Friday 27th June
I was unsure all week about whether Friday trips would be possible based on the wind forecast. We were able to head out on an early Ocean Discovery this morning in the end and we’re glad we did, because there was an amazing feeding frenzy going on in the bay. Hungry dolphins raced around herding…
Wednesday 25th June
We had a such a great day today. This morning after watching the seals on the island we spotted some intense gannet feeding a little further out, where there were large numbers of common dolphins with them. They were rushing round chasing fish as the gannets dived in from above and the shearaters flitted around…
Tuesday 24th June
The weather forecast decided yesterday it would be misty and drizzly today. I hoped it was lying but it wasn’t. However it was one of those summer days when a southwesterly wind and poor visibility brings in a lot of seabirds close to the coast. Most of them were Manx shearwaters and gannets, and one…
Saturday 21st June
Happy solstice. It started off murky and damp with a few rolls of thunder first thing so it was a good thing we had a later start than normal for this morning’s trip. The sun broke through and we started the trip by finding come common dolphins in the morning calm. We also saw a…
Wednesday 18th June
It was such a beautiful day today after a dull start. This morning we had a four hour Discovery Voyage and we saw some excellent seabird action, including a sooty shearwater which sat on the water right next to the boat, looking back at us! We also saw some grey seals, two ocean sunfish, and…
Tuesday 17th June
A long day today with a Discovery Voyage (4 hour) followed by an Ocean Discovery (3 hour) trip. This morning we had lovely clear views of a harbour porpoise in the early morning calm. It circled repeatedly round the boat, just carrying on with what it was doing. Further offshore all was quiet apart from…
Monday 16th June
We had two Ocean Discovery trips today and had great sightings on both. This morning we found a small group of common dolphins who stayed with us a while, lots of feeding seabirds and an ocean sunfish. We also saw a herring gull divebombing a heron, which we haven’t witnessed before. This afternoon we watched…
Wednesday 11th June
It started calm this morning, perfect for spotting cetaceans. There were plenty of common dolphins in the bay, resting, socialising and then feeding. There were a couple of seals round the island, though the tide wasn’t low for a few more hours. Nearby we had some really lovely close views of a pair of fulmars…
Tuesday 10th June
Today we saw a fin whale! This was on the two hour Bay Discovery and not particularly far from shore. We occasionally see fin whales in August, but we have never seen one this early before. I just caught sight of a blow in my peripheral vision, which seemed far too big for a minke…
Sunday 8th June
We had an Ocean Discovery trip this morning and a Discovery Voyage trip this afternoon, and it was the morning people who had the most luck with the sightings. There were several seals hauled out on the island including two small juveniles and Kelp the old female we have been watching for so many years….