Number 5 of the 12 wild moments of 2012 has to be filming and observing Porpoises from a cliff edge on the Great Orme at Llandudno, North Wales and that's not the only reason it was a great moment as it got me to conquer my fear of heights well until I had to climb back up with all my gear which I safely managed to do even if I was abit shaky.
Porpoise surprise
On the first day we wanted to have a look around the Great orme and as usual we scanned the sea looking for anything breaking the waters surface and today we were lucky enough to spot a Porpoise breaking the surface and over the past few years I have seen them before but not as close. Not only was there an adult porpoise a small calf swam along side the adult probably its mother and every so often another would come in and then disappear probably the male which later that week they were revealed to be a resident family of porpoises and the fact they are breeding here shows the how healthy the area is. We spotted them over the week between the main pier at Llandudno to half way around the Great Orme.
After abit of research I found out that Porpoises feed on sand eels which are in healthy numbers as Sandwich terns feed on them on Llandudno bay so I am guessing that's there main food source and if they stay in healthy numbers I am sure that they and other marine life will thrive.
Porpoise surprise
On the first day we wanted to have a look around the Great orme and as usual we scanned the sea looking for anything breaking the waters surface and today we were lucky enough to spot a Porpoise breaking the surface and over the past few years I have seen them before but not as close. Not only was there an adult porpoise a small calf swam along side the adult probably its mother and every so often another would come in and then disappear probably the male which later that week they were revealed to be a resident family of porpoises and the fact they are breeding here shows the how healthy the area is. We spotted them over the week between the main pier at Llandudno to half way around the Great Orme.
After abit of research I found out that Porpoises feed on sand eels which are in healthy numbers as Sandwich terns feed on them on Llandudno bay so I am guessing that's there main food source and if they stay in healthy numbers I am sure that they and other marine life will thrive.
Young Calf coming close to the shoreline
Adult female feeding in the shallows
Diving together
The calf comes close below the cliff where I watched from
After
some boats entered the area they both quickly swam away from the Great
ormes waters to find safety in the deeper waters of the Irish sea.
A
great sighting and I had to climb down a very steep grass cliff with my
kit bag and as I am afraid of heights I was a little nevous to say the
least. But I had to get this close as the light was awful I got a few
shots but mostly I watched as I wanted to absorb everything from the
sound of there blowholes pushing out water into the air and there
observe there beauty and speed as they cut through the calm
and clear waters of the Irish sea.
I
am thinking that Bottlenose Dolphins could possibly become residents of
the bay sometime in the next ten years if the area remains at the
quality it is now. One reason I believe this because of the amount of
food available especially in the summer months due to the amount of fish
that the Dolphins feed on are in large numbers due to the of beach
fishing in the area, so fingers crossed that this will happen and other
species will follow from Basking sharks to Minke Whales which have been
sighted in the summer months that probably come from waters around the
Isle of man.
Below is footage of them swimming close to shore and
hopefully the calf swimming just below the seas surface at a fast pace.
It may not be the longest piece of footage but the amount I have learned about this family group and where they feed and areas they feed at different times of the year have been invaluable and should allow me a closer and more personal encounter in the future.
Thanks for reading
Mike
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