Strumble Diary 01/09/2023

 Today's session was like a game with four quarters so I'll split the post into four as well. 

1.  I was very early getting out to Strumble and the sun had barely broken the horizon so the light was poor to start. The tide was rising with a very strong tide race running to the NE. I set up the camera set my chair down and settled back for what I hoped would be a good session. I raised my binos to my eyes and looked out to the NW. Bingo! There in the distance the unmistakable fin of a Rissos Dolphin gliding gracefully through the swells as only a Rissos can. Sadly no image and I didn't spot it again. I scanned to the right toward the NE and discovered thirty or so Common Dolphin feeding vigorously on the landward side of the tide race. They fed there for over an hour before dispersing into smaller groups with some moving out and some heading east toward Fishguard Bay.

2.   Events in nature can be spectacular, beautiful, awe inspiring or at times very cruel. Sometimes at Strumble we too see the cruel side such as in the bird flu epidemic and in stormy weather with young seal pups being washed off the beaches and out of the coves to name but a few. The Super blue moon whilst stunning for us to see brought with it a silent danger around the coast. One of the highest tides so far this year coincided with the start of the seal pupping season and has sadly had a negative effect on the new seal pups around the Strumble peninsular. Several pups observed in the water with their frantic mums trying desperaely to get them back onto land where it can suckle and grow. Some may make it back but sadly most don't. This was the case for a pup which appeared below the lookout Having been washed off the shore it sruggled in vain against the tide It's mother nowhere to be seen. The outcome was inevitable and nature in it's own cruel way decided the fate of this young pup as it no doubt did and will continue to do for so many others.

3.   Long after the first batch of dolphins had departed and with the tide now ebbing more dolphins appeard in the late morning sunshine. These remained chiefly outside the tide race whilst in the tide race several porpoise were happily foraging just in front of the lookout. This provided much excitement for the several visitors that had gathered at the lookout curious as to what I was doing.

4.  Right at the end of my session after the porps and commons had moved off and the tide race decreased to a weak flow I was scanning to the East and again saw the large fins of two Rissos dolphin. Although distant, this time I managed a shot of one of them before they slipped under the waves heading toward Fishguard Bay and that was all I saw of them. Very happy to have a Risso's sandwich of a session though and went home a very happy chappy. :-)