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The coast

  • 19-04-2020 1:59pm
    #1
    steve-collins
    Closed Accounts Posts: 144 ✭✭


    Only recently did I realise we had so many Harbour Porpoises and Gannets around Howth/Portmarnock.

    Only today while jogging on Portmarnock beach a Porpoise was about 50 meters swimming along at high tide, sexond time in about 3 weeka ive seen one really close and plenty of Gannets diving about 20 meters out from High Rock, unbelievable birds, absolutely majestic .


Comments

  • #2
    Scotty #
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,773 ✭✭✭Scotty #


    Yea I'd regularly see Harbour Porpoises in Clogherhead. Hard to tell how many in a pod but I would guess at least 4 or 5 usually.

    Always get a giggle out of people exclaiming 'oh look, DOLPHINS!'. Never have the heart to tell them.

    Incidentally Gannets are my favourite bird to watch too. Especially on the west cost of Inishboffin at sunset when they're diving half a mile out at sea. Could be a while before I'm back there though :(


  • #3
    steve-collins
    Closed Accounts Posts: 144 ✭✭steve-collins


    Scotty # wrote: »
    Yea I'd regularly see Harbour Porpoises in Clogherhead. Hard to tell how many in a pod but I would guess at least 4 or 5 usually.

    Always get a giggle out of people exclaiming 'oh look, DOLPHINS!'. Never have the heart to tell them.

    Incidentally Gannets are my favourite bird to watch too. Especially on the west cost of Inishboffin at sunset when they're diving half a mile out at sea. Could be a while before I'm back there though :(

    Yeah a few years back brought the kids out on a boat to see Fungi in Dingle and the Gannets were diving in everywhere around us, was an unbelievable sight to see, like Japanese Kamikaze bombers in WW2.


  • #4
    Scotty #
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,773 ✭✭✭Scotty #


    If you're around Meath/Louth you can watch the Little Terns at the mouth of the Boyne doing the same. You can see them from the Mornington side, you don't have to go near the nesting site.


  • #5
    GinSoaked
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,049 ✭✭✭GinSoaked


    Scotty # wrote: »
    ...

    Always get a giggle out of people exclaiming 'oh look, DOLPHINS!'. Never have the heart to tell them.

    ...

    You never know, down on the South coast we see them sometimes along with the odd whale (you see the water spout when they break the surface) and have even had the odd basking shark.

    There's a good viewing spot near where I live and you can always tell if there is something unusual to see as there will be at least half a dozen cars parked up with the usual suspects staring out to sea with their binoculars and telescopes.


  • #6
    steve-collins
    Closed Accounts Posts: 144 ✭✭steve-collins


    Scotty # wrote: »
    If you're around Meath/Louth you can watch the Little Terns at the mouth of the Boyne doing the same. You can see them from the Mornington side, you don't have to go near the nesting site.

    Yeah plenty of Terns down around Bull Island at the moment doing the same, could watch them all day.


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  • #7
    steve-collins
    Closed Accounts Posts: 144 ✭✭steve-collins


    Scotty # wrote: »
    If you're around Meath/Louth you can watch the Little Terns at the mouth of the Boyne doing the same. You can see them from the Mornington side, you don't have to go near the nesting site.

    Yeah plenty of Terns down around Bull Island at the moment doing the same, could watch them all day.


  • #8
    tricky D
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,700 ✭✭✭tricky D


    The Gannets are probably the ones nesting on the Stack on the NE bit of Ireland's Eye. Generally they head out to sea for food but sometimes you see them dive bombing some shoal near the shore. Some show!

    The Porpoises can be seen off the Nose of Howth quite often. You might see a whale from there if you are lucky, very lucky.


  • #9
    Birdnuts
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,761 ✭✭✭Birdnuts


    steve-collins wrote: »
    Only recently did I realise we had so many Harbour Porpoises and Gannets around Howth/Portmarnock.

    Only today while jogging on Portmarnock beach a Porpoise was about 50 meters swimming along at high tide, sexond time in about 3 weeka ive seen one really close and plenty of Gannets diving about 20 meters out from High Rock, unbelievable birds, absolutely majestic .

    There is some very productive sand banks along the North Leinster coast that are major spawning areas for the likes of Sand Eel and Sprat that are the basis of the Marine foodchain. Unfortunately there a is looming threat to these areas via proposed giant windfarms which will likely impact species like Gannets etc heavily:(


  • #10
    OpenYourEyes
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 3,070 Mod ✭✭✭✭OpenYourEyes


    Birdnuts wrote: »
    There is some very productive sand banks along the North Leinster coast that are major spawning areas for the likes of Sand Eel and Sprat that are the basis of the Marine foodchain. Unfortunately there a is looming threat to these areas via proposed giant windfarms which will likely impact species like Gannets etc heavily:(

    There's a major Herring spawning ground around Louth (Oriel Bank?) that is quite likely key to a lot of the major seabird colonies for a couple of hundred kilometres north and south along the Irish coast alright, and plenty of proposed windfarms in that area...


