Posts Tagged ‘Rissos dolphin’
Looking out for dolphins and porpoises in Wales
Have you ever fancied yourself as a dolphin researcher? If you think you’ve got what it takes, you could join us on the remote Welsh island of Bardsey (Ynys Enlli) next year. I have just returned from Bardsey Island with my colleague Pine Eisfeld-Pierantonio. We spent the last two weeks of August looking out for…
Read MoreRisso’s dolphin
See all species Risso’s dolphins have a distinctive grey body which over time becomes covered in scars. Risso’s dolphins are predominantly deep water lovers and are therefore relatively unstudied, however in several places around the world they can be found within only metres of the coast enabling researchers to learn so much more about them. Other…
Read MoreNew season looking out for Risso's dolphins
I was on an early morning beach dog walk on Monday, our first day back on the Isle of Lewis this year when I saw a fin slice out of the water in the quiet, still bay in front of our accommodation. I held my breath. Not just any fin, but a Risso’s dolphin! We…
Read MoreScottish government proposes new protected areas for marine life, including whales and dolphins
After years of campaigning by WDC and others, the Scottish government announced today that it is considering the creation of four new marine protected areas (MPAs) around its coastline, which will now go out for public consultation. WDC first proposed the three sites that include Risso’s dolphins and minke whales back in 2011. Thanks to…
Read MoreFamine or Feast – Isle of Lewis Research Blog
It was a slow start to this seasons fieldwork here on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. High winds (at this time of year the remnants from the various hurricanes battering the Caribbean and USA) and lots of rain kept us on land and indoors for the first week however patience, being a…
Read MoreThe windy watch – Bardsey Island Survey 2017
Another Bardsey Island (Ynys Enlli) field season is over, this time a little earlier than planned as the strong winds, some of which were over 50 mph, made it impossible for us to survey. However in the short time we were there we were treated to some dolphin delights. The waters around Bardsey Island are…
Read MoreScratching the surface: Risso’s dolphin fieldwork at Lewis, Scotland
A guest blog by Dr Caroline Weir, who joined WDC in the field in Scotland this month. The waters surrounding the Eye Peninsula near Stornoway on the north-east coast of Lewis have long been known to be one of the most important regions in the UK for Risso’s dolphins. I first observed Risso’s dolphins in…
Read MoreRisso’s dolphins in North Wales – Bardsey Fieldwork 2016
It seems that this year’s Bardsey fieldwork has been and gone in a flash, it felt like I was only on the island for a few days when in fact 2 weeks had flown past, and I now find myself back in the office. Thanks to funding from Natural Resources Wales (NRW), we were able…
Read MoreRisso’s dolphins in north Wales – Bardsey Island fieldwork 2015
Thanks to funding from Natural Resources Wales (NRW), we were able to go to Bardsey Island (Ynys Enlli) for two weeks in September this year to undertake our study into the Risso’s dolphin and harbour porpoise populations there. Our team of two (project leader Pine Eisfeld-Pierantonio and myself), were joined by NRW’s Senior Marine Mammal Ecologist,…
Read MoreWe got Lucky – will the Risso’s and porpoises get lucky too?
We’ve had a short but very successful field season with some really amazing encounters here off the North East of Lewis. Just last Monday we had a bumper sighting of a HUMPBACK WHALE! Our team of local Shorewatchers have also had a bumper year of sightings from the Tiumpan Head lighthouse headland that makes up…
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