On our whale and dolphin watch trips we also take you to see the Gannet colony on the RSPB island of Grassholm, home to the 2nd largest Gannet colony in the Northern hemisphere.  The latest count in 2005 was just  over 32,000 breeding pairs of Gannets.













A SELECTION OF SIGHTINGS IN 2006

whale and dolphin watch whale and doin tripA SELECTION OF SIGHTINGS IN 2006              and dolphin watch whale and dolphin trip

24th April 2006

Gannets – Lots of frantic nest material gathering

Auks – All three species seen during the trip – many guillemots on Grassholm

Kittiwake – Now ten possible breeding pairs on grassholm

Peregrine falcon 1xfemale seen over Grassholm

Seals –approx 20 animals seen on Grassholm

Porpoise – approx 20 in the ebb tide in Ramsey Sound

11 May 2006

Gannets – frantic nest material gathering – feeding nr Grassholm             Manx Shearwater  250+

Auks – Lots of Puffins seen throughout the trip, also – razorbills, Guillemots, Fulmars 20+        Storm petrel Two

Seals – 30+ Grassholm 50+Ramsey

Common Dolphin – pod of approx 20 including at least one winter born calf

12 May 2006

On ledges Guillemot-Razorbill-Fulmar-Kittiwake   Shag – three nesting sites seen

Also Raven, Buzzard, Peregrine falcon and, Chough – maxima of 9 together

Also 7xWhimbrel     Rock pipits – many birds seen in caves over low water

Seals 50+      Porpoise – some seen as the tide started the ebb flow

31 May 2006
Gannets – Birds returning to Island with full crops – less nest gathering material activity than 11 may

Present also  Guillemots Kittiwakes and some Razorbills on Eastern side

Puffins also feeding Manx Shearwaters and kittiwakes noted off shore

Raven – two birds over Grassholm                   Peregrine Falcon – female chasing Razorbills on Grassholm

Storm Petrel (5)      Seals 20+ on Grassholm       Porpoise seen in Ramsey Sound and offshore    Common Dolphin 100+ seen offshore

2nd June
Common dolphins 2 pods about 20 in each pod, 4 porpoise, lots of gannets flying over       

8 June 2006

Common Dolphin approx 200 in three groups – lots of Juveniles – lots of leaping – upside down splashing 

Porpoise approx 25 – seen between Ramsey and Grassholm – including at least one calf in Ramsey Sound
15th June
3 pods of common dolphin, about 30 to 40 in 2 pods and about 50 in the other

26June 2006
Sooty shearwater  (1)               Manx Shearwater  1000’s         Storm Petrel  (9)          Puffins - Lots

Risso’s Dolphin  (1)                   Common Dolphin  4xPods  approx 250 in total

27 June 2006

Porpoise  (6)         Common Dolphin  5x Pods  Lots of leaping juveniles and Mums with calves        Whale – possible Fin Whale

3rd July          approx 50  common dolphins, 6 porpoise, atlantic grey seals
18th July      Lots of Kittiwake and Guillimot chicks, pod of 8 dolphin  and pod of about 40 dolphin
24 August 2006
Common Dolphin 3 x pods 20 to 30 per pod, 2 sun fish
25 August 2006
Pod of about 30 common dolphin, altantic grey seals, diving gannets, sooty shearwater 1,
27 August 2006
Lots of diving gannets, atlantic grey seals
8th September 2006
Great trip, lots of common dolphin activity for a large proportion of the trip, 100+, lots of activity with the gannet colony on Grassholm Island