Challoner Cetacean
Research Institute
(This page is supported by a legacy
from Kate Butters)
Scroll down for sightings,
announcements, aims, protocols of the Institute and links
Sightings
1st January 2012 – Strumble Head.
Wind south and force 5-6 decreasing 4-5. A few sightings of Common Porpoise at
several times during the day but no more than 3 individuals at any one time
were recorded. The conditions for
viewing were not good in the wind.
Several Grey Seals were also noted.
22nd September 2011 – After three and
three quarter hours seawatching at Strumble Head in three sessions, I logged no cetaceans at
all. Even the resident Harbour
Porpoises were missing. Wind SW,
force 2/3 and overcast sky.
9th September 2011 – A seawatch at Strumble Head from
1100 to 1545 yielded a steady number of sightings of Harbour Porpoise
throughout the time. At the end of
the session there was probably the most activity with at least 10 animals close
in just to the left of the observatory.
28th
June 2011 – A very short seawatch
while in the area between 1500 and 1530.
Wind north and sea state 2.
No cetaceans noted. The
Stena catamaran passed very close and disappeared to the west of the lighthouse
and returned about 15 minutes later.
This movement may have been the reason why I did not see any
cetaceans.
23rd
February 2011 – Strumble Head,
Pembrokeshire. A short visit
between 1230 and 1300. Wind SW,
force 4/5, visibility poor in progressively heavier rain. 3 Harbour Porpoises just to the east of
the lighthouse heading east. Not
easy to see in the sea conditions but they were seen several times.
1st January 2011 – Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire. 1135 to 1235, wind force 2, north,
visibility excellent with no precipitation. No sighting of cetaceans at all.
Second watch between 1430 and 1530.
Weather conditions same but with rain in the distance to the north at
1530. At 1445, one Harbour
Porpoise with calf and 3 other adults and a few minutes later another adult to
the east of Mackerel Rock.
14th December 2010 – Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire. 1200 to 1300, wind force 2/3, north,
visibility excellent, no precipitation.
1 Harbour Porpoise at 1215 and 3 Risso’s
Dolphins moving west at 1231. One
animal was large with a light leading edge to the dorsal fin, the colour
gradually darkening towards the rear edge.
The other two animals were smaller but not by much.
Announcements
The formation of the Challoner
Cetacean Research Institute (CCRI) took place at Longhope,
Gloucestershire on Friday 22nd October 2010.
CCRI has
obtained funding for at least 3 ferry surveys in 2011 or 2012.
Aims of the CCRI
1.
To collect data of cetacean sightings both at sea from ships
and from land based observations.
2.
To analyse this data to show distribution patterns of the
species.
3.
To allow cetacean conservation organisations access to the
sightings data.
4.
To liaise with other cetacean conservation organisations
regarding conservation issues.
Protocols for collection of data.
The methods here describe those used by a single CCRI
observer to obtain data on species, environment and effort expended.
Data variables logged for each
sighting:-
Sighting No., Latitude, Longitude, Time, Distance from
observer, Angle from ship’s heading, Species code (Table 1), Certainty,
School size(low, high, best), No. of calves, Cue to observation (Table 2),
Behaviour (Table 3), Animal heading, Observer, Comments.
Table 1. Species.
HP – Harbour Porpoise, BD – Bottlenose Dolphin,
SD – Striped Dolphin, CD – Common Dolphin, WB – White-beaked
Dolphin, WS – White-sided Dolphin, RD – Risso’s
Dolphin, CS – CD or SD, LC – CD or WS, H? – Probable
Porpoise, L? – WB or WS, P? – ‘Patterned Dolphin’(WB,
WS, CD or SD), U? – Unidentified Dolphin, KW – Killer Whale, FK
– False Killer Whale, LF – Long-finned Pilot Whale, SF –
Short-finned Pilot Whale, LS – Long-finned or Short-finned Pilot Whale,
BW – Bottlenose Whale, SP – Sperm Whale, FW – Fin Whale, SW
– Sei Whale, MW – Minke
Whale, HW – Humpback Whale, BB – Blue Whale, RW – Right
Whale, CB – Cuvier’s Beaked Whale, SB – Sowerby’s
Beaked Whale, TB – True’s Beaked Whale,
UB – Unidentified Beaked Whale, MB – MW or BW, UM –
Unidentified Mesoplodon, W? – Unidentified
Whale (blow), S? – Small Cetacean, M? – Medium Cetacean, B? –
Big cetacean, OT – Other, XX – Mistake.
Table 2. Cue to Observation
BY – Body(fin), BL – Blow, BR – Breach, SP
– Splash, B – Birds, O – Other.
Table 3. Behaviour
SW – Normal Swimming, MI – Milling, BO –
Bow Riding, AT – Attracted to Ship, BR – Breaching, FE –
Feeding, LO – Logging(Resting on surface), O – Other.
Data Variables Logged for
Environment and Effort:-
These data will be updated every 30 minutes or when a factor
changes. Surveys are to be
conducted in a sea state up to and including 4. When the sea state is greater than 4,
sightings will be recorded as incidental.
As I will be operating as a single observer, I will be working one side
of the ship for 30 minutes before transferring to the other side where
possible. I will be monitoring an
arc of 100 degrees based on 90 degrees to the centreline of the ship unless I
hear of a better method. It may be
that my data may have to be taken as incidental as I will unable to monitor
both sides of the ship simultaneously.
Start Date and Time, Event (Table 4.), Event Time, Latitude,
Longitude, Speed, Sea
State (Beaufort Scale),
Swell, Rain/Fog (Table 5), Wind, Visibility (m), Sightability
(Table6), Observer (Port and Starboard), Comment.
Table 4. Event
0 – On Effort, 1 – Observer Rotation, 2 –
Weather Change, 3 – Change of Ship’s Course, 4 – Off Effort,
5 – Change in the Number of Observers.
Table 5. Rain/Fog
0 – None, 1 – Fog <500m., 2 – Rain <
500m., 3 Rain and Fog < 500m., Rain or Fog > 500m..
Table 6. Sightability
1 – Poor, 2 – Moderate, 3 – Good, 4
– Excellent.
Links
Irish
Whale and Dolphin Group (IDWG) - http://www.iwdg.ie/
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Email me at
colintbutters@(nospam)gmail.com
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Page updated
2nd Jqn2012