A leisurely arrival and welcome at Heysham for a departure at 10.20 thankfully in daylight, in contrast to my January Heysham-Dublin survey when first light was west of the Isle of Man and the lights of Dublin were beckoning us!  We were also very pleased and relieved to be told by the crew of the Point that the uncomfortable 3 metre swell of the previous day had moderated!!

As we passed over the Lune Deep it was good to see a fine male Eider fly past the bows of the Point.  Having left Morecambe Bay there was a steady flow of Kittiwake, with numbers back to what would be expected at this time of year.  The moderate winds and the still considerable swell were enough to encourage the first of several Fulmar to display their supreme mastery of the air, as they skimmed low over the waves.  Later in the day, there was a brief glimpse of two Common Dolphin alongside the vessel, with further sightings of Harbour Porpoise and a Grey Seal. As we passed south of the Isle of Man.

As we approached the Irish coast, we were very surprised to an encounter a flock of 50 adult Gannet on the water in the path of Point.  Often travelling together in small groups. it was not evident why such a large gathering of these birds had formed, and it may be that they had been feeding together on a shoal of fish.  At this time of year, Gannet will be moving back towards their breeding sites, such as on Ailsa Craig in the Firth of Clyde.  It was also surprising to see three young Gannet, distinctive in their dark plumage, with this group of adults, as younger birds tend to stay in southern waters off Spain and North Africa until they are approaching maturity, and to see young birds in the Irish Sea is unusual.

Just after we finished surveying as we passed the Haulbowline Light, it was amazing to see the rocky reefs guarding the entrance to Carlingford Lough completely carpeted with hundreds of gulls, Shag, and Cormorant, with no room for Grey Seals!  As we entered the mouth of Carlingford Lough we had a fly-past of around 100 Light-bellied Brent Geese right in front of our bows, and as we sailed up the Lough toward Warrenpoint we were accompanied by large numbers of Common Gull, together with a small number of Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, and Great Black-backed Gull.  As the light faded flights of Rook and Jackdaw passed over the Lough towards their roosts in the Irish Republic!

After a very comfortable night at the Whistledown Hotel (and a glass of refreshing Guinness!) the view from the breakfast room over the expanse of Carlingford Lough was truly stunning and as we ate, we were entertained by the antics of several Black Guillemot resplendent on their full summer plumage.

We stayed down in the passenger lounge as the Performance left the berth, as there was such dense fog that we could not even see some of the channel buoys through the saloon window!  Having seen how narrow the dredged channel leading to Warrenpoint is, we were very pleased to be in the capable hands of Captain Tuuling and his crew – immaculate seamanship!  The occasional gap in the fog bank allowed us to record numbers of Red-breasted Merganser and Shag, and a large number of Great Crested Grebe.  There were also several Grey Seal lounging and spy-hopping in the mirror-calm waters.  Fortunately, by the time we reached the outer channel light the fog had lifted, and we were invited to the bridge, where we managed to spot a couple of Great Northern Diver close to the bows.

Sea conditions were much calmer than on the outbound passage and so we had high expectations of cetacean sightings, and Rob had a distant and fleeting views of two Bottlenose Dolphin and several Harbour Porpoise.

It was with delight that we were overtaken by three beautiful and graceful Manx Shearwater, this the first sightings of such a wonderful bird this year, and a vanguard of the around 300,000 Manx Shearwater that will return from overwintering off the coast of South America to breed on remote islands in the northwest of Britain.  The Irish Sea is so important for this species, and to the south-west of the Isle of Man is the Irish Sea Front Special Protection Area, supporting the third largest foraging aggregation of Manx Shearwater identified in the UK.

As we continued our way toward the English coast, there were low densities of Kittiwake and Guillemot, with one sighting of a group of five Razorbill.  Another sign of Spring returning were several Barrel Jellyfish, the first of many that will drift into the Irish Sea during the coming summer.

Approaching Heysham Port, we had a superb view of a Little Gull taking off from the water, with its very characteristic dark grey underwing contrasting with its white body and pale upper wings. This is the World’s smallest species of gull, and small numbers spend the winter months here, and can sometimes be seen feeding around the heated water discharge from the Heysham nuclear power station.  A great way to round off a very satisfying survey!

As ever, we are grateful to all at CLdN for the support they give to MARINElife to carry out these surveys, and particularly to Captains Kiszewski and Suharev on the Point, and Captain Tuuling on the Performance, and their crews, for the warm welcome and generous accommodation we received on board.

Rob Petley-Jones and Chris Lumb, Research Surveyors for MARINElife (Registered Charity No. 1110884; Registered Company No. 5057367)

Weather

Outward – sunny, becoming cloudy, good visibility; wind S 5-6; sea state 3-5

Return – overcast, thick mist departing Carlingford Lough, soon clearing, then intermittent light rain showers; wind SW2 -3; sea state 1-3