Articles in ‘Sea mammals of Britain’
March 12th, 2010
Photo by TallGuy
The famous whalebone arch on Whitby’s West Cliff is a symbol of the whaling industry that thrived there and in other English ports like Hull and Yarmouth in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The 15 ft bones are from a Bowhead whale, killed under license by Alaskan Inuits, and unveiled by Miss Alaska in 2003. An even larger arch stood on the same spot, made from the 20 ft jaw bones of a Fin whale, presented to the town by Norway in 1963.
During England’s years as a whaling nation, captains returning from Greenland would bring home these huge bones as souvenirs. Ship crews would tie a pair of whale jaw bones to the mast to let anxious families on land know there’d been no casualties. Some of the bones were used in construction as house ends. Some were set in fields for cattle to rub against. Read the rest of this entry
Nature trivia about Britain, Sea mammals of Britain | Tags: animal with biggest mouth, Bowhead whales in England, stranded whales in England, the mammal that lives longest, whale bones in Britain, whalebone arch whitby, whales in Britain, whaling in England, whaling in Whitby|
January 7th, 2010
Scientists have found that two types of killer whales live in UK waters, one much larger than the other. One type of orca eats small fish and lives in closely-related pods, while the other preys on marine mammals such as dolphins and is related to the Antarctic killer whale. The Daily Telegraph
Sea mammals of Britain, Sealife in British seas | Tags: Killer whales in the UK|
October 16th, 2009
A remarkable photo of bottlenose dolphins off the Welsh coastline playing what could be described as football with jellyfish. Click here to Daily Telegraph to see bigger image and story.
British seas, Sea mammals of Britain | Tags: Bottlenose dolphins in Wales, Dolphins in Wales, Dolphins playing at sea, Dolphins playing in the wild, Strange facts about dolphins|
September 20th, 2009
Get involved directly with whale and dolphin research by visiting some of the remotest islands in the Hebrides on this great conservation holiday: witness some of the most breath-taking scenery, gain sailing skills and contribute to the protection the marine environment - all in one trip!
Regular visitors include minke whales, common dolphins, Risso’s dolphins plus the occasional ‘rare species’ while our resident populations of bottlenose dolphins and harbour porpoises are sure to delight. As part of the field team onboard our research vessel, Silurian, you will be helping us to produce the data sets that our science department will use in logistical analysis in the winter months.
All in all, a very exciting and worthwhile way of spending nine days.
More here
Nature tourism in Scotland, Nature tourism in the UK, Sea mammals of Britain | Tags: Best places to go whale watching in Scotland, Conservation holidays in Scotland, Scottish whales, Whale holidays in Scotland, Whale watching in Scotland, whales in Britain, working with whales in Scotland|
September 14th, 2009
A humpback whale has been found dead in the Thames near Gravesend, the first ever to be stranded in the river. The young male may have died of starvation. This is an very unusual event: there have only been 12 strandings of humpback whales in the UK in the past 20 years. BBC
See also analysis of this story by ukstrandings.org “Although it’s obviously a sad outcome in this instance, the post-mortem examination has given us a rare opportunity to examine a truly extraordinary animal at close quarters. Information gathered through examinations like these will hopefully help further our understanding of such animals and also help contribute to improving their conservation status.”
Sea mammals of Britain | Tags: Humpback whale in Britain, River Whales in the River Thames, Whale strandings in the UK, whales in Britain|
September 13th, 2009
Grey seals in Wales give birth around September-October. A good place to see the conspicuous white pups is Cardigan Island Coastal Farm Park which has enough attractions to satisfy all members of a nature-loving family. As well as seals, there’s a good chance to spot Bottle-nosed Dolphins, resident in Cardigan Bay. Birdwatchers can observe Peregrine Falcons or Red-billed Choughs. For young visitors (or not so young) there are friendly farm animals, including Dilwyn the Donkey.
Nature holidays in Wales, Nature tourism in the UK, Sea mammals of Britain, Wales | Tags: autumn break activites, autumn holiday activities, Cardigan Island Coastal Farm park, dolphin watching in Wales, family day out in Wales, nature for children, seal pups in Wales, watching grey seal pups|
August 18th, 2009
Members of Sea Trust had a spectacularly close view of a group of Fin whales who were feeding on mackerel off the Pembrokeshire coast. One swam directly under their boat. The Fin whale is the second largest animal in the world after the Blue whale, weighing around 60-70 tons, but they are relatively fast swimmers, due to their streamlined shape. Sightings in the area are increasing. See the BBC and Wikipedia
Mammals of Britain, Pembrokeshire, Sea mammals of Britain, Sealife in British seas, Wales | Tags: Fin whales Britain, increase in whales near Britain, whales in Britain, whales in Wales|
August 3rd, 2009
The Selchie (or Selkie) is a seal that can shed its skin and take the form of a human on land. These legendary creatures belong to the Hebrides and Shetland and Orkney isles, where seals have been hunted for their pelt, meat and oil. The large soulful eyes of seals must have disturbed even hardened folk subsisting in these remote Scottish islands, and the tales of the selchies capture this ambivalence. Feelings of loss and longing are all pervasive. Read the rest of this entry
Nature folklore, Orkney Islands, Scotland, Sea mammals of Britain | Tags: myths about seals, Scottish folklore, selchies, selkies, supernatural beliefs in Scotland|
August 2nd, 2009
Two surprising things about Grey Seals: their size – males can be up to 3 metres long, making them Britain’s largest land-breeding mammals – and their number – nearly half the world’s Grey Seal population live on British coasts.