  • #11
    Birdnuts
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,761 ✭✭✭Birdnuts


    OpenYourEyes wrote: »
    There's a major Herring spawning ground around Louth (Oriel Bank?) that is quite likely key to a lot of the major seabird colonies for a couple of hundred kilometres north and south along the Irish coast alright, and plenty of proposed windfarms in that area...

    One would hope the relevant Conservation bodies like BWI etc. get their act together and ensure such developments are kept away from sensitive areas via robust participation in the planning process. In my experience many developers of these projects produce EISs that are often at odds with the reality of the actual impacts of their proposals. Alot of self serving Greenwash used by them as well to lobby governments and CC's in order to help force through their plans:mad:


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  • #12
    steve-collins
    Closed Accounts Posts: 144 ✭✭steve-collins


    I see a live Common Dolphin stranded on same beach the following day after my OP and was refloated back to sea.


  • #13
    magicbastarder
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 50,249 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    What would be the long term effects of the wind farm? Would fishing be allowed around them? Obviously the construction phase would be very problematic, but I am reminded of a 99pi show about oil rigs just of the coast in California which environmentalists fought when they were being built in the 70s and are now fighting against their dismantling. I'm not saying the two situations are immediate comparable though, but if fishing was banned near them it could potentially result in a few facto sanctuary?


  • #14
    fryup
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,067 ✭✭✭✭fryup


    any orca seen around irish coastlines recently?


  • #15
    Birdnuts
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,761 ✭✭✭Birdnuts


    magicbastarder wrote: »
    What would be the long term effects of the wind farm? Would fishing be allowed around them? Obviously the construction phase would be very problematic, but I am reminded of a 99pi show about oil rigs just of the coast in California which environmentalists fought when they were being built in the 70s and are now fighting against their dismantling. I'm not saying the two situations are immediate comparable though, but if fishing was banned near them it could potentially result in a few facto sanctuary?

    The issue is the rotating blades of the turbines will kill or displace a significant number of certain sea-birds as studies have already shown in relation to installations in the North Sea and elsewhere
    eg.

    https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226792953_Impact_of_wind_turbines_on_birds_in_Zeebrugge_Belgium

    https://www.rechargenews.com/wind/bird-fears-delay-worlds-largest-offshore-wind-plan-go-ahead/2-1-679784

    https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304563260_Displacement_of_seabirds_by_an_offshore_wind_farm_in_the_North_Sea


  • #16
    OpenYourEyes
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 3,070 Mod ✭✭✭✭OpenYourEyes


    magicbastarder wrote: »
    What would be the long term effects of the wind farm? Would fishing be allowed around them? Obviously the construction phase would be very problematic, but I am reminded of a 99pi show about oil rigs just of the coast in California which environmentalists fought when they were being built in the 70s and are now fighting against their dismantling. I'm not saying the two situations are immediate comparable though, but if fishing was banned near them it could potentially result in a few facto sanctuary?

    The idea of a windfarm acting as a refuge for fish is often touted as a 'possibility' but I don't think there's a huge amount of evidence to back it up, and it would still depend on the particular location in terms of what was there before (i.e. if it destroyed an important spawning ground it would do much more harm than good). So it's possible, but until there's more case studies and proof I'd be inclined to say it's a slim possibility.


  • #17
    steve-collins
    Closed Accounts Posts: 144 ✭✭steve-collins


    A pod of Orca spotted up the road in Strangford Lough some incredible footage on twitter, very close to shore with houses in the background.


    https://twitter.com/brian945murphy/status/1261404769903493121?s=19


  • #18
    Birdnuts
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,761 ✭✭✭Birdnuts


    Sorry to hijack this thread but does anyone know if the Little Tern colonies on the East Coast are being wardened this year??


  • #19
    Scotty #
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,773 ✭✭✭Scotty #


    Birdnuts wrote: »
    Sorry to hijack this thread but does anyone know if the Little Tern colonies on the East Coast are being wardened this year??
    The one in Baltray, Co. Louth used to be monitored by the Louth Nature Trust but I believe they've folded.

    The Irish Wildlife Trust should be able to give you more info... https://iwt.ie/


  • #20
    magicbastarder
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 50,249 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    I don't recall the IWT running them, it's BWI who operate them in Wicklow, if memory serves.


  • #21
    OpenYourEyes
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 3,070 Mod ✭✭✭✭OpenYourEyes


    Birdnuts wrote: »
    Sorry to hijack this thread but does anyone know if the Little Tern colonies on the East Coast are being wardened this year??

    The Kilcoole project is going ahead. Not sure about Baltray, but a lot of the work is done by a couple of local people so I'd imagine they'd be in a position to keep their efforts up. I suspect things might be difficult for the BWI Fingal Branch to continue their efforts at Portrane, but I haven't heard confirmation either way.


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  • #22
    OpenYourEyes
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 3,070 Mod ✭✭✭✭OpenYourEyes


    Scotty # wrote: »
    The one in Baltray, Co. Louth used to be monitored by the Louth Nature Trust but I believe they've folded.

    The Irish Wildlife Trust should be able to give you more info... https://iwt.ie/

    Louth Nature Trust is still in operation as far as I know, but there's really only a couple of people involved.

    The Irish Wildlife Trust aren't involved in any of the projects.


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