Late news, sorry Phil!

Just found this from 27th May in my GMail box...
Hi Cliff Couple of Strumble sightings to report - while waiting for the 10.30 Shuttle bus at Strumble this morning I watched a porp showing well in the swell for a few minutes just out from the Observatory. Then around 12ish there was another solitary porp foraging for about half an hour at Y Globa Fawr - it was quite close in too - showing well as it rode the top of swell. Lots and lots of gannets out there so I thought I might see more - but not complaining though! All the best Phil Lees

Spooky Dolphins

Glowering skies brightened as we followed the coast north from Fishguard on a mobile survey, using the new BRIGGS sponsored  tablet installed with Geographical Information System sourced from WWBRIC (West Wales Biological RecordsInformation Centre) as part of our new attempt to develop an accurate electronic recording system for our sightings. Ceibwr Bay was first stop and bingo! a distant group of five bottlenose dolphins were heading north towards Camaes Head. We filmed and recorded them and then headed off to Newquay Harbour.
Verena seems to have sorted out the glitches we experienced aboard the Stena Europe and also managed to film some Dolphins, Sadly the amount of boats passing back and forwards seemed to be spooking the Dolphins especially one of the trip boats that headed straight out to where a group of half a dozen were hanging around including  a mother and small calf. I have usually found the Newquay boats to be quite sensitive especially within view of the harbour wall but was a bit dissapointed by the fact that at least three boats hung about or made for dolphins that seemed to be in plain view. Whether this was intentional on all of the skippers parts would be difficult to be certain but having observed the scene for about three hours it certainly seemed the animals were being spooked pretty constantly.

Pernickity Porp

Verena and the Walrus had a look at the outer breakwater today, and despite the choppy sea Verena spotted a porp quite close in . As soon as I grabbed my camera it would dissappear and as soon as I put it down it came back! I did manage a couple of shots which sadly revealed it was not Polo, a porpoise that I filmed and photographed in 2008 at the same location.Close encounters with Porps are quite rare but It looks like we are beginning to get equipment and locations sorted this year.

Verena's porpoise films

Phew! porps everywhere!

Busy day today, but after sorting out the Ocean Lab Aquarium. We, Steve, Tony, Verena and self had a look off the  Fishguard outer breakwater. Distantly several porps were showing under about 20 gannets . The tide looked good so we shot off to Strumble where more porpoises were showing well under a similar amount of gannets. Having dropped Stevo and Tony off we decided to have another look from Harbour village where Verena had seen around half a dozen bottles yesterdat. There were some Gannets just on the edge of Pen Anglas, but whatever they wer flying over was out of view. we decided to try and have a look and yomped off over the heather and gorse untill we caught up with them near Pen Anglas. Wowee Zowee, a couple of porps were foraging just below us . Verena filmed them (as I confused her with useless instructions) , none the less we have some nice short snaps which we will add tommorow!

Strumble porps and others...

Elfyn why did you not pop by?  anyhow yep I had a look this afternoon, superb big seas, but could not find porps though Adrian did an hour or so later (as well as a D P Pom!) We did see a few porps in Fishguard bay at about 4pm , at least half adozen with about twenty gannets foraging overhead. Weather looking dodgy for the rest of the week.I think the WOW coutrse is pretty much full so lets hope the weather sorts itelf  out!

Strumble observations

Hi Cliff I saw Dan Worth on the R.I.B. 'Razorbill' a couple of days ago in the tide race off Strumble Head and I thought the guy with him was doing something 'over the side' (I thought at the time he was fishing for mackerel!) now I know they were recording the tidal current, brave men indeed! I wouldn't like to end up in the drink there for sure! Dan must have been conscious of me peering at him through a scope! Its been an awful job spotting porpoise in the rough conditions the last few days and the gannets weren't much help but I guess I haven't seen more than 4 porpoise at any one time. I left for home today and a glance to seaward from 'Trefisheg' revealed a lot of 'white caps' and I wouldn't have wanted to be out in that on anything less than a big ferry! I'm excited about your new cetacean recording system (for reasons you are aware of!) If it's successful I'm sure it has the potential to revolutionise the way data is collected on cetacean surveys by other organisations who adopt the system you have developed. Best of luck with it.

I'm down your way again week after next on the 'Wildlife Observer Wales' 'Seabirds' course at the Pembrokeshire college and I'm really excited about it.

Theres some in Scotland too!

