ORCA Wildlife Report - Great British Isles Adventure - Great British Isles Adventure Spirit of ...
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ORCA Wildlife Report - Great British Isles Adventure
Spirit of Discovery, 11th – 25th July 2021
The ORCA Team, outside on the Lido Deck
From left to right, Richard Scholes (Wildlife Guide), Andrew Crowder (Team Leader), Hannah Parkinson (Wildlife
Guide), Maggie Gamble (Wildlife Officer)
Day 1. 11th July: Embarkation at Tilbury Historic Dock
The ORCA team assembled in the Historic Passenger
Terminal (now the London International Cruise
Terminal) at the Port of Tilbury and, along with our
fellow passengers, boarded the lovely Spirit of
Discovery. As the remaining daylight on that first
evening was spent cruising along the Thames, surveying
would not be fruitful, so we spent the time familiarising
ourselves with the ship and getting to know each other.
Up on deck 14 for our first watch!
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Day 2. 12th July: At sea
A bit of overnight rain cleared into a lovely sunrise and the Spirit of Discovery was cruising the south coast approaching
Beachy Head. Sadly, the whales, dolphins and porpoises were not revealing themselves to us, but it gave us time to
reacquaint ourselves with the surveying protocol, after over a year of not being able to get out to sea. Rain stopped
play just before midday (the only rain on the trip!) so we took the opportunity to break for lunch before returning in
the afternoon, once the weather had cleared.
During the afternoon just off the Dorset coast, with Portland Bill ahead, we rendezvoused with our sister ship – The
Spirit of Adventure – which was conducting sea trials. Some careful manoeuvring brought the ships together at
around 16:00 with much cheering, waving and mutual serenading on the ships' horns.
The Spirit of Adventure passing in front of us
Day 3. 13th July: Falmouth
At dawn we were 16nm from Falmouth in 75m of water with a long Atlantic swell from the SW, and a NW wind causing
a cross-swell. This phenomenon often causes confused seas, making spotting marine wildlife more difficult. Falmouth
bay is an area rich in marine life, so we were very hopeful and more than ready for a productive early morning survey.
It was however surprisingly quiet with just a few northern gannets, kittiwakes, herring gulls, lesser black-backed gulls
and black-headed gulls on our run into Falmouth. The beautiful kittiwake spends most of its life at sea except during
the breeding season. It is one of the noisiest species on the sea cliffs, screaming its name “kittiwake, kittiwake” into
the general cacophony of a seabird city.
The Spirit of Discovery moored close to the town centre and was the largest Cruise Ship ever to berth in Falmouth.
Some skilled manoeuvring by the Bridge was needed, with both depth and sea room restricted.
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After a day of shore excursions for some of the guests, we left Falmouth at 17:00 and headed for Bristol. As we
departed the Carrick Roads, it soon became apparent that there was a lot more marine life around than in the morning.
A very different visual feast lay before us. Gannets, Manx shearwaters, auks and kittiwakes were spread over a large
area. Splashes ahead alerted us to a widespread and fantastic feeding aggregation of common dolphins and blue-fin
tuna. Here we were watching two top predators both hunting the same prey species. In a fast-moving melee like this,
it’s very easy to mistake the tuna for dolphins as these are very big fish. The initial clue for realising you're looking at
a fish and not a mammal is the tail, which is oriented vertically in fish and horizontally in marine mammals. This species
of tuna had mostly disappeared from British waters but for the last few years they have returned in good numbers,
and they are a truly spectacular animal to watch.
Northern gannets The beautiful kittiwake
Day 4. 14th July: Heading for Bristol
The Spirit of Discovery was on her way to Bristol. Just before dawn we were
5nm off Bull Point, North Devon, in 30m of water. It was another beautiful
morning with an amazing sunrise. Our first mammal sighting was a grey seal
consuming a decent sized fish for breakfast; several Manx shearwaters joined
in for the scraps. Shortly afterwards we came upon an area where harbour
porpoise and common dolphins were both feeding. This was an uncommon
sight as harbour porpoises tend to avoid the larger dolphins and with good
reason - certainly bottlenose dolphins will harass and sometimes kill them.
Here, however, both species were sharing a presumably plentiful resource. We
continued along the beautiful Exmoor coast towards Somerset and Bristol. A Manx shearwater
Day 5. 15th July: At Sea
The Spirit of Discovery was on her way to the Isle of Man. It was another beautiful day at sea with much marine life to
be seen. Seabirds were plentiful, plus we had sightings of swifts and whimbrel at sea which could indicate the
commencement of return migration. The swift is always one of the last to arrive in the spring and one of the first to
leave our shores in summer. Throughout the day, groups of common dolphins would approach and pass down the
side of the ship, often with lots of splashing. Two sightings of minke whales were a highlight for guests on the outer
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decks or by a window. The day ended with scenic cruising past the Calf of man and then along the East Coast of the
Isle of Man.
A common dolphin and calf A minke whale
Day 6. 16th July: Belfast
We arrived at Belfast. It was another sunny morning although
with some banks of fog as we approached Belfast Lough.
