Weather conditions: sunny/fair. Sea state: 1 increasing to 5. Wind direction: Varied
Bottlenose dolphins were spotted throughout the sunny morning, seen foraging 900m offshore at the cardinal marker as well as traveling across the bay frequently. An Atlantic grey seal was spotted at the harbour wall over two surveys. Despite the sunny morning the sea quickly became rough and the wind picked up, bringing an end to the sightings for the day. Grey mullet and gannets were also spotted.
Weather conditions: sunny to overcast, sea state: 1-3, visability: >10Km
Our living seas volunteers enjoyed a sunny day surveying from the Harbour Wall, with half of our surveys reporting dolphin sightings. The dolphins were mostly seen foraging in the bay, but were briefly seen leaping near the cardinal buoy and fish factory. We were also treated to a lot of bird activity, including Oystercatchers and diving Gannets.
Weather conditions: sunny with little cloud, sea state: 1-3, visability: >10Km
We had three boat trips during the morning and afternoon, two of which saw both Bottlenose Dolphins and Atlantic Grey Seals. Notably we had a couple of sightings of dolphins exhibiting socialising behaviour, including head and tail slaps and leaping. We also saw what we believe was a pregnant seal hauled out on the rocks. Furthermore there was an abundance of jellyfish.
Weather conditions: sunny, sea state 1, wind direction N-NE
It was a glorious day at Birds Rock and our SeaSeal volunteer was out spotting both marine and terrestrial wildlife from the cliff top! Three Atlantic grey seals were seen, during the two hour survey, in the water and hauled out on the rocks. A group of 15 bottlenose dolphins were feeding on fish seen just below the water. Large groups of seabirds were also observed feeding. Gannets were diving amongst large groups of gulls and many guillemots and razorbills were seen below the waves. A red kite flew past Birds Rock and a young fox was seen lying in the sun next to the coastal path! Several species of butterfly were flying around the wildflowers at the top of the cliff.
Weather conditions: sunny, no precipitation, sea state 1-2, visibility 1-10km, light swells
Our boat surveys had some incredible sightings on-board Sulaire, with some passengers witnessing bottlenose dolphins bow-riding and playing only meters from the boat. As well as the dolphins, both male and female Atlantic grey seals were spotted swimming and displaying bottling behaviours. Lastly on a day of perfect weather, gannets were seen diving very close by, and thousands of Cyanea lamarckii jellyfish could be easily seen by the water’s surface.
Weather conditions: sunny, sea state 1-2, wind direction: NE – NW
Dolphins were seen from 7am mid-way between the harbour wall and the headland – frequently leaping and breaching out of the water. From 9am-10am, the cetaceans stayed by the edge of the reef and could be seen foraging as well as displaying more social behaviours with leaps included. Two jellyfish species (Rhizostoma pulmo & Cyanea lamarckii) were also spotted from the survey point – with the latter seen in large numbers. Bird species including gannets and black-legged kittiwakes were also spotted.
Weather conditions: fair, sea state 1-2, wind direction NE
It was a busy day at Birds Rock, with two of the Big Three spotted from the cliff top, as well as a lot of bird activity. Our #SeaSeal volunteer recorded four grey seals hauled out in the sunshine. They were actively looking around, wailing and bickering with each other!
The water was exceptionally clear and shoals of fish could be seen just below the waves!! Large groups of sea birds formed on the surface, with gannets diving right into the centre. Two groups of bottlenose dolphins were also observed travelling past and leaping in the distance!
Weather conditions: varied with brief spells of rain, sea state: 0-1, wind directions: NE – NW
We had an all-day survey during which our living seas volunteers were lucky enough to see all of the Cardigan Bay Big Three, which included a spectacular encounter during which a pod of six dolphins approached the boat and socialized. We also saw frequently seen Lipstick and Snowcone, a number of jellyfish, and, unusually, a Canadian Goose and some Shelduck, plus a dolphin eating a Garfish.
Weather conditions: varied with brief spells of rain, sea state: 0-1, wind directions: varied
Yesterday our volunteers carried out land and boat surveys all day and had some amazing sightings. Dolphins were seen on every land survey, including frequently seen Snowcap and her calf, mostly foraging near the fish factory or cardinal buoy. In addition four Harbour Porpoise and an Atlantic Grey Seal were seen. Bird life was exciting too; we saw Gannets, Grey Wagtails, Oystercatchers and a rarely seen Bridled Guillemot.
Weather conditions: Sun and showers, sea state 1-3, wind direction NW-SW
From 7am dolphins were spotted immediately off the harbour wall, recorded to be foraging along the sea floor. As the morning continued, more animals (including a couple juveniles) joined the foraging dolphins with 7 individuals seen throughout the survey area – at times leaping out of the water. Gannets could also be seen circling above and diving for fish. The rest of the day was quiet until 6pm when a mother and calf were too sighted.
Weather conditions: Sunny/Fair, sea state: 1 – 2, wind direction SE – SW
Our Living Seas volunteers conducted Land Based surveys from 9am – 7pm from New Quays harbour wall. An exciting start to the day saw over 10 Bottlenose Dolphins foraging in the bay during the 7am survey period, along with an Atlantic grey seal that was also recorded. A quiet few hours followed with only 1 Atlantic grey seal being spotted during the 11am survey. However Dolphins returned to the bay during the afternoon with as many as 15 Bottlenose Dolphins recorded across the afternoon’s survey periods. During the morning a 2 hour boat trip was conducted from 10:45 onward, during which 3 Atlantic Grey Seals were observed and recorded, along with a range of sea birds such as Herring Gulls, Razor-bills and Gannets.
Weather conditions: Sunny/Fair, sea state: 1-2, wind direction variable
Our Living Seas volunteers conducted surveys from 7am-7pm, with dolphins spotted in every survey of the day! The dolphins were observed foraging and travelling throughout the day. During a number of surveys the dolphins were more active, leaping and lunging out of the water. Gannets were also spotted circling above groups of dolphins. Our ShoreFin team identified Snowcap and her calf in one of the groups.