Thursday 5 January 2017

From Ramsey Sound with Chris Pierpoint

Hello Cliff, 
I was down at Ramsey Sound today, and timed it just right to watch porpoises as they passed the copper mines on the early ebb tide.  I’m attaching a few photos – I was feeling inspired by spending some time with Ken a while back as he photographed leaping porps at Strumble.  It was really rough in the south Sound today against the SE’ly wind, but as always a wonderful experience.  There was a peregrine on the prowl, and a few nice med gulls among the black-heads. 





I was down there yesterday too, during the flood, and counted 4 x ad med gulls, 2 x ad kittiwakes, 3 x imm common gulls among the many hundreds of black-headed gulls that were feeding close in to the rocks.  Does anyone have the low-down on precisely what these gulls are feeding on?  Maybe herring eggs – perhaps the same as the huge flocks off Fishguard Bay in December (and Cardigan Island-Mwnt in late October).  I think the herring season is a bit of an annual wildlife spectacle, a David Attenborough moment, which goes largely unnoticed by most folk these days.

Anyway, all very best. Chris.