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Although most of their life is adapted to the water environment both species have to return to land to give birth. The pups of the Common Seals are somewhat better adapted to the marine life and they have to be ready to swim within only a few hours of their birth. The young of the Grey Seal remain onshore for up to three weeks after being born before entering the sea. Grey seals are known to be breeding on the Calf and the Carthy islands. Their breeding season starts around September and lasts till January. Current research into the foraging habitats of Grey seals is underway in University College Cork. This involves applying mobile phone tags to seals to monitor their behaviour. Dolphin sightings have increased over the recent years in Ireland. The Common Dolphin is the most frequently sighted species and this animal can be found all year around the West Cork coast. The numbers of Dolphin sightings peak around the winter solstice because these mammals spend most of their time between November and February close to the shore. The Common Dolphin displays a highly variable colour pattern where the dorsal side is dark grey and the ventral sidelight grey to creamy white. These animals have an average size of less than 2.3 m long but can reach a maximum 2.6m with average adult weight of 80-136kg. Male Dolphins are slightly larger and heavier than the females. In the north Atlantic their main food consists of Gadidae (cod family) but they are most likely to be opportunistic feeders because they are known to feed on other prey in other parts of the world. During feeding the Dolphins dive between 9 and 50 metres and can reach maximum dive depths are around 200m. While dolphins and seals frolick in the waters surrounding The Carbery Hundres Isles, sharks and whales are often spotted at this southern-most tip of Ireland. Birds of the Islands Seabird colonies breeding on several of the islands include Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull and Great Black-backed Gull. Roaringwater Bay is also nationally important for their population of Black Guillemot Puffins and large number of breeding Terns. Furthermore, the area has an important concentration of Choughs and Peregrine Falcon; both birds are protected European wide. |
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