As I type 10:56 am 1st Sept 2005, IWDG members have informed us that they’ve been watching bottlenose dolphins inside Youghal Harbour just out from the Walter Raleigh Hotel. They were 1st seen at 07:00am in a large group of around 30, but these have broken up into smaller sub-groups.
So get down there quick as these dolphins are affording stunning photo opportunities. Definitely no boats required. Shame the kids are back in school!
Later in the day it transpired that both bottlenose and common dolphins were taking part in this activity. The bottlenose dolphins venturing beyond the spit into the Blackwater River system.
While further West off the usual hotspots between the Old Head of Kinsale, Sevens Heads and Galley Head, both land and boat based watches are producing sightings of fin whales, which seem to be aggregating back to their usual West Cork haunts.
Among these is the humpback whale #HBIRL3, called “Boomerang”, who has been seen on each of the last three days by both Colin Barnes and Nic Slocum, Whale Watch West Cork. Contact details for all operators on www.iwdg.ie
Also if you have any useful images of humpback whale’s fluke shots or of fin whales, made during boat based whale watches, please email them to IWDG as low res. Jpegs as these may well help us identify new individuals or provide more evidence of inter-annual re-sightings; all of which help us build up a more complete picture as to the importance of this region to these species
Happy whale watching