We're half way through August already - madness! Alongside a re-emergence of Wheatear we've had plentiful displays from Harbour Porpoise and even a Common Dolphin was spotted from Ellin's Tower today.
It can be quite difficult to distinguish between porpoise and dolphins; what we often say to our visitors is that porpoise are smaller, darker and solitary or in small groups and that dolphins tend to be spotted in pods. I also try to look at the shape of the dorsal fin: the porpoise having a small fin resembling an equilateral triangle and dolphins having a taller fin that curves inwards on the posterior side.
One of our residential volunteers, Hannah, has been a volunteer for Newquay Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre so is much more practised that I at Cetacean identification. It was Hannah that spotted the Common Dolphin this morning, Hannah told us "it has a distinctive colour pattern, it has three different shades in a bowed shape. This one was particulary obvious as it surfaced amongst the smaller Harbour Porpoise".
If you happen to see anything wonderful in our seas, including Leatherback Turtles and Jellyfish, then please help us to conserve them by reporting your sighting to http://www.mcsuk.org/what_we_do/Wildlife+protection/Report+wildlife+sightings/Report+wildlife+sightings. Also, if you haven't already then please make sure to add your name to our Stepping Up for Nature campaign https://www.rspb.org.uk/applications/inforequest/index.aspx?dt=SUNITH0021 which aims to safeguard our seas.
Ta ta for now x