Survey Route: Heysham – Warrenpoint

An active sea precluded any sightings of Harbour Porpoise, but very active groups of Common Dolphin were clearly enjoying the waves! Migrating Storm Petrel and fledged Puffin added to the excitement of this survey.

Eventual calmer sea states allowed the survey team to spot a good number of the elusive Harbour Porpoise, while Manx Shearwater numbers were impressive throughout the survey. The first juvenile Guillemot were also seen, freshly ‘jumped’ from their cliff nest!

Some calm sea conditions allowed the survey team to record some exciting marine wildlife, including a record number of Harbour Porpoise and even a Minke Whale!

It was good to see the welcome return of good numbers of Manx Shearwater to the Irish Sea after their migration from the South Atlantic, as well as some remaining Great Northern Diver before they head north to their breeding grounds.

Good numbers of Common Dolphin and numbers of returning seabirds after the winter made this a rewarding survey

The survey avoided the worst of Storm Goretti and recorded the usual species found in the Irish Sea during the winter

There were a few firsts on this trip, one of them was probably a first for any MARINElife trip!  I had travelled up the day before as normal and was staying in a caravan close to the port.  Late in the evening there was a shudder that went through the caravan – it was a…

A lull in the stormy weather of early November allowed this survey to go ahead, with sightings of Common Dolphin and Harbour Porpoise, and although some Little Gull, a Red-throated Diver, and a Puffin were recorded seabird activity was generally low.

An amazing super-pod of Common Dolphin and a lunge-feeding Minke Whale were the spectacular highlights of this survey.

Good views of Harbour Porpoise and Common Dolphin, together with large numbers of Guillemot and a couple of Storm Petrel, made this a memorable survey.