We were just on our way to the coast yesterday morning when Jason Thompson from Sound Ideas ‘phoned to say that there was ‘a dolphin or porpoise’ washed up on the beach at Newbiggin. As we were just driving past Ashington, we joined Jason on the beach within 5 minutes and were able to identify the animal as a Harbour Porpoise; recently deceased, 1.5m long and with no obvious sign of a cause of death. We took the requisite measurements and photographs and, shortly after leaving, ‘phoned a couple of other people who we knew would be interested in the stranding. When they arrived soon after, the carcass had already been removed, with just a tractor trail in the sand to show where it had been. Perhaps the council were concerned about public safety with it being a nice, sunny Saturday morning? Who knows? The one thing that is certain is that it was removed a lot quicker than last year’s Minke Whale at Cresswell. Something we should all be grateful for 😉
Although this is the commonest cetacean recorded in Northumberland waters, you never really get a good look at one; when they break the surface the impression is of a tiny triangular dorsal fin mounted on a wheel that remains submerged as it rolls along. They’re not keen on boats so pelagic trips usually only manage a fleeting glance. However, I did once lead a school trip to Mull and see (and hear!) them just behind the boat we were on so there’s always an exception to the rule. You just can’t be sure where wildlife is concerned. I’ll blog about our solo Long-tailed Tit sometime soon…