Having completed a great number of surveys for MARINElife across the Irish Sea over the past 15 years, this was going to prove to be one of the very best!

After negotiating the new entrance diversion works at the entrance to Heysham Port and registering at the CLdN office, we walked along the safe route to board the Progress.  After some breakfast and a short rest in the passenger lounge, we were escorted to the bridge where we were welcomed by Captain Soostar before setting up our survey position for the day.

The weather forecast was very promising with an approaching area of high pressure that would make the winds drop away and quell any swell, and such was the case over the next two days as we sailed across an increasingly calm sea, albeit under continuous light cloud.

Our first bird record was of a Mediterranean Gull as we passed down the Lune Deep, but after spotting a small flock of Common Scoter as we passed Blackpool bird sightings became rather few and far between, and it was not until we reached the waters near the Isle of Man that activity picked up very nicely.

It was good to see so many adult Gannet together with a number of juveniles, so hopefully there are signs of recovery after the recent horrors of avian influenza.  It was unusual to see so many Razorbill which out-numbered Guillemot by four to one – it is usually the other way around!

A couple of Harbour Porpoise and Grey Seal encounters as we neared the Isle of Man would have been just enough to satisfy our desires to see cetaceans on an ordinary survey.  However, this was to be no ordinary survey!

Just after passing the Calf of Man we both spotted a couple of Common Dolphin leaping out of the still waters ahead and heading toward the bow of the Progress…and then four more….and then….!  Immediately the whole sea was alive with dolphin groups of three and four, all leaping towards the bow of the ship to bow ride for a short while before playing in the wake as the ship passed on!

We estimated there to be at least 120 animals in this Irish Sea super-pod, but it is very likely there were many more – their activity was too frenzied and widespread for us to make an accurate count!  An exceptional encounter!

Buoyed up by this wonderful experience, we happily continued to survey numbers of Gannet, Kittiwake, Razorbill, and Guillemot as we approached the Irish coast, and were very pleased to see the last of this summer’s Manx Shearwater as they passed to the south on their long journey to the seas off Brazil for the winter.

A solitary Great Skua well to port was a very welcome sight.  This bird used to be so regular on our surveys before avian influenza devastated their population, and it is to be hoped that there will be some recovery of this spectacular seabird in future years.

As usual, the Whistledown Hotel provided warmth, comfort, and the opportunity for a welcome glass of Guinness, before a good night’s sleep to prepare us for the return trip the following day.  Although the usual spectacular view down Carlingford Lough from the hotel’s dining room was darkened by pre-dawn low cloud, the full Irish breakfast was a wonderful way to start the day!

Back on board the Performance well in time before departure, we were allowed on the bridge nice and early by Captain Tuuling as the ship steamed slowly down the Lough.  This gave us the chance to make some casual observations of the many birds in the Lough, including Great Crested Grebe, several Little Egret, a number of Black Guillemot, and many gulls of various species and ages!   A small number of Grey Seal were hauled out on the reefs just before the Haulbowline Lighthouse, together with several hundreds of Shag and Cormorant resting on the exposed rocks.

Survey began after we passed the lighthouse, and Rhys quickly spotted a Red-throated Diver heading away to the north, before we began the task of recording the more usual seabird species.  It was good to see a number of Fulmar on this return crossing, although most were sitting on the water, becalmed by the virtually absent wind!

As we approach the Isla of Man, we were fully prepared to encounter the dolphin super-pod again, but sadly this was not to be.  However, a very large splash and a flurry of pectoral fins was all we were to see of a Minke Whale as it made a spectacular lunge after food.  More cetacean activity came in the form of another six Common Dolphin and a small group of four Harbour Porpoise as we headed toward the English coast.

Bird numbers were low as we entered the outer reached of Liverpool Bay, but as we entered the Lune Deep off Blackpool there was a sudden increase in gull activity, as birds came out to meet the Performance and follow in her wake.  Very unusually, most of these were Mediterranean Gull and Common Gull, but Rhys spotted the first of two Little Gull and a fine dark-phase Arctic Skua amongst the passing flights.

As we ate our most welcome supper as the Performance eased towards Heysham Port, we agreed this had been an exceptional and most enjoyable survey, with the memory of all those dolphins something we will never forget.

These regular marine surveys really do show just what a special part of British waters the Irish Sea is, and our thanks as always to CLdN for their excellent support of MARINElife on this survey programme.  Thanks also to Captains Soostar and Tuuling and their crews for their unfailing warm welcome to their ships.

Rob Petley-Jones and Rhys Jones, Research Surveyors for MARINElife Registered Charity No. 1110884; Registered Company No. 5057367

 Weather

Outward – High cloud; good visibility; sea state 1-3; swell absent.

Return – High cloud; good visibility; sea state 1-2; swell absent.