Ironic twist to National Whale and Dolphin Watch

The Safari wasn't looking forward to a Patch 2 session on the drive in as the sea was still too rough. We were right very little was out there. So little in fact that we didn't really relish going out for another blimp at lunchtime.

We had another helper at lunchtime,  LS from the Zoo's research department who is hoping to put together a cetacean watching team for our stretch of coast.

But minutes before we left to meet her news broke from LA the new Sand Dunes Project Officer, that on 'her' beach a couple of miles to our south there were report of two dead Grey Seals, a dead Harbour Porpoise and a dead baby whale of as yet unknown species.

Thoughts immediately turned to by-catch from the trawler that had been working the coast recently or another unseen one from jut over the horizon.

We saw very little on the lunchtime watch and couldn't see the carcasses from where we were stood. If we had have been able to we'd have nipped down after the watch.

Just before we were about to head off home the Fylde Coast Beachcare Project team turned up and kindly offered us a lift down - thanks very much girls much appreciated.

Half way down the beach was one of the Grey Seals, a female. No real clues as to cause of death, thankfully not shot and didn't look to have any mesh injuries from a net.

A good reason not to go near ill or injured seal you might find on the beach - those gnashers could do very serious damage!

Further down the beach near the river channel was the much bigger whale carcass.

Now we've seen it it's deffo a young male Minke Whale.

Looks like a propeller has taken it's face off - but was it dead already or not - impossible to tell without a PM which may be going to done, or at least samples taken as a vet from Liverpool University was on his way.

The severed ends of the jaw bones

Pectoral fin, or radius ulna and hand - just like yours and ours but a bit bigger!

Boy did it pong!
Back at Base Camp we went in to the garden to feed the fish and spotted these small dancing flies - not our usual one. A great little sideways dance with some really nifty hops thrown in - enjoy! And if you know what they are let us know.

Where to next? The wind seems to dropping and swinging round to the south so conditions at sea might be a bit better tomorrow. We'll be watching nearer to high tide and the high tides are getting higher which matches our 'research' in to Harbour Porpoise sightings better than the weekend's tides.

In the meantime let us know what's dancing on the Lily pads in your outback.

National Whale and Dolphin Watch - Day1

The Safari and Young Un AB set up the scopes, deck chairs and all important banner just before 09.00 as the group of volunteer watchers from a nearby college got themselves organised in to watching left and watching right teams.

With the sun over our shoulder and a light easterly breeze conditions were good and we were all hopeful of some sightings.

Sandwich Terns blogged about fishing like little white darts not far in front of us as the tide ebbed. AB called out what he was picking up, a couple of Gannets, a Manx Shearwater more terns, including some Common Terns.

But cloud cover appeared and the wind changed to in our faces picked up and brought with it a serious chill...crikey it went cold.

A shout went up and we got on to a Grey Seal...only to discover minutes later that it was a turtle murdering novelty Helium balloon looking for all the world like a seal's head.

A Grey Seal was seen but what a nightmare it was! It played hard to get,  every time someone got on to it and shouted it dropped below the waves for ages. Eventually we managed to get one of the volunteers on to it...took some doing!!!

The wind continued to increase and the cold became numbing at times as sightings of everything dwindled to almost nothing.

Where to next? Day 2 tomorrow...hope it's a bit better. Gynn Square 09.00 to 13.00 all welcome - wrap up warm!

In the meantime let us know how many marine mammals were giving you the slip in your outback.

Morning murmurations

The Safari has solved the riddle of the mysterious whereabouts of the loudly singing Mistle Thrush...by tricky triangulation we sussed he was somewhere on the tower. Looking up he wasn’t on the Peregrines’ favoured ledge nor the wider one above it. Eventually we found him – right at the top of the tallest comms mast...no better place to be if you’re trying to advertise your presence!

As we were triangulating we watched the massed ranks of Starlings flying over on their way to their daytime feeding sites. In the distance we could see them bunching up in tight anti-predator formations, something we’ve not noticed in the morning before, probably because it has been dark when we’ve been out on the patch.

