Pod of 40 c. Dolphin in st brides bay. Seen by Steve Rosser. Also pod seen off wooltack point by kenny, boatman. Maybe linked to increased mackerel catches by local boatmen.
Friday, 25 May 2012
Thursday, 24 May 2012
When the fog clears...
Steve Rosser currently volunteering on Skomer phoned in yesterday to let me know he had actually seen two porps to the north, from the farm, such were the clear calm conditions. As the farm is in the middle of the island thats got to be a rare occurance. He also saw porps from more traditional watching points such as Skomer Head and the Garland Stone.
Whilst talking to Steve Hartley yesterday he also mentioned a report of some/an Orca being seen by a support boat en route to Arklow from Pembrokeshire prior to the Arklow Aberystwyth Rowing Race a couple of weeks ago. Nick o'Sullivan of the Celtic Wildcat also heard the same thing so maybe "John Coe" is about in or near our waters ! Nick is going to be doing some trips out of Fishguard for us during the Jubilee Week on the Wednesday 6th Thursday7th and Friday 8th of June (weather permitting ) and we hope to be heading out there towards the Smalls in the Wildcat. These will be day trips at the bargain price £30 per head as part of a special deal we have made with Nick and some funding from CCW.
More info later as to departure times etc, so stay tuned in to Whales in Wales!
Wednesday, 23 May 2012
Strumble porpoise and orcas!
Hi Cliff and everyone.
Dave Cuniffe and myself attended the brilliant talk given by Mark Evans at the Pembrokeshire College in Haverfordwest this evening on the northern resident orcas of British Columbia. Mark is formerly from Wales and works as a senior naturalist guide and boat skipper for a whale and wildlife watching boat operator based on the Campbell river in BC namely 'Discovery Marine Safaris Ltd; www.adventurewhaling.com He is also associated with the renowned 'Stubbs Island Whale Watching' company www.stubbsisland.com
He kept the well attended audience enthralled with stories about his work and on orca behaviour and their fascinating social dynamics. Orcas are probably the most intensely studied species of cetacean on the planet and if you are new to this area of cetacean study then there is no better species to start with. They are the most amazing animals. Why else would I travel so far to hear a talk about them!
Dave and I made the most of our day and spent a few hours at Strumble Head in the afternoon. We both love this place. Dave spent his early years at Goodwick and somehow both of us has this inexplicable fondness for strumble head. I know many of you reading this who know the location will appreciate why that is.
We didn't see many porpoise during our time there maybe around 5 animals maximum even though conditions were excellent for observation. The bird life was good though and Dave spotted a short-eared owl. We also had a very quick glimpse of a small raptor which we think may have been a hobby falcon but we are not certain. There was a good passage of swallows too (this might explain the presence of the hobby? which predates on 'hirundines'). The auks and gannets and 'manxies' kept us happy though as did chatting to a few visitors to whom we handed out your excellent 'freebie' Sea Trust/Stena Line leaflets Cliff (I still had some left which you gave me for the 'Wales Coast Path' opening event at Aberystwyth on the 5th which incidentally went off a treat). I always love to promote the natural wonders and wildlife delights of Pembrokeshire.
Dave Cuniffe and myself attended the brilliant talk given by Mark Evans at the Pembrokeshire College in Haverfordwest this evening on the northern resident orcas of British Columbia. Mark is formerly from Wales and works as a senior naturalist guide and boat skipper for a whale and wildlife watching boat operator based on the Campbell river in BC namely 'Discovery Marine Safaris Ltd; www.adventurewhaling.com He is also associated with the renowned 'Stubbs Island Whale Watching' company www.stubbsisland.com
He kept the well attended audience enthralled with stories about his work and on orca behaviour and their fascinating social dynamics. Orcas are probably the most intensely studied species of cetacean on the planet and if you are new to this area of cetacean study then there is no better species to start with. They are the most amazing animals. Why else would I travel so far to hear a talk about them!
Dave and I made the most of our day and spent a few hours at Strumble Head in the afternoon. We both love this place. Dave spent his early years at Goodwick and somehow both of us has this inexplicable fondness for strumble head. I know many of you reading this who know the location will appreciate why that is.
We didn't see many porpoise during our time there maybe around 5 animals maximum even though conditions were excellent for observation. The bird life was good though and Dave spotted a short-eared owl. We also had a very quick glimpse of a small raptor which we think may have been a hobby falcon but we are not certain. There was a good passage of swallows too (this might explain the presence of the hobby? which predates on 'hirundines'). The auks and gannets and 'manxies' kept us happy though as did chatting to a few visitors to whom we handed out your excellent 'freebie' Sea Trust/Stena Line leaflets Cliff (I still had some left which you gave me for the 'Wales Coast Path' opening event at Aberystwyth on the 5th which incidentally went off a treat). I always love to promote the natural wonders and wildlife delights of Pembrokeshire.
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
And from the South!
From Stackpole Head, South Pembs this morning 3 porpoises observed - a mother and calf circling around together, apparently fishing. A little further out a lone animal which was seen "logging" or resting on the surface for about 30 seconds - only the second time I have seen Porpoises doing this.
