A total of 724 animals of 9 species: 17 Fin Whales, 45 unidentified large rorquals, 6 Sperm Whales, 5 Cuvier’s beaked Whales, 2 unidentified beaked whales (probably also Cuvier’s but we treat our identification of beaked whales with extreme caution!), 13 Pilot Whales, 1 Minke Whale, 435 Common Dolphins, 67 Striped Dolphins, 15 Bottle-nosed Dolphins, 32 unidentified dolphins and a super count of 86 Harbour Porpoise.

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

Seabirds included 14 Sabine’s Gulls, 1 Sooty Shearwater, 4 Manx Shearwaters, 2 Mediterranean Shearwaters, 1 Arctic Tern, 2 Sandwich Terns, 2 Arctic Skuas, 55 Bonxies, a Puffin and 28 Storm Petrels.

Migrants recorded on or from the ship included 1 Yellow Wagtail, 3 White Wagtails, 1 Dunlin, 1 Swift, 1 Golden Plover, 1 Willow Warbler and a superb Hummingbird Hawkmoth!

Highlights in Spain included 15 Griffon Vultures, Hobby, Booted Eagle, 10 Red-backed Shrikes, 2 Wrynecks, Melodious, Fan-tailed, Cetti’s and Sardinian Warblers, 5 Cirl Buntings, Black Redstarts and Common Redstarts, Whitethroats and several Serins. 2 Little Terns and a Turnstone were also recorded in Santurtzi Harbour.

10 species of butterfly included Long-tailed Blue and Clouded Yellow. Other insects included Wasp Spider and Heath Moth.

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.