Yesterday was the fourth of a series of boat trips with Friends of Cardigan Bay and the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife in New Quay that I have been on this year. These boat trips are a joint project between the two groups and are to carry survey work on primarily Bottle nosed Dolphins. Each trip has a number of volunteer researchers on board, whose role is to collect the important field data and photo-identification images. In order to help fund the research work spaces are made available on board for a number of paying passengers whose contribution and support for this valuable work is greatly appreciated by the groups.
Trips like this have been running via the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre for many years and the data, observations and information collected by both groups for many years is adding significantly to our knowledge of how many dolphins use, live, and visit Cardigan Bay, as well as understanding the importance of this environment both to them and for the survival of other marine life in this area.
By using photographic identification techniques nearly 300 different bottlenose dolphins have been identified through photo-identification and have been catalogued and studied whilst spending time in Cardigan Bay. Not only do these studies provide us with fantastic information about site usage of the species as a whole but of the lives of individuals, birth rates and group associations etc.
Not only activities of bottlenose dolphins are studied but also locations etc of Harbour porpoises, Atlantic grey seals and sea birds as well as other marine species that are encountered..
For further information please check out the following sites
http://www.friendsofcardiganbay.org/
www.cbmwc.org
Yesterday’s trip was absolutely brilliant with Dolphins leaping all around the boat. Not only that we also saw Porpoise, Seal pups, many birds including, Sooty Shearwater, Mediterranean gulls, Peregrine Falcon (making a ‘kill’) feeding Gannets and of significant interest along this stretch of coast the sighting of a Puffin. Other recent trips have seen Leach’s petrel, Balearic Shearwater, and of course many Manx Shearwaters etc.
Yesterday’s trip was again fully booked so to find out more or to make a booking please look at www.cbmwc.org, www.facebook.com/cbmwc, or twitter @CBMWC
Or phone 01545 560032 to enquire or make a booking
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