Day 2 - the Species List

The Cetacean and Bird Team had one busy and successful day all round. The Bird Team ended up with a species list containing gannets, kittiwakes, fulmar and even 2 blue fulmar which was quite interesting, lesser black-backed gulls, 27 great skuas, 16 puffins, and a starling that was heading West! The Cetacean Team had sightings of 2 minke whales, 1 fin whale, numerous common dolphins, 2 groups of bottlenose dolphins with one groups associating with common dolphins, and ended the day with 30 long-finned pilot whales.

We are currently, 171 nautical miles off the Irish coast, 175 nautical miles off the English coast and 200+ nautical miles of the French coastline. The phytoplankton and jellyfish team are in full swing for the evening running CTDs off the same track line the Cetacean and Bird teams covered earlier.

Here are some of the highlights from today and check back tomorrow for more updates.

Figure 1: Breaching Common Dolphin. (picture by Joanne O'Brien)

Figure 2: Long-finned Pilot Whales investigating the R.V. Celtic Explorer. (picture by Joanne O'Brien)

Blog done by Teresa Martin