Coastal
spectacle  |
Cardigan Bay is an outstanding marine environment
where you're guaranteed a special wildlife watching experience. It's also one
of the best places in the British Isles to watch Dolphins
from land or sea. | | Cardigan
Bay - marine life, dolphins and sea birds |
New
Quay lies on the Coast of Cardigan Bay in Wales - this popular seaside town has
a lovely beach and an assortment of local shops and hotels.
The bay itself
boasts an unspoilt coastline with sandy coves, beaches, cliffs and great sea views. The
area is one of the best spots in Britain to catch a glimpse of Dolphins, and there's
also some great bird and marine life. Wildlife
wonders  There
are three main species to look out for - the Common Dolphin, the Rissos Dolphin
and, the biggest and most boisterous of them all, the Bottlenose Dolphin.
Dolphins
are regularly spotted out at sea from on the coast path a mile or so from New
Quay. There also plenty of other wildlife along the cliffs including seabirds
such as Choughs, Gannets, Manx Shearwaters, Razorbills, Guillemots and Peregrines.
You
can see Grey Seals all the time - they hawl themselves out on the rocks just down
the coast at low tide and can be seen swimming about just offshore. Dolphin
watching  New
Quay harbour is home to the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre which has information
about the flora and fauna of these shores.
A boat trip from the harbour
takes around four hours.
On every trip a researcher goes out with the
boat to help gather data for ongoing scientific work.
The more the researchers
learn about the Dolphins, the better they can be understood them - and the more
likely you are to see them on these trips.
The research team use photography
to keep records of the marks on the Dolphins' dorsal fins to track numbers and
the progress of individual creatures.
Bottlenose Dolphins are seen regularly
on these trips, although there are also two other species - Risso's and Common
Dolphins which tend to be slightly further out to sea.
When Common Dolphins
are seen, they can be spotted in big numbers such as in 2002 when a super pod
of 1,500 Dolphins was filmed. Rissos are sighted far less regularly and
not in such numbers. Photo credits  Dolphin
and Gannet photographs courtesy and copyright of Severn Trent Water International.
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