Patch 2 was dingy and grey but at least the visibility out to sea was reasonable and we again estimated 10,000 Common Scoters and nothing else.

The beach was more productive; we didn’t count the Oystercatchers but there were 127 Sanderlings ...and no Ringed Plovers.

At lunchtime the light was weird but the  visibility was superb, hardly a ripple from here to Ireland, not that we can see that far. The scoters looked ethereal floating in a void of grey, but just how many are there??? Squnzillions at a guess! Looked for all the world like Wildebeest on the plains of the Serengeti!

Six Great Crested Grebes were equaled by six Red Throated Divers, the most we've seen for a long time. 

A Grey Seal stuck his nose out of the water a few hundred yards to the south...but no Harbour Porpoises :-(

Where to next? More of the same but with some cetaceans please.

In the meantime let us know what's looking ethereal in your outback

Sorry no pics again today, maybe there'll be something to get the camera out of the bag for tomorrow.

Still as grey as...at least in the morning

The Safari was encumbered by a very plodding Frank this morning but we did get as far as the small field on Patch 1 only to note that there were no Peregrines on the tower. All the usual suspects were singing heartily including a Wren not far from Base Camp; somewhere in a neighbouring garden which was good to hear.

During breakfast we thought we heard Grey Lag Geese calling but a quick dash to the window only gave us a few Herring Gulls, we weren’t really concentrating so could have mistaken the yakking of the gulls for the honks of geese. However, one of the Peregrines was seen to be sat on the tower’s wide ledge.

At Patch 2 it was another grey, dismal, no visibility start to the day which was a shame as the sea was as flat as a silvery carpet and for a change counting the Common Scoters (well those we could see) was easy...247.

The beach was disturbed by fishermen, bait diggers and dog walkers and there wasn’t much out there; a handful of Oystercatchers, a couple of Sanderlings and nothing of note in the three dozen or so gulls.

Behind us a pair of Pied Wagtails danced around calling loudly.  

Fortunately by lunchtime the mist had cleared and we had a stunningly clear view around the bay from the Welsh hills to the Lakeland fells. We were now able to get a reasonably accurate count of the Common Scoters, c5000!!! They stretched in a fairly narrow band right round the horizon a couple of miles or so out. Apart from a few Cormorants we couldn’t see anything else with them. Until that is we picked up a Grey Seal (mammal #9) fairly close inshore but so distant we couldn’t see it with the naked eye.

Looking southwards with the Lennox Rig off Formby across the far side of the estuary. The black dots are some of the Common Scoters btw.

 Looking more or less straight out, due west. We sailed the other side of this rig at the weekend.

 Looking west north west to the first meteorological mast.

Looking north west to the second meteorological mast with Walney windfarm in the distance beyond.

 The invisible to the naked eye Grey Seal - honest!

Back in the office we took a call on our mobile and lost the signal _ the office has really dodgy reception – so went outside in  - - - wait for it - - - - - the sunshine!!! – and found the most bizarre thing...

Did you spot it?

 In one of the raised planters was a dead Hedgehog. Now was it put there or had it climbed up looking for somewhere to hibernate and not been able to dig itself far in enough down. Never seen a Hedgehog here before and never had one reported in the six and a half years we’ve been working here – seen a Fox, an American Mink and a Grey Squirrel (no trees for miles!) but never a Hedgehog.

Then it was off to the north end of town to meet a colleague and mark out the position of a new pond.

The area had already been ripped in preparation for tree planting in a couple of weeks time.

The ripper had pulled some nice pieces of Bog Oak out of the ground, these will be used as a feature/wildlife shelter in the new pond. A couple of bricks were found lying around and turning one of these over revealed a colony of Gammarid Shrimps lurking beneath. They weren't happy about being exposed to the  light and bounced around all over the shop trying to find a dark corner to hide in.

This was the largest piece a little over 6 feet (2m) long and about 18 inches in diameter (45cm), whether or not it is actually Oak or another species - well you tell us cos we don't know!

Where to next? Anything could happen tomorrow - we've got a late start followed by a long lunchtime session at the 6th Form College.

in the meantime let us know what's buried just below the surface in your outback.