A hundred years ago, there were fears about their survival, which led to the Grey Seal Protection Act of 1914, one of the first conservation laws of its kind. With hunting prohibited in the breeding season, their numbers began to grow from an estimated 1,000 to the current 225,000. Read the rest of this entry
Mammals of Britain, Sea mammals of Britain, Sealife in British seas | Tags: grey seal watching, grey seals in the Scilly isles, grey seals in the uk, largest mammal of Britain, seal watching in England, seal watching in Scotland, seal watching in Wales, swimming with grey seals, watching seal pups in autumn, wildlife watching in autumn|
July 28th, 2009
In a stark remote landscape, you can stay next to the Cantick Head Lighthouse on the island of Hoy in two self-catering lighthouse keepers’ cottages (All Grade B listed buildings, designed by the Stevenson brothers). They overlook the Cantick Sound where porpoises, seals and whales are regular visitors. Cantick head Lighthouse Cottages
Nature tourism in Scotland, Nature tourism in the UK, Orkney Islands, Scotland, Sea mammals of Britain | Tags: cottages in Scottish islands, lighthouse holiday, orkney island cottages, remote holidays in Britain, unusual holiday cottages|
July 15th, 2009
The Guardian has put together this list of the best whale watching locations in the UK. It mentions the follwoing sites.
- Moray Firth: as was shown on Springwatch you can watch the most northerly known population of bottlenose dolphins right from the shore - often only a few feet from the shingle. No binos needed! The best place to view them is Chanonry Point on the Black Isle. Humpback whales can also be spotted in the outer Moray Firth. Visit seawatchfoundation.org
- The best place to watch Killer whales is the Shetland Isles, especially at Esha Ness. They are becoming commoner.
- Isle of Mull - minke whales. Mull was the first place in Britain to offer dedicated whale-watching More here wspa.org.uk
- Cardigan Bay has a population of 130 bottlenose dolphins which can be seen from the shore at New Quay. The pods feed here from April to September.
- St David’s Head in Pembrokeshire: dolphins and possibility of fin whales in the summer.Here new-quay.com
- Common dolphins can be seen at Durleston Head in Dorset.
- Sites in Cornwall: Lizard Point, Gwennap Head and Cape Cornwall for dolphins, pilot, killer and minke whales marinediscovery.co.uk
British seas, Mammals of Britain, Nature tourism in the UK, Sea mammals of Britain | Tags: Cardigan Bay, Chanonry Point dolphins, Isle of Mull, Killer whales in the UK, minke whales, Minke whales in Mull, Moray Firth dolphins, St David's Head dolphin watching, Watching dolphins in Dorset, Watching Whales in Cornwall, Whale watching in Scotland, Wildlife watching in the Shetlands|
July 9th, 2009
Last year in June 2008 saw one of the largest strandings of dolphins ever to be recorded in British waters. Some 60-70 animals were involved, and 26 dolphins were stranded and died in Falmouth Harbour. Listen here to this BBC Radio 4 documentary which looks for explanations to the event.
British seas, Sea mammals of Britain | Tags: Cornish dolphins, Dolphin records, Dophins in British waters, Falmouth Harbour, stranding of dolphins in Cornwall, UK Cetacean Stranding Programme|
July 3rd, 2009
A massive group of dolphins has been spotted off the Welsh coast. Researchers found their boat surrounded by a pod of around 1,500 dolphins off the coast of Pembrokeshire, one of the largest groups ever recorded in British waters. The lucky conservationists described a “mile-long wall of dolphins….They just kept on Read the rest of this entry
British seas, Sea mammals of Britain | Tags: Bait ball of fish, Dolphin pods in the UK, Dolphin records, Dolphins in Wales, Dophins in British waters, Pembrokeshire, Pembrokeshire coast, short-beaked common dolphins|
June 24th, 2009
According to the World Society for the Protection of Animals, Norway’s annual hunt of minke whales could cost the Scottish economy up to £15m, and threaten the viability of the whale-watching industry there. The last report on whale-watching in Scotland published in 2001 estimated the industry was worth £7.8m a year, but tour operators have doubled since then from 80 to 165.
BBC
British seas, Mammals of Britain, Scotland, Sea mammals of Britain | Tags: minke whales, Whale watching in Scotland, Whale watching in the Scottish economy, Whale-watching industry in Scotland|
June 17th, 2009
Exercises by the Navy may have led to the stranding of 26 dolphins on the Cornish coast last year according to a scientific report published today.
The Independent
Cornwall, England, Mammals of Britain, Sea mammals of Britain | Tags: British Navy and dolphin deaths, Cornish dolphins, stranding of dolphins in Cornwall|
The RSPB is gathering extensive information about exactly where swifts are nesting in the UK. It is suspected that their rapid decline in recent years is linked with a drop in suitable nesting sites, as buildings are modernised.
The first year’s survey reveals that of the houses where swifts are nesting:
A new generation of commoners will receive financial support to ensure animals continue to graze in the New Forest and so conserve its rich biodiversity.
The Co-op is further expanding its 
There are now some excellent landscape blogs covering Britain. Here are a few:
With more and more people wanting to grow their own fruit and vegetables, the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners have over 100,000 people on their waiting lists. The National Trust have responded to this demand by allocating land for “super allotments” or community farms. In return for a monthly fee, members will decide what should be grown, and have the opportunity to work on the farms, receiving a share of the produce. 
