Despite the first week of transect surveys being hampered by strong winds and a 4+ metre swell, the MARINElife surveys onboard R.V. Cefas Endeavour have got off to a great start. The survey team departed Lowestoft on 18th May and followed pre-determined cross Channel transects West towards Cornwall on 25th May. Highlights of seabird and cetacean species recorded during the daily surveys so far are listed below:
25TH MAY 2011
3 Bottlenose Dolphin appeared off the bow for a couple of seconds then disappeared, were not seen bow riding. 1 Balearic Shearwater and 1 Puffin seen off Land's End, Cornwall.
24TH MAY 2011
1 Cory's Shearwater seen 46.1 miles off Lizard Point at 20:28hrs (sea state/wind force 2, wind direction NNE) and 1 Common Tern (1st summer) seen during cross Channel transect.
23RD MAY 2011
1 Great Shearwater seen 41 miles from Ile D'Ouessant at 15:28hrs and 1 Sooty Shearwater seen 31 miles from Ile D'Ouessant at 14:03hrs (sea state/wind force 7, wind direction south westerly) during a cross Channel transect.
20TH MAY 2011
1 Cory's Shearwater seen in outer Lyme Bay at 18:18hrs (sea state/wind force 4, wind direction westerley) and 1 Puffin seen during cross Channel transect.
With the English Channel transects almost complete, R.V. Cefas Endeavour will head to the Bristol Channel today for the next stage of the research cruise. Sightings reported by Becky Scott, Steve Hughes and Cheryl Yarham.
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