BERNICE HARRISONon alternatives to movies and the mall
Whale watching
The weather forecast for this weekend isn’t great, so the temptation might be to stay indoors to make goodies for the Christmas fairs that will be going on in schools next month. Whale-watching or even dolphin-spotting are activities that most people associate with summer holidays, but anyone who lives within striking distance of the coast, in any part of the country, could be rewarded with some fine wildlife sightings.
So far this month at least eight fin whales have been observed off Ram Head, in Co Waterford; another fin whale (above) was spotted during perfect winter whale-watching weather in west Cork. Several harbour porpoises have been seen by keen-eyed watchers, including in Ballydowane Cove, in Co Waterford, Portmuck, in Co Antrim, and Killiney, in Co Dublin. It’s a great way to inject a bit of fun into a short coastal walk.
There are so many whales and dolphins off the coast that in 1991 the Government declared Ireland a whale and dolphin sanctuary, the first of its kind in Europe. To get an idea of what to look for go to iwdg.ie, the excellent site of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, which includes a section with facts about the species that you might spot around the Irish coast.