A West Cork whalewatching trip with Colin Barnes on 29th Nov. in calm conditions produced an impressive tally of:
· C20 harbour porpoises
· 40-50 common dolphins
· 3+ minke whales
· 3-4 humpback whales
· 20+ fin whales
You don’t have to go out on a boat to observe these whales, as they can on calm days and with good optics be seen from vantage points between the Old Head of Kinsale, Sevens Head, Galley Head and Toe Head.
Further east in Waterford on 28th Nov. 2-3 large whales, which were likely to be fin whales were observed within binocular range, blowing some 10 km south of Ram’s Head, Ardmore, Co. Waterford. While on the same day, east again, another large whale, reported as a sei whale, was observed off Carnivan Bay, Hook Head Peninsula.
Last year when the whales left West Cork, they turned up two weeks later off the Hook area in December and spent upwards of seven weeks foraging in the waters between Dungarvan and Hook Head, on occasion feeding on sprats as close in as the main shipping channel in outer Waterford Harbour.
So as ever, the message is that you don’t have to travel all the way to West Cork to sample some great whalewatching along the south coast. Keep your eyes peeled, and please pass on any sightings to the IWDG, by reporting them on-line on this site.
Successful whalewatching