Monday, 21 May 2012
News from the North!
From Martin Moore - Recent cetacean sightings from the National Coastwatch Institution, Porthdinllaen, Gwynedd.
20/04/12 - Bottlenose dolphin x 2 - NW of Porthdinllaen headland
17/05/12 - Bottlenose dolphin x 6 - 8 - Feeding close to Carreg Du, Porth Dinllaen
20/05/12 - Bottlenose dolphin x 5 - Heading west past Porthdinllaen headland going west. Possibly 4 adult / 1 juvenile.
We tried some fin shots today which are attached but the light wasn't good enough for clear images, at least the angles are OK so we may get something more useful in better conditions.
20/04/12 - Bottlenose dolphin x 2 - NW of Porthdinllaen headland
17/05/12 - Bottlenose dolphin x 6 - 8 - Feeding close to Carreg Du, Porth Dinllaen
20/05/12 - Bottlenose dolphin x 5 - Heading west past Porthdinllaen headland going west. Possibly 4 adult / 1 juvenile.
We tried some fin shots today which are attached but the light wasn't good enough for clear images, at least the angles are OK so we may get something more useful in better conditions.
Saturday, 19 May 2012
Report from Karen in Aberystwyth
|  11:20 (11 hours ago) | | ||
| ||||
Hello,
For the last month there have been regular sightings of dolphins in Aberystwyth. For the last couple of weeks it has tended to be just one or two at a time. This morning the sea was calm and there were about 8 or 9 in the bay, all of them fairly active. The attached photo shows just two of them that came in quite close to the shore.
Kind Regards Karen.
Lovely image and interesting report Karen, please keep them coming!
Thursday, 17 May 2012
Porps from Phil and porps from the ferry...
Hi Cliff
At Pen Brush 1 mile south west of Strumble Head this morning (17th) circa 10am. 6 - 8 porps about 400 m out foraging in a tidal race at the end of the ebb tide. Good number of diving Gannets around too. Sea state generally calm with an easterly breeze force 2
and yesterday...
I couldn't resist getting out late this afternoon, as conditions were almost perfect. Went down to Trwyn Llwyd Trefin and was rewarded with another sighting of a solitory porp, (perhaps the same solitory porp I saw yesterday) on the flood tide about a mile off the coast this time. It was only visible with the scope and was feeding in the same area on and off for about half an hour. As you know from the ferry trip sea state was calm with a gentle light westerly breeze. I have seen porps from the Trefin/Porthhgain coast on many occasions over the last 3 years I've been looking and generally it is a solitory one. I wonder if it is the same animal, perhaps a loner from the Strumble group? Be great to know more!
All the best.
Phil.(Lees)
Interestingly we (Rich Crossen, Cristina Munillo and self were on the Stena Europe, Wed/Thurs. We started spotting Porpoises off Strumble and they continued to be seen most of the way across until conditions moved up a notch to SS3 and then sightings declined.
On the way back this morning the conditions were much the same starting a lumpy SS2-3 off Rosslare gentling down to SS1-0 off Strumble. Sightings were hard to come by, Rich caught a glimpse of a Common Dolphin but little else untill we were well into Welsh waters with one group of four lungeing Porps about ten miles off Strumble. As we approached Strumble the sea was flat calm , no tide race , no birds no porpoises.
As we approached Fishguard the bay out towards Dinas Island and out to the north suddenly seemed to be full of porpoises all pretty much spread out and mostly quite distant. We estimated around twenty but that would be a minimum. Funnily enough they seemed to dissappear as quickly as they appeared as we headed into port.
I agree Phil, the anonymity of Porpoises continues to be a source of real frustrationdto those of us who try and study them. Is the porpoise today the same one you saw yesterday or even the same one that popped up in the same place a minute ago????? aaaargh! Useful to have peripheral (?) sightings outside the "normal" bounds around Strumble though.
It would seem the weather is still pretty cool and unsettled and there were not that many sea birds around. So far I have only seen one puffin in the middle sector of the ferry route they usually favour. Perhaps the fish just arent there yet...
At Pen Brush 1 mile south west of Strumble Head this morning (17th) circa 10am. 6 - 8 porps about 400 m out foraging in a tidal race at the end of the ebb tide. Good number of diving Gannets around too. Sea state generally calm with an easterly breeze force 2
and yesterday...
I couldn't resist getting out late this afternoon, as conditions were almost perfect. Went down to Trwyn Llwyd Trefin and was rewarded with another sighting of a solitory porp, (perhaps the same solitory porp I saw yesterday) on the flood tide about a mile off the coast this time. It was only visible with the scope and was feeding in the same area on and off for about half an hour. As you know from the ferry trip sea state was calm with a gentle light westerly breeze. I have seen porps from the Trefin/Porthhgain coast on many occasions over the last 3 years I've been looking and generally it is a solitory one. I wonder if it is the same animal, perhaps a loner from the Strumble group? Be great to know more!
All the best.
Phil.(Lees)
Interestingly we (Rich Crossen, Cristina Munillo and self were on the Stena Europe, Wed/Thurs. We started spotting Porpoises off Strumble and they continued to be seen most of the way across until conditions moved up a notch to SS3 and then sightings declined.
