Tuesday 29 May 2012

Porps popping up down south! and of course Strumble!

From: Steve Rosser - 29 May 2012 19:02  Nash Sands


There was a single porpoise at the western end of the Nash Sandbank off Porthcawl and the first mackerel in this area for 3 years. Also present a single guillemot (quite unusual here) and a gannet. Summer at last.

Yep its really interesting that Steve has an angle (literally) on the fishing side of the Bristol Channel, because without fish there will be no cetaceans. At strumble today there were lots of porpoises but well spread out and almost impossible to estimate numbers although 50+ given their spread seems reasonable. There was all sorts of behavioural stuff going on but trying to interperate it is pure conjecture There was Leapfrogging going on woith one animal leaping over another ... or even on top of  another??? I just can't wait until the kind of video cameras we need to shoot these animals at distance are available. It seems incredible that so called experts writing Atlases from afar who should know better, seem not to realise, concede or understand that Strumble is probably the most prolific porpoise hotspot in western Europe. certainly southern Britain. 
Porpoise births must happen quite quickly and mostly beneath the surface the surface so I am afraid I cant say anything sensible with regards to Ben's post, sadly after twenty years of watching them they still mostly baffle me!