I arrived just at low tide with the ebb just slowing to slack water. Occasional Porp's were to be seen retreating west with the tide but then as the tidal flow ceased, only occasional surfacings were to be seen. No porp pic's from this session but at least eight divers flew past, too distant to be confident of species .Another Diver was preening on the water and a couple of small scoter flocks passed by.
I arrived after lunch to join Ken and for an hour we had no more than a couple of sightings,Thankfully as the tide began to make the Porpoises began to arrive from the west and became much more active with some splashy surface feeding which attracted the gulls and helped to show us where they were. at one point a herring gull dipped in next to a feeding porp and picked up a fish of about 6-8 inches /18-24 cm something I have rarely witnessed in the past.I did manage a few pic's but I suspect as usual Ken's will be a lot better!
I just managed to get a picture of a mother and calf (below) yet more proof that Strumble should be designated as a discrete Special Area of Conservation for Harbour Porpoise
Having just received the latest Welsh Government/ JNCC proposals for designations,I am baffled as to why a huge amount of Welsh territorial waters are proposed with so little evidence to support such broad brush designation as against the overwhelming evidence that can be produced to support the Strumble tidal system! Do they not understand the word "Special"?
