Hi Dan,
Really great to get Pauls report please thank the lifeboat boys! This is a really significant report for the following reasons...
Funnily enough if you see Rich Crossens report from the Stena Europe, it seems his dolphins seen from the bridge of the Stena Europe may well have been a part of this group although they were seen earlier in the day in Fishguard Bay heading west.
Its very interesting as you know I spent a lot of time with Graham Rees and lots of other very competent watchers, seawatching from Strumble Head in the 1990's into the 2000's. We saw all sorts of birds fish and cetaceans but it was only 1997 when we saw our first Commons from Strumble. We did not see any again until 2000 and since then they were seen most years , always in the summer months.
We have one record of four Common Dolphins photographed from Newquay Head a couple of years ago and another of a couple off Cybwr Bay a year or so earlier. Steve Hartley has been surveying these waters for over 20 years and only seen them once a long time ago all summer sightings. As a lifeboatman he would also have had plenty of opportunity to see them if they had been there in the winter.
We had very few winter CD sightings from the Stena Europe but they have been regular in the past three years.
One way or another it all seems to be adding up to something but not sure what! please keep the sightings coming in its all grist to the mill!