Hi Cliff
Just back from my annual pilgrimage to bonny Scotland. I usually call in on Chanonry Point to see the bottlenose dolphins and while I have seen them on a number of occasions over the years they have been just fins and backs. This year I hit it at the right time. There must have been 20 - 30 animals, possibly more and they were jumping, throwing fish etc etc. There were lots of people enjoying the spectacle, young, old, photographers with long lenses, and high heeled young ladies with cameras on their phones. The dolphins come so close to the shore there it was a fine sight. They performed for over an hour and unlike being in a charter boat we did not have to leave to avoid disturbance for they were 'intruding' into our space and were free to leave when they wished. A truly spectacular hour.
Tight lines,
Steve

Great stuff Steve , it must be getting on for 20 years ago I first "discovered" the wonders of dolphin watching from Channonry Point. I remember a local telling me "they only ate plankton" !

Waddya know!

Sadly I missed them too Dan,  but they are the first bottles in this neck of the woods as far as I can tell  this year, from my observations and what the local fishermen tell me. Big tides, high winds, I sure would not fancy the Strumble tiderace in those conditions, going home and blogging was a wise choice!
Someone also with their eye on the ball is ....
Stevo Lucas Friday 20th May




records through the years as follows
2009, 183 Sea Trust blogs.


2010 , 252 Sea Trust blogs.


2011. 72 Sea Trust blogs


Total Sea Trust reported blogs so far is 507


PS 2011 summer still to come
Cheers


Stevo

I just looked up a couple of stats and last month we had 2,977 page views, and are fast approaching 40,000 over the past couple of years since Rich Crossen set up the blog for us!
On a sadder note there is a large pod of Pilot Whales in trouble off the coast of Scotland. Fiingers crossed but there is rarely a happy conclusion top these events.

And yet more Bottlenose off Goodwick Breakwater!

Day 2 - as we rounded the breakwater at 0630hrs today we immediately picked up a pod of around 6 Bottlenose Dolphins....including a playful mother and calf, jumping clear simultaneously and then taking it in turns....We sat adrift for a few minutes and were thoroughly investigated. We then headed out for our days work where we observed a further three animals spread all the way to the Southerly headland. Took some pics, but as usual blurry /a bit poor. As we headed in at around 1030hrs there was still (4 animals observed) Bottlenose activity oustide the harbour, with the animals enthusiastically bowriding a sailing dinghy as it tacked....Again, a couple of distant /grainey pics. I rang Cliff when we picked up the second sighting (didn't think you would have appreciated a call at 0630 after Stena watch ;-)), who popped down with his camera (not sure how you got on Cliff?) and who took pity on me and lent me a video to get some footage.....Sadly all activity had ceased by the time we headed out again after lunch. The increasingly poor sea state (now a 6 off Strumble and building) meant we had to knock it on the head and return to port later.....Really exciting to see so much Bottlenose activity down 'South' (for me anyway).....Dan

A long way for one porp!

Whilst Dan was filling his boots in our "back garden" we  (Verena, Adrian and the walrus), were plying the Irish Sea for the 334th time, in worsening conditions. To be honest the main reason we were on the ship was to test the new mobile recording system we are developing with support from BRIGGS Marine and in partnership with the  WWBRIC team with IT support from Dr Rob Davies.
Our only positive sighting was a porpoise between  Pen Anglas and Strumble  so in some ways we might as well have stayed  at home! On the other hand the mobile recording trial was useful and worked, though it also showed up a couple of (hopefully)  minor glitches that will need sorting out.

Strumble /Goodwick Cetaceans

An interesting day working out of Goodwick, mapping tidal flows around Strumble head /Bank and beyond.....to re-assure WinW blog followers, the company involved have been liasing with Sea Trust from the outset.....

We have been measuring tidal flow at three sites on an hourly basis from 0700hrs to 1600hrs with Bathymetric work in between. Strumble didn't dissapoint in terms of complex tidal flows, even more dramatic when when sat in amongst it! The Cetaceans were out in force too.....sightings are as follows:

1110hrs - lone Porpoise immediately off lighthouse

1148hrs - 3 porpoise to South of island

1205hrs - lone porpoise midway between above two

1550hrs - pod of 6 Bottlenose Dolphins, well dispersed, outside Goodwick breakwater (called you Cliff, but you are on Stena watch....hope you had a good day too).....

Have uploaded the best of the pics from today, but as usual its my compact digital at its worst. Back out again at 0500hrs tomorrow....bed now!! Dan, Razorbill RIBs

Busy boy!

Dan Worth

17 May 22:19

Just back from an evening charter with friends of 'Razorbill' Stephen Elves and his parents Bob & Helene Elves from Tumbridge Wells. Stephen chartered Razorbill for a two hour wildlife watching trip as a gift for his parents last year.....

