Watch For Wildlife

Autumn may be fast approaching, but that doesn’t mean our seas aren’t still a hive of activity with seabirds and cetaceans.

Get a chance to experience what our coast has to offer this Autumn with our MARINElife Wildlife Officer supported day trips between Poole and Guernsey with Condor Ferries.

With the chance to see dolphins, Minke Whale, Harbour Porpoises, and seals, it’s an opportunity not to be missed.

Dates are available through September and into early October (weather permitting) and by booking a ticket you help support our research work as we get a donation from every booking.

See Condor Ferries’ website for more details.

Yet More Boat Trips

As well as our Condor Ferry trips, we have a few other publicly-available trips left this year to let you get your last dose of vitamin sea before winter closes in.

We have one guided trip left with AK Wildlife Cruises in Falmouth Bay (12th October), and our August trip gave us a rare sighting of a Grey Phalarope on top of superb cetacean and seabird sightings, so who knows what will be seen during October’s day out! Find out more here.

Additionally, our Lundy Wildlife Officer day trips are still running every Saturday, with the last one on October 19th. These trips often provide sightings of seals, Common Dolphin, and Harbour Porpoise. To find out more, visit the Lundy Island website.

Holidaying Humpbacks

The past few years have seen humpback whales sightings off the UK’s coast increasing, with Scotland getting routine visits during the winter months by several individuals.

A recent paper in Springer Nature has confirmed that one of these animals is a regular visitor and that another animal was matched to one seen in a feeding ground in Norway.

It seems humpback whales are using the UK as a stopover during their southbound migration; a convenient place to recoup and refuel before heading to their ultimate breeding destinations of the West Indies and Cape Verde.

More observations, particularly by enthusiastic citizen scientists, could help researchers better understand this humpback influx. So keep your eyes peeled when you’re next out by the coast, and if you’d like some expert guidance, check out our upcoming ID courses below.

£1,000 And Counting

We’re super grateful to every single one of you who fundraises for us through Give as You Live, and thanks to you, we’ve surpassed £1,000 in donations! This money is essential in helping us carry out our research work; recording and monitoring the UK’s seabirds and cetaceans.

Now, as well as raising donations via shopping through the Give as You Live website, you can collect your sponsorship in one place with their new free fundraising page.

Whether you walk, run, jump, climb, bake, or sit in beans, it’s super simple to collect money with a dedicated fundraising page. Check it out now, and help make these last months of 2019 epic ones for us!

Training Courses And Events

There’s now just two dates left this year to attend our fantastic Identification of Marine Mammals and Seabirds: An Introduction to Surveying with MARINElife course. Join us for a day learning about undertaking marine mammal and seabird surveys that are of scientific value. See our website for full details.

● Saturday 19th October with Wembury Marine Centre ● Saturday 26th October with Poole Dolphin Shop Centre

In The Marine News

Staring at seagulls makes them less likely to steal your food.

2019 most successful season for little tern fledglings since 1990.

Leatherback Turtle spotted by kayaker in Falmouth Bay.

Stranded whale numbers on the rise around UK shores.

Rare sighting of bottlenose dolphins in the River Conwy.