Risso's and Harbour Porpoise Lybster 15-5-08
Only one Risso's this evening and that spent more time under water than on the surface.
Stayed in the area for 30 minutes before vanishing to the East last seen at 19.55hrs
3 Harbour Porpoise seen close in shore, look very much like the residential family group that i've been watching for the last 3 years.
Colin
Risso's and Harbour Porpoise 18-5-08
2 harbour Porpoise feeding 300m off shore at Lybster, visible from the viewpoint at Swiney Hill 11am until 11.30am when i lost sight of them.
3 Risso's Dolphins swam slowly past around 500m out at 12.15pm heading West lost sight of them at 13.00hrs
Colin
Cithness Risso's Dolphins sightings to 21st June 08
Lybster 2008
10th Feb x8-10.....10th May x5 .....14th May x2.......15th May x1......18th May x3
1st June x5......21st June x1
Thurso Bay
26th May x1
Holborn Head
5th May x4-5
Pentland Firth near Stroma
5th May x11
Colin Bird
Sea Watch Goup Coordinator NE
Dolphins off Lybster 16-3-09
11.39 3 Large Dolphins seen to the East of Lybster heading East.
It was very hard to work out what species they were even with 20x80 binoculars.
But what i did see suggest they were probably Risso's Dolphins.
One Dolphin breached giving me a clear view of it's outline.
It had a very large dorsal and the front was very rounded and bulbus, this is what i would expect for a Risso's.
Colin
Risso's with pics 17-3-09
More dolphin activity at Lybster.
It was 2hrs wait before the first sighting at 13.45
3 dolphins leaping and splashing about 1 mile out going with the tide westward.
Not sure of species but the dorsals suggested Risso's.
With the tide turning at 15.18 if it was Risso's i knew they would return.
16.00hrs saw a lone Dolphin 1 mile out to the East going East drat! missed them so i thought.
Then 100 meters from me a single dolphin swam slowly past at 16.25, i was just thinking to myself where have all the Risso's that come in close gone.
It was well worth waiting fore.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...ing17-3-09.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...osx17-3-09.jpg
Colin
More Dolphins off Lybster 2-4-09
Just after 6pm a group of Risso's Dolphins headed West past Lybster into the Bay opposit Latheron.
I watched them through binoculars as they played leaping and splashing, tail slapping and even a backward flip.
They started to leave at 7.50pm and the last one passed me at 8pm.
There were at least 3 very large dolphins and a number of slightly smaller dolphins.
I counted about 8 but there could have been more.
These pictures show the last one to pass me on it's way East
Light was quite poor by this time.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...sosq2-4-09.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...sosz2-4-09.jpg
Colin
Sea watch Group
Coordinator.
More Risso's Pictures from Lybster 18-4-09
This evening at 17.18hrs a group of at least 3 Risso's Dolphins passed the viewpoint at Swiney Hill, Lybster.
I heard them rather than saw them first.
They have a very load snort when surfacing to breathe.
They were about 150 meters off shore, so i was able to get the following pics of 2 of them.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...sos18-4-09.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...osb18-4-09.jpg
Colin