Seabirds were plentiful during the approach and common
terns appeared around us to feed in the churned-up water as
we docked. One of the shore excursions was a coach trip
along the beautiful Antrim coast to the Giant’s Causeway
where a grey seal bottled sleepily in the bay.
Common tern feeding
Day 7. 17th July: At sea
Early morning fog cleared into a wonderful sunny day with
almost perfect wildlife spotting conditions in the North
Channel and Western Approaches, then the Irish Sea. Near
Rathlin Island (which is home to a RSPB seabird reserve) the
area was full of groups of Manx shearwaters and gannets
using a shallow surface feeding technique. In about 120m of
water we sighted our first minke of the day of the day. This
one surfaced twice in front of the ship and then went along
the port side and breached five times, to the great enjoyment
of the guests on deck and the ORCA team. In this photograph
the expandable ventral throat pleats which enable the minke
(and all rorqual whales) to gulp feed are visible. We were also
The minke breaching
lucky enough to spot a basking shark.
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Day 8. 18th July: Holyhead
We arrived and departed Holyhead, Anglesey. We were treated to another lovely sunrise and our day was spent
anchored just inside the outer end of the breakwater of Holyhead Harbour. One of our ORCA volunteers living in
Anglesey had reported Risso’s dolphin in the vicinity of the harbour but, unfortunately, despite much scanning of the
sea on our part, they failed to appear. During the day the tenders plied back and forth ferrying people to the coaches
on land for the various excursions in perfect weather. We left Holyhead at 17:00 in excellent wildlife spotting
conditions. Mixed small groups of fulmar, kittiwake, Manx shearwater and common terns could be seen over a large
area, feeding from the surface. Often when this kind of activity is taking place, cetaceans can be seen below the birds,
driving the prey to the surface but here the birds seemed to be finding small prey for themselves.
Our view of the port Bertie, or is it Bella?
Day 9. 19th July: Berthed in Liverpool
Our arrival and departure at Liverpool was such that the timing of this was not conducive to an actual wildlife survey,
so it was a day of casual sightings only. The Spirit of Discovery spent the day docked at the historic cruise terminal
giving us a wonderful view of the famous historic Liver Birds on top of the Royal Liver Building – Bertie and Bella.
We then had an overnight cruise northward past the Isle of Man to the West Coast of Scotland and the Hebrides. One
of the features of this cruise was the almost continuous presence of the male guillemot parent and chick at sea,
especially noticeable at night when all was quieter. As we approached the parent would call with a guttural cry and
the chick would give a trilling response as they tried to keep in touch with each other.
Day 10. 20th July: At Sea cruising the islands
Scenic cruising around the Scottish Islands began in intermittent fog near the Kintyre Peninsula giving us glimpses of
the passing coastline. Passing the Isle of Jura, the fog really started clearing to reveal some beautiful scenery. This
combined with some sunshine was scenic cruising at its best and enjoyed by all on deck or balcony.
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The turbulent water produced in the Gulf of
Corryvreckan gave us our first cetacean sightings.
Here the tidal currents are squeezed between the
two islands of Jura and Scarba, where the seabed
shallows, abruptly forming whirlpools and a standing
wave at times. The surrounding area is apparently a
rich feeding ground and we recorded 12 harbour
A typical harbour porpoise sighting
porpoises around here.
Later 10 common dolphins approached, with much splashing, from the side, travelling at speed and producing a lot of
white water which is characteristic for this species. They are a species readily attracted to boats to indulge in the
enjoyable pastime of bow and wake riding. Indeed, they will often expend considerable energy trying to meet up with
a boat just for the fun of a pressure wave ride or playing in the wake. Meantime six bottlenose dolphins came
unobtrusively from behind and found much enjoyment riding the slipstream beside the ship for around twenty
minutes. Two are seen in this photograph taken by Team Lead Andrew, looking over the side of deck 14. These are
bigger than the common dolphin and, due to our cold water, British bottlenose are the biggest of their species in the
world.
Incoming common dolphin! Two of the bottlenose dolphin enjoying the slipstream
Saganaut Susan Saganauts Doreen and Graham
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Cruising through the Sound of Mull was quieter for cetaceans but distant eagles and red deer were seen. As we
approached Tobermory Bay a harbour porpoise and calf were recorded just off the north end of Calf Island. In deeper
water west of the Small Isles we started seeing minke whale and more common dolphin. The distinctive shape of
Lunga, which is a wonderful place to see puffins, was clearly visible to the south. Further west the Outer Hebrides,
from Barra Head to the Island of Harris and Lewis gradually filled the horizon as evening approached. We finally went
below just north of Neist Point on the west coast of Skye, after most of 12 hours on deck during a stunning day at sea.
Our route A packed sightings board!
