Start of the Season

dolphinwatchcarrigaholt — Tue, 11 May 2010 11:49:53 +0000

Another dolphin watching season has begun in beautiful bright weather. This is our 18th year! We have started with great enthusiasm this year. The Draíocht is looking well, all polished up and raring to go! We’ve had a few trips already, and the Mouth of the Shannon never ceases to amaze… gannets diving on large shoals of fish( sprat & possibly mackerel), nesting fulmars, manx shearwaters and guillemots flying low, skimming the water, the goat herd on Rehy Hill and, of course, the dolphins, themselves, are all sights that we have seen during our trips so far this year.

The last few days, the dolphins have been feeding at Loop Head, which is a spectacular backdrop for watching them. The group was comprised of about 6 adults, 4 juveniles, and at least 1 calf. One of the adults was our old friend “Notch” or CN1 (Photo ID name). Always with calves and obviously very old, judging by the large gnarly dorsal fin, we always thought of Notch as the Grand Dam of the Dolphins… but after a DNA sample was taken, it turns out Notch is male! So, he is the Granddaddy of them all, instead. The juveniles were playful and curious, zipping around the boat and riding the bow waves. It is wonderful to see new calves and we ope to be seeing plenty more.

We’d like to remind you of our Sunset Trips around Loop Head. These are very special 4 hour trips to see the nesting bird colonies on the spectacular cliff ledges at the Loop. We only do a few each year, so if you are interested, please email me to put you on our contact list. We run these trips in May, June and July, departing around 5 pm and returning around 10pm, in calm sea conditions.

If you are on Facebook, we would like to invite you to become a fan of ours. The link is on our website or you can click http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dolphinwatch-Carrigaholt/113185132041868?ref=mf .

Our plan is to keep everyone as informed as possible through our website, Facebook, Twitter and WordPress (links are all on our website: www.dolphinwatch.ie). We welcome your own contributions of your experiences, photos and videos, so please share with us.

We hope you have a great summer and that we will see you at some stage out on the Draíocht!

First Trip of the Season!

dolphinwatchcarrigaholt — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 21:27:09 +0000

Well, once again we are on the water. Our first trip is set for Friday, April 16th. The weather is so wonderful and the dolphins have been seen quite a lot by the local fishermen. The sea birds are nesting and it will all be fantastic. Get out into that nature, my friends, it’ll do you the power of good!!

Dolphinwatch News

dolphinwatchcarrigaholt — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 18:56:04 +0000

Hey there! Dolphinwatch is now blogging…not sure where this will go, but i am learning social networking for business, and making an attempt into the 21st C.

The joys of Spring! The Loop Head Peninsula is buzzing with life. Raven chicks in huge stick nests on the cliffs, shags also sitting on eggs, hares gallumping up and down fields, sea pinks (thrift) beginning to appear.

I guess I want this blog to be about the nature we see here, in this very special nature-rich piece of the world.

Dolphinwatchcarrigaholt's Blog

Start of the Season

First Trip of the Season!

Dolphinwatch News