was plenty of "action" on the water with large numbers of birds commuting. I then got on to a bird gliding very low over the water...large black bowed wings...then the underwing pattern...I'D FOUND IT!!!!!! It was only in view for a few seconds before I lost it. I'd no idea how far it had flown.

I waved to the skipper who relayed the news to the passengers. Some were excited...some indifferent...some asleep! I didn't notice any other Birders on board although there were plenty with people with cameras.

The skipper carried on with his talk for a while and I was now completely dis-orientated regarding my sighting? I just hoped he had some idea of the area in question. He then announced that we were now going to look for the ALBATROSS! Music to our ears.

He continued his commentary, giving accurate information about the bird. 10 minutes passed with no luck and his commentary had now drifted on to immature Gannets! Fair enough. I felt no pressure lol! I was 100% certain I'd seen it but another sighting wouldn't do any harm!

Then Phil shouted (a top moment)...IT'S HERE AL!!!!!! I looked to the starboard side and there, some 40 yards away, serenely drifting on the sea was the BLACK-BROWED ALBATROSS...

My initial view...if Carlsberg did Birding moments.

I released the news immediately to the services. The next 10 minutes or so were pretty special, as I'm sure you can imagine. The ALBATROSS appeared totally unconcerned by the boat (I've seen similar behaviour like this off Wollongong in Australia - my first record 26/7/2003 - and Fort Bragg in California). They look so serene. Taking pics was a challenge as the boat bobbed about in the swell. I eventually found a spot were I could kneel on some rope but even then it was tricky...as some of the following pics will show. Still, the plan had come together...BIG STYLE! I was rather excited...we both were.

The boat then turned South and we headed back to Bridlington. We celebrated with an ice cream before saying our goodbyes and heading home. A day that will last in the memory for a VERY long time.

I've limited it to 5 that I got within the viewfinder. There were plenty of the sea!

The bird was not seen from the viewpoints as far as I'm aware.  The combination of distance and swell would have made it difficult to pick out. 

So there you go, that's my little tale. There's obviously no way of knowing how long it will remain. I've had a fair run of experiences with this bird...dipping, initial view, flying over my head, roosting, on the sea.

We have a lot of barren days, us Birders. So without labouring the point (hopefully), it's important to savour the quality ones to the full...circumstances permitting. This bird has lingered at the right time for me in my life...and I'm VERY grateful. No charging around before or after work. No expensive long distance endurance tests. No grotty immature. No dubious origins. A Bona Fide Superstar which just HAS to be FULLY appreciated whilst it's here. Could stay for weeks, could come back for years, may never be seen again. It's not present as I write? I hope it returns for all to enjoy some more......