Day 11. 21st July at Sea, Along the North Coast
Early morning fog unfortunately obscured the dramatic coastline along the north coast of Scotland. However, during
clear patches we began to record harbour porpoise. Great skua and artic skua breed on the moors in this area and we
also recorded a lot of these piratical birds. Cruising through the Pentland Firth we passed the lighthouse on the Isle of
Stroma between Orkney and the mainland. The visibility remained moderate but luckily for us the Risso’s dolphin,
which we were hoping to see, passed very close to the ship. The first pod appeared along the starboard side and less
than an hour later another pod passed us to port; 14 dolphins in total, including three calves. These are a lovely stately
charismatic dolphin to see and are similar size to our British bottlenose but not so heavy. They begin life a greyish
brown and turn whiter as they age due to scarring. This is caused mainly by intra-species teeth-raking and by the
tentacles of their favourite food, squid. As the second pod came along the starboard side they veered towards us and
began to form a chorus line (travelling abreast in a line). Travelling in this formation is characteristic of Risso’s dolphin.
One of the first pod of Risso's Part of the Risso's chorus line
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Day 12. 22nd July: Berwick-Upon-Tweed
It was a grey start to the day at 05:30, with a bit of mist on the horizon, and we were just south of the Firth of Forth,
heading SSW for Berwick upon Tweed. Here there was plenty of marine life to be enjoyed: gannets; Manx shearwater;
kittiwake; arctic skua; harbour porpoise and comic terns. When we can’t resolve between the possibilities of common
tern or arctic tern then we record them as comic tern. We also had a frustrating glimpse of a medium sized whale,
apparently logging on the surface which seemed to just sink from view almost as soon as we had spotted it. It was very
frustrating, but sometimes in surveys it’s just not possible to identify what you have observed.
We spent the day moored offshore while all the participants of the various excursions were tendered ashore in comfort
and with great efficiency. The ORCA team joined the trip to St Abbs Head to enjoy the seabird colony there, a treat not
to be missed. A thriving seabird breeding colony is always a full body experience! The sight, smell and sound of a
multitude of birds assaults all your senses!
Day 13. 23rd July: Newcastle
We had left Berwick late the previous afternoon and at the start of our morning survey we were 6nm from the mouth
of the Tyne in 50m of water which rapidly shallowed. On our approach we recorded two harbour porpoise in their
typical coastal habitat. Passing through the harbour mouth we continued upriver to the Jarrow Slake turning area and
berthed on Tyneside. From our berth we could watch kittiwake commuting to their unique inland breeding colony at
Newcastle-Upon -Tyne and Gateshead. Then in the late afternoon we headed back out to the North Sea.
Looking back at the ship from the tender An atmospheric St Abbs Head
Day 14: In the North Sea heading south
At daybreak we were in sight of the North sea gas rigs near Bridlington. The wind was from the NE and Force 5 with a
very short swell. It was a quiet final survey with just one harbour porpoise seen and a scattering of sea birds including,
gannets, kittiwakes, razorbills, lesser black-backed gulls, fulmars and great skus.
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Day15: [Tilbury]
As a misty dawn arrived, we were cruising slowly past the marshes in the lower reaches of the River Thames where
the wooden bones of ancient jetties line the banks. It had been a cruise of marvellous scenery, varied wildlife, and
some truly stunning sunsets, all of this in good company on a lovely ship.
Acknowledgements
The ORCA team would like to say a huge thank you to Captain Darin William Bowland and all the crew of this lovely
ship for their ever-cheerful help and support during this cruise in challenging times. We would also like to extend our
thanks to the guests who watched our presentations, came to watch with us and chat about their sightings from all
the various vantage points; they often saw what we had missed. Finally, SAGA and their team for providing us with
this wonderful opportunity to collect vital scientific data and share the fantastic British wildlife and scenery with their
guests.
ORCA is one of the UK’s leading whale and dolphin conservation charities, dedicated to the long-term protection of
whales, dolphins and porpoises (collectively known as cetaceans), and their habitats. For more information about us,
please visit our website www.orcaweb.org.uk
Species recorded
Cetaceans Number seen Thresher shark 1
Minke whale 17
Bottlenose dolphin 9 Other Wildlife Number seen
Risso’s dolphin 14 Lions mane jellyfish 100+
Common dolphin 105 Moon jellyfish 100+
Harbour porpoise 89
Unidentified whale 2
Marine Mammals Number seen
Grey seal 3
Common seal 4
Fish Number seen
Breaching fish 1
Basking shark 2
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Birds at sea Cormorant
Northern Gannet Eagle sp.
Black legged kittiwake Stalking
Black headed gull Stonechat
Lesser black backed gull Redshank
Greater black backed gull Black tailed godwit
Common gull House sparrow
Herring gull Wren
Mediterranean gull Chiffchaff
Fulmar Goldfinch
Whimbrel Canada goose
Common tern Little grebe
Guillemot Grey heron
Razor bill Common buzzard
Black guillemot Coot
Puffin Redshank
Manx shearwater Feral pigeon
Baleric Shearwater Swallow
Black throated diver House martin
Great Skua Rock pipit
Arctic Skua (dark phase) Pied Wagtail
Shag Dunnock
Common scoter Stonechat
Swift Song thrush
Kestrel Blackbird
Greylag goose Blue tit
Great tit
Birds on land Jay
Lesser egret Jackdaw
Wood pigeon Rook
Mute swan Carrion crow
Curlew Hooded crow
Shelduck Raven
Red breasted merganser Starling
Oyster catcher Linnet
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