On this trip, our 2007 cumulative total of cetaceans reached the magical 10,000 figure - on just 21 trips thus far in 2007 a staggering 10,255 animals have been recorded by The Company of Whales!

Trip totals for this particular departure were 19 Fin Whales, 41 unidentified large rorquals, 2 probable Cuvier’s beaked Whales, 1 Pilot Whale, 3 probable Minke Whales, 1 unidentified small whale, 107 Common Dolphins, 15 Striped Dolphins, 38 Bottle-nosed Dolphins, 60 unidentified dolphins and another good count of 73 Harbour Porpoise.

Other marine life included 2 Ocean Sunfish and several shoals of tuna.

Continuing easterly winds mean that seabirds remain very thin on the ground but we recorded 2 Sabine’s Gulls, 3 Sooty Shearwaters, 6 Manx Shearwaters, 1 Pomarine Skua, 2 Arctic Skuas, 56 Bonxies, 2 Common Terns and 15 Storm Petrels.

Migrants recorded on or from the ship included 1 Ringed Plover, 1 Golden Plover, 10 Bar-tailed Godwits, 2 Grey Herons, 1 Meadow Pipit, 3 Swallows, 1Yellow Wagtail and 2 White Wagtails.

Highlights in Spain were 2 CRAG MARTINS - the first record for the ‘hill’. Also 8 Griffon Vultures, Hobby, Peregrine, Sparrowhawk, 7 Red-backed Shrikes, Fan-tailed, Cetti’s and Sardinian Warblers, Pied Flycatcher, Whitethroat, Whinchat, Serin and Yellow Wagtail. Santurtzi Harbour held a Little Egret, a Shag and 2 Turnstones.

8 species of butterfly included Long-tailed Blue and Geranium Bronze.

The Company of Whales has been providing effort-related sightings data for ORCA for over ten years. This data has been utilised for a number of key research projects on cetaceans, ranging from the distribution of common dolphins in areas of the Western Approaches to the English Channel where they are susceptible to bycatch in fishing gear, through to new discoveries which have revealed the presence of rare beaked whales close to the Spanish coast.

ORCA is extremely grateful to the work of The Company of Whales, its guides, and staff, for gathering and submitting this information, which is essential if we are to further understand marine mammals in the European Atlantic and the threats that they face.

For further information on The Company of Whales and their Bay of Biscay holidays, please check out their website at www.companyofwhales.co.uk
E-mail the or phone their office on 01950 422483.