Marine Mammal Sightings Survey

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1. What was the date and time of the sighting?

Date / Time

Date

Time

AM/PM

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2. Where did the sighting event happen?

General location:

Latitude

Longitude

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3. Observer details:

Name of Observer(s):

E-mail address:

Telephone:

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4. Where were you watching from:

Land

Fishing boat

Angling Boat

Wildlife Tour

Ferry

Yacht

oil rig

Other vessel or platform (please specify)

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5. Was it a toothed cetacean you observed i.e. of the dolphin family? (Required.)

Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)

Short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis)

Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)

Risso's dolphin (Grampus greisus)

Long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas)

Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhincus acutus)

Killer whale (Orcinus orca)

No: It was a pinniped (seal)

No: it was an otter

No: it was a baleen whale

Beaked whale (Ziphiidae)

Striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba)

Atlantic white- beaked dolphin

Unidentified dolphin (please give description of shape of fin i.e. triangular, c-shaped, est. length of animal, patterns and colouration, behaviour)

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6. Was it a Baleen Whale you observed:

Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)

Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus)

No: it was a toothed whale

Unidentified whale: (please describe: est. size (m), shape of head, shape of fin, surface sequence- i.e. fin and head observed upon surface, behaviour)

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7. Certainty of species I.D.?

Definite

Probable

Possible

Photo's or videos taken?

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8. Behaviours observed

Blow: only spout seen

Slow/normal swim: slow surface with no splash

Fast swim: rapid surfacing casuing splashes of white water

Feeding: prey seen in vicinity or animal moving fast in no particular direction as if in persuit of fish

Leap: full body breach clean out of water

Half breach: most of body exists the water

Side Slap: animal leaps and lands on its side

Bow ride: approaching vessel and riding the bow wave

Rest/ milling: slow synchronous surfacing in no particular direction

Fluking/ Tail out: tail fluke is raised above surface of the water at the end of animals surface sequencing

Peduncle Dive : penduncle (area of tail shaft above the fluke) is raised on re-entering the water

Sexual: males with erections, close body contact between animals

Other (please describe if multiple behaviours were observed. E.G bow riding and leaping, milling and fast swim)

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9. Distance animal first seen:

0-5 m

5- 10 m

10-20 m

20- 40 m

40 - 100 m

>200 m

Direction of travel? E.g. south or south-west

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10. Group dynamics

Group Size: Max

Group Size: Best

Group Size: Min

No. of Adults

No of calves/pups?

No. of juveniles?

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* 1. What was the date and time of the sighting?

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* 2. Where did the sighting event happen?

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* 3. Observer details:

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* 4. Where were you watching from:

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* 5. Was it a toothed cetacean you observed i.e. of the dolphin family? (Required.)

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* 6. Was it a Baleen Whale you observed:

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* 7. Certainty of species I.D.?

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* 8. Behaviours observed

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* 9. Distance animal first seen:

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* 10. Group dynamics

1. What was the date and time of the sighting?

2. Where did the sighting event happen?

3. Observer details:

4. Where were you watching from:

5. Was it a toothed cetacean you observed i.e. of the dolphin family? (Required.)

6. Was it a Baleen Whale you observed:

7. Certainty of species I.D.?

8. Behaviours observed

9. Distance animal first seen:

10. Group dynamics