Early Sightings of Bottle Nose Dolphins off Anglesey

Another plus for the Isle of Anglesey. As if the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge haven't boosted the island enough, Anglesey offers yet more treasures to the "would-be" purchasers of holiday homes. Dolphin-watchers on Anglesey got an early-season surprise when a bottlenose calf was spotted.

The bottlenose dolphin calf was spotted with its mother and is thought to have been born in November 2009.

UK bottlenose dolphins give birth in the summer months so this is quite early. The sighting continues a trend of changing behaviour, with Scottish east-coast dolphins having been spotted further south last year than ever before.
Dolphins on the west-coast of Scotland have also been seen off the Irish and Cornish coasts.

Sea Watch research director Dr Peter Evans is keen to continue monitoring their movements. "We need to understand more about them to shape conservation policies, which will allow the dolphins to thrive in UK waters."
"We can learn a lot from the dolphins around the UK - the way they live and the challenges they face," he said.
Sea Watch are currently planning their annual National Whale and Dolphin Watch, running from 7 to 15 August.
The event encourages the public to send in photos of the fins of dolphins from around the UK. The photos help to provide more information on dolphin movement patterns and behaviour.