On the way back this morning the conditions were much the same starting a lumpy SS2-3 off Rosslare gentling down to SS1-0 off Strumble. Sightings were hard to come by, Rich caught a glimpse of a Common Dolphin but little else untill we were well into Welsh waters with one group of four lungeing Porps about ten miles off Strumble. As we approached Strumble the sea was flat calm , no tide race , no birds no porpoises.
As we approached Fishguard the bay out towards Dinas Island and out to the north suddenly seemed to be full of porpoises all pretty much spread out and mostly quite distant. We estimated around twenty but that would be a minimum. Funnily enough they seemed to dissappear as quickly as they appeared as we headed into port.
I agree Phil, the anonymity of Porpoises continues to be a source of real frustrationdto those of us who try and study them. Is the porpoise today the same one you saw yesterday or even the same one that popped up in the same place a minute ago????? aaaargh! Useful to have peripheral (?) sightings outside the "normal" bounds around Strumble though.
It would seem the weather is still pretty cool and unsettled and there were not that many sea birds around. So far I have only seen one puffin in the middle sector of the ferry route they usually favour. Perhaps the fish just arent there yet...
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
From Phil Lees...
Hi Cliff,
At Porthgain Beacon today around midday.
Saw a solitory porp on the flood tide swimming north easterly along the coast about 300 - 400 m out .
Sea condition was quite choppy with a NNW wind force 4 gusting 5.
Friday 11th Strumble Head for an hour around 1pm.
4 - 5 Porps seen in the ebbing tide race. 2 seen swimming together.
Fairly choppy sea, NW wind force 3/4.
Had great close up views in the telescope of one porp surfacing regulary around a small group of gulls who were dip feeding. Good number of gannets around but none seen diving.
Hwyl.
Hi Phil,
really nice bit of coverage, thanks!
Cristina and I were at Strumble today at around 15.00 with a really active tide race, but a straong N Westerly really ripping things up. none the less about twenty gannets wqere feedingf and several porps. difficulty/impossible to count but plenty of activity!
At Porthgain Beacon today around midday.
Saw a solitory porp on the flood tide swimming north easterly along the coast about 300 - 400 m out .
Sea condition was quite choppy with a NNW wind force 4 gusting 5.
Friday 11th Strumble Head for an hour around 1pm.
4 - 5 Porps seen in the ebbing tide race. 2 seen swimming together.
Fairly choppy sea, NW wind force 3/4.
Had great close up views in the telescope of one porp surfacing regulary around a small group of gulls who were dip feeding. Good number of gannets around but none seen diving.
Hwyl.
Hi Phil,
really nice bit of coverage, thanks!
Cristina and I were at Strumble today at around 15.00 with a really active tide race, but a straong N Westerly really ripping things up. none the less about twenty gannets wqere feedingf and several porps. difficulty/impossible to count but plenty of activity!
Hey Cliff!
Ferry trip was great, again we saw lots of porpoise near the Welsh coast, but also two groups of 20-30 dolphins feeding together with several bird species. quite amazing to see these events happening about 500 metres off the ferry! A few minutes after we saw this another mysterious creature appeared out of the waves. It was too big to be a porpoise but it wasn't a dolphin, maybe a Minke-whale?
On the way back to Wales we didn't see much more than several porpoise, but it was great though.
Seems like this ferry-trip was more succesfull than the previous one, saw different ceteceans and bird species, and the weather was fantastic, sun all the time!! Steve is a great guy and we had a really nice time with him! Cristina, Carla and Ben (her boyfriend) enjoyed it as well!
Thanks for letting us on the ferry again, it was great!
Cheers!
André and Ben
Hi Cliff
A good trip. Cristina will fill you in on the details and facts. The common dolphins were busy feeding so did not come in to the ferry so the photo is very distant and a record shot only. The 2 pods wre quite close to each other so I would guess that it was one pod that split chasing food. Minke?? 75% to 80% sure it was but Rene was so wanting one and he was the only one to see it side on. I got him to draw what he saw immediately. My view was something large coming straight at me and very brief so could have been anything.
Steve
Glad everything went well!
Ferry trip was great, again we saw lots of porpoise near the Welsh coast, but also two groups of 20-30 dolphins feeding together with several bird species. quite amazing to see these events happening about 500 metres off the ferry! A few minutes after we saw this another mysterious creature appeared out of the waves. It was too big to be a porpoise but it wasn't a dolphin, maybe a Minke-whale?
On the way back to Wales we didn't see much more than several porpoise, but it was great though.
Seems like this ferry-trip was more succesfull than the previous one, saw different ceteceans and bird species, and the weather was fantastic, sun all the time!! Steve is a great guy and we had a really nice time with him! Cristina, Carla and Ben (her boyfriend) enjoyed it as well!
Thanks for letting us on the ferry again, it was great!
Cheers!
André and Ben
Hi Cliff
Steve
Glad everything went well!
Sunday, 13 May 2012
Bottlenose Dolphins
A report via text to Cliff of 2 Bottlenose Dolphins off Pen Anglas just west of Fishguard Harbour this morning.
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