What a fab trip....despite a bit of a chop we had plenty of seabirds, seals and Dolphins! A very acrobatic /breaching Bottlenose about a mile off Aberporth headland (no pics). Then a lone adult (pic) later joined by mother and calf stemming the strong flood tide and occasionally showing feeding behaviour. Thanks for your company guys, was a fun evening....off to bed now as we are heading off to St.Davids at 0300hrs!!
and ....

Bumped into Rod Penrose (Group member and Strandings officer for Wales) after Lifeboat Training. Rod invited me up to see a recent and rare stranding he had picked up from Aberaeron. It's a young female Bottlenose of around 2.5 metres (they... get up to over 4m) who had reportedly been seen jumping near the mouth of the Harbour shortly before being stranded. Because of the rarety of finding a Bottlenose and in such good condition, Rod is taking it straight up to London Zoo for a Post Mortem tomorrow (along with the three Porpoise around it in the trailer....all from the Freezer not stranded at the same time). Rod commented that the tooth scratches on the tail section seemed more excessive than usual......Will be interesting to see what the PM reveals. Many thanks Rod, it was fascinating to be able to get so close to one and have a really good look!

Strumble Head

I was at Strumble head yesterday evening and because of the choppy sea conditions I had a job to spot porpoise but I had at least one in the calmer eddies beyond the turbulent tide race but the 'awesome' movement of Manx shearwaters making their way south back to their colonies on Skomer & Skokholm (maybe Ramsey too!) made up for it. There must have been thousands of them passing through not to mention the auks, gannets, kittiwake, fulmar, shag etc; What a place this is and sitting there thinking of all the marine animals that have been seen there in recent years by various people made me realise how special Strumble really is viz- orca, minke whale, humpback whale, Risso's, common and bottlenose dolphin, harbour porpoise, basking shark (and other sharks), sunfish, leatherback turtle, rare seabirds. Wow where am I in the World? Well although widely travelled I am truly in one of my most favorite places in the World.

Sorry Stevo!

Sorry Stevo, I was away and only just got this, allthingsgood, cliff

Thursday 12th May Chris and I saw 2-3 Harbour Porpoises at Strumble head The time was about 2: 40pm. The tide was slack with a few white horsesThe gannets were diving and circling about sea conditions was SW force 4
Cheers Stevo

More Sightings from up north!

Relatively windy conditionds after a calm spell seems to have been the main reason for a lack of sightings over the past week or so but the Coastguards have been looking out for us!

Cliff.


Dolphin sightings for April from our NCI station at Porthdillaen.
4th.- pod of 6 Bottlenose.

9th.-large pod 30+ unidentified, playing around a yacht.
14th.- pod of 6+., unidentified.

16th.- pod of 7+, “
21st. .- pod of 10+ “

23rd. .- pod of 4. “
29th.- pod of 30+ “
Regards.


Peter O’Brien.

Bottlenose dolphins off Llandudno

Zoe and Christopher Stevenson report seeing a school of approximately 30 bottlenose dolphins off Great Orme's head Llandudno last Saturday 7th May. They were first seen at 1.30pm and tracked for about 2 hours travelling from the east passed Great Orme's head then heading towards the menai straits and then veering towards Penmon point and around the east side of the Isle of Anglesey. Some animals were breaching and tail slapping.

WOW Courses

Pembrokeshire College is running a number of Wildlife Observer Wales (WOW) courses covering Marine Life, Cetaceans, Seals and Seabirds between the end of May and October. For details, on the Pembroke College, website please click here

Verena's stormy porp's

Verena and the Walrus have been trying to film our Strumble porps with the new 60x handycam. There have been several problems with seeing the screen and generally finding stuff in it, but the worst problems have been caused by the weather and the porps. I have to use my strongest reading glasses to see anything, luckily Verena's eyes are young and good so I have more or less passed the camera work to her and just give useless instructions! Even so in a stormy sea she caught this....

Porps popping up around Pencaer.

Two bites at the cherry today as the wind and rain eased. Five o clock and several small groups of Porpoises were showing nicely around Strumble. Later on the sea was calm with hardly a ripple looking out from Harbour Village. Eight twenty and two couples of Porpoises showed nicely, the nearer couple had a very small pup stuck to the side of its mum! The film is a bit grainy but as we are filming these animals at a distance of nearly half a mile is not so bad!

Whale Sighting

Midday Friday 29th April 2011 (Whilst avoiding THE wedding!!)

Turbot Bank, Milford Haven N 51.37.10 W 005.07.40

sighted single small whale (positively not dolphin or porpoise). Type not identified. Length 4 - 5 metres.Possibly pilot whale. Travelling westward.

Regard - Billy Williams

Elfyn's Minke Whales

Here are a few more pics from Elfyn Pugh of the Minke Whale see from the Stena Europe early last month - see posting for 8 April. Well done Elfyn! Click pics for larger images.