We boarded CLdN Point on Thursday morning, and after a friendly welcome from the stewards and after a cooked meal we were taken up to start the survey at 12.30.  The day was dry, with sun trying to break through the cloud cover.  Visibility was good and the sea state was calm, so the possibility of cetacean sightings was very much anticipated!

Heading west, there was a steady flow of sightings, including many gulls – Herring Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black backed Gull, and some immature gulls.  Other species seen were Gannet, Manx Shearwater, Kittiwake, Fulmar, Common Tern, Guillemot and a few Razorbill.  Some birds were content to sit on the water whilst others gracefully used the wind to skim the waves.  A few dolphin fins were seen, probably Bottlenose Dolphin, while there was one feeding frenzy which attracted a number of diving Gannet and feeding gulls.

The survey was stopped as the ship passed the Haulbowline Lighthouse, entering the narrow channel into Carlingford Lough.  We arrived in Warrenpoint harbour and made our way to our overnight accommodation at the Whistledown Hotel.  Our evening walk did not take us far enough to look for Black Guillemot which nest close to the main road to Belfast, but maybe another time.  A good night’s sleep, and Jon was up early for a walk along the lough shore to be rewarded with seeing some Little Egret and a Grey Heron.

An earlier sailing than expected meant we were on-board the Clipper Performance for the return journey in good time.  The horizon remained clear, but the wind was beginning to increase, and although the sea state was initially good for conducting the survey, the lack of colour variation made sightings more challenging.  Sightings were more sporadic than on the day before, but we recorded Cormorant as we left the Lough mouth, while several gulls remained with the ship circling the stern of the Performance until we were nearing the Isle of Man.

Sightings included Gannet and different aged Herring Gull, Common Gull, and Lesser Black-backed Gull, while there were numbers of Kittiwake, Razorbill, Guillemot, Fulmar, and Manx Shearwater.  Some of the Manx Shearwater were rafting on the water while others were dip feeding among the diving Gannet.  We were very pleased to see two Harbour Porpoise about halfway through the survey, followed by two sitting Puffin.

Another hearty meal was much appreciated in the late afternoon, after the survey had finished whilst the passage into Heysham was navigated.

Our thanks go to the Captains Eiotr Butrymowicz and Caspar Aasbarsinaimae and their crews who were very welcoming, and to CLdN staff for their efficiency at getting us on and off the ships.  The stewards did a great job looking after us too.

 Jon Steele and Iphthime Millward – Research Surveyors for MARINElife (Registered Charity No. 1110884; Registered Company No. 5057367)