(Edited report for WinW)
This report records the
mammals and birds seen from the Stena Superfast X ferry to and from Holyhead
and Dublin on 30th October 2015. It complements Sea Trust’s standard
recording sheet for cetacean sightings which has been submitted separately.
Tony Gallon, Alesha Naranjit and Frazer Higgins were Sea Trust’s observers on
this trip.
From the point of view of cetacean watching the trip was
characterised by fair to good conditions throughout although minor white horses
were an inconvenience at times. The change of time means that observations were
not possible during the last hours of the return journey because of the onset
of darkness.
There were few
sightings of cetaceans on this pelagic with only porpoises and a single seal
being logged. The first outward leg sighting was of two porpoises with not long after a singleton.
The return trip produced two more as well as one unidentified cetacean and a single grey seal.
Sea bird highlights were a single a single pale phase Arctic Skua, a winter plumaged Red Throated diver and a single late Manx Shearwater.Twenty Mediterranean Gulls were recorded just outside Dublin Harbour.
We were made very
welcome on the Stena Superfast X and Sea Trust extends their appreciations to
Stena for their generous hospitality in facilitating this survey.
Dr Anthony C. Gallon.