Hi Hannah and Cliff
Just had a few days in Pembrokeshire hopefully for the Seatrust pelagic on Sunday. Alas Bertha had the last word and I am now back in the Forest of Dean where we have had a very wet day . However last week I managed a couple of trips out of St Justinians. On both occasions, Wednesday and Thursday afternoon, we had reasonable sea state and pretty much the same balance of cetaceans. Wednesday saw lots of porpoise particularly on the ebb tide at 7.00pm in Ramsey sound and lots of Common Dolphin in quite a wide group about equidistant between Ramsey and Grasholm in St Brides Bay. Probably 50 animals and clearly a nursery group with lots of juveniles, The dolphin were feeding and socialised briefly before getting back to business. On Thursday the sea state was just about perfect and we went out to the Smalls. Again lots of porpoise not just in the Sound but out in the open sea. Plenty of seals on both Ramsey and Grassholm with some pups . Saw 2 Risso Dolphin , 2 miles north of the Smalls, and then the same pod of Common Dolphin at pretty much the same location, so get out out and check it out!! I also heard of a mother and calf Common Dolphin off Stackpole Head on Thursday afternoon. What is quite clear is the plankton bloom and the abundance of jelly fish, so any decent weather should produce some cracking sightings.
I'm not going to bore you with lots of fin photos, so just one pic of a mother and calf Common Dolphin breaching together.
Hope the weather has not had too great an effect!
cheers
Steve
