Wall to Wall Fine Weather..and fine sightings…
With probabley the best stretch of fine weather on record over the past eight weeks we have been having sightings to match…
From excellent sightings of lunge feeding Minke Whales around the Calf Islands and Tourane Rocks to an estimated 500 Common Dolphins as far up Roaringwater Bay as the Mullin Rock our sightings culminated last [...]
Exhibition of Nature Photography by Sheena Jolley…
The renowned wildlife photographer Sheena Jolley brings her stunning exhibition of wildlife photographs to Kinsale. To be opened by the journalist Donal Musgrave on 6th July at 6pm in her new gallery in Kinsale, ”Island Magic” promises to be a truly magical experience. Sheena brings a quality and “feel” to her wildlife images seldom seen in [...]
Killer Whales in Baltimore Bay…and minkes and sunfish!
Following several days of stunning Minke Whale and Harbour Porpoise sightings we headed out again this morning on a glassy sea with slight swell anticipating finding some feeding Minke Whales offshore…
…a few moments later I picked up an animal surfacing around 100 metres away. Unmistakably the dorsal fin of a young male Killer Whale. Further [...]
A stunning weekend of Minkes, Baskers, Porpoises and sunshine…
Wow. What a weekend!
Stunning views of all three iconic species for this time of year. The Minky Whales were very cooperative with some lovely feeding behaviour underneath clouds of Gannets diving into the water and Manx Shearwaters “buzzing” back and forth across the waters surface…both east and west of Cape Clear.
With the strong sunshine the [...]
First Sunfish…
YEAH…FIRST SUNFISH OF THE SEASON REPORTED TODAY…Yeha!
Joy of Joys…
It’s not like me to follow on with another post so soon…but I just have to tell you the Minke Whale watching yesterday was superb…
Several animals both sides of Cape Clear but away off near the Fastnet Rock and Lighthouse we encountered an animal feeding hard. Creating the characteristic huge display of Gannets and Shearwaters [...]
Exceptional sightings for the time of year…
It is always with great expectations that we look at the first part of the season in terms of variety of sightings. The timing of when the animals move inshore to feed varies enormously and the weather conditions can influence our sightings considerably…
Well, for the past three weeks the weather and the sightings have not [...]
Excellent sightings…last 10 days
Good weather conditions and excellent sightings off West Cork herald the start of an action packed season of wildlife sightings.
Bird sightings inshore these past six weeks have been stunning with rafts of razorbills, guillemots and occasional puffins delighting customers young and old. For pure showmanship the gannet steals the avian show with their jaw dropping [...]
Minke Whale activity on the increase…
Day before yesterday we observed a minke whale south of Rabbit Island followed by a surfacing animal east of Adam Island…possibly the same animal. Travelling and not attracting much bird activity we are looking forward to some settled weather and with lots of visitors about are getting out on the water regularly.
Out and about south [...]
Great Sightings in April…
April is traditionally a quiet month for cetacean sightings off West Cork as we wait for thr waters to warm and the plankton to bloom and rise in the water column…
This April however, has proved the exception. Although the waters off West Cork remain cold sightings that have been reported by us and others this [...]
One of my great delights…
Nothing really beats being out on the water and seeing cetaceans of all sorts in their environment going about their daily business. From the smallest and humblest of Harbour Porpoises to the mighty Fin Whales, all are an absolute delight to encounter and give great pleasure to our many customers, many of whom rarely have [...]
Cetacean sightings superb off West Cork…
Sightings off West Cork these past 10 days have been nothing short of superb with a cross section of species from Fin Whales to Minke Whales, Common Dolphins to Harbour Porpoises, a Basking Shark and a suspected Striped Dolphin amongst a small group of Common Dolphins.
From the Seven Heads to The Mizen Head we have [...]
Sublime late summer sightings again…
Hard on the heels of my last blog we have had more sightings of the very young Minke Whale in Long Island Bay along with a group of 30/35 Common Dolphins off Cape Clear Island. Adolescents and adults feeding beneath clouds of Gannets.
Conscious of our impact on an entire feeding ecosystem our Code of Conduct [...]
Lovely Weather. Lovely Sightings…
Well, summer arrived early September and sightings increased in proportion to the calmness of the seas. As with most of the later part of the summer sightings have revolved around the smaller cetacean species that visit West Cork’s waters. The smallest balleen whale to enter irish waters, the Minke Whale and the smallest toothed whales, [...]
Latest Sightings off West Cork
In spite of the recent bouts of unsettled weather we have had some lovely sightings between The Galley Head and Cape Clear over the last few weeks.
The Common Dolphins have moved inshore right on cue at the beginning of August and groups of up to 50 animals have provided us with some stunning viewing from [...]
