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Wildlife Watching on the Scillonian III
18
Apr
2011
Throughout the summer season Cornwall Wildlife Trust and The Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust will have a marine wildlife guide onboard Scillonian III. Both Trusts are working with Isles of Scilly Travel to offer a special discount on their ever-popular wildlife trips.
An amazing amount of wildlife can be seen from the deck of the passenger ferry on route between Penzance and St Mary�s, especially on calm days. By travelling with Scillonian III passengers may have the chance to sight various dolphin species, porpoises, minke whales, basking sharks and sunfish from the vessel as well as a good selection of seabirds.
The trip will be guided by Paul Semmens who has worked with Cornwall Wildlife Trust for more than 20 years. Paul has a wealth of experience in both sea life and plant surveys, and he regularly leads events for various environmental charities and has worked on local boats offering tourists marine wildlife trips. He will also be recording everything as part of an on-going survey of what occurs in Cornish and Scillonian waters.
Marine Expert Paul Semmens says, �The Scillonian is an amazing platform to observe marine life and seabirds with most trips seeing cetaceans. So far this year we have recorded bottlenose and common dolphins, as well as harbour porpoises. Hopefully we should start to see basking sharks soon as they are now beginning to arrive in our waters. Lots of manx shearwaters have now congregating offshore for the summer joining the gannets and occasionally we have seen great skuas.�
Dates of wildlife trips 2011
Day return
Departing from Penzance at 9.15am, returning from Isles of Scilly at 4.30pm
� Saturday 23rd April
� Saturday 14th May
� Saturday 11th June
� Saturday 9th July
� Saturday 6th August *
� Saturday 24th September
� Saturday 15th October
(* 6th August trip will be part of National Marine Week and Whale and Dolphin week, departing from Penzance at 10.30am and returning from Isles of Scilly at 3pm)
Jackie Hayman Marketing Manager for Isles of Scilly Steamship Travel, says, �The Scillonian III top deck provides an excellent vantage point for wildlife spotting and Paul is very good at finding something of interest on almost every trip. We also have spotter sheets onboard to assist new comers and hope to gather even more vital information about the species in our local waters this year and are please to be able to assist with the collection of data. �
To book your ticket please call 0845 710 5555 and quote WL001 to qualify for the discounted price of �30 return.
Please see www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk/whatson or XXXXX for more details.
ENDS
Contact:
Paul Semmens, Marine Wildlife Guide and Surveyor, Cornwall Wildlife Trust, 07899 872985, [email protected]
Ryan Martinez, PR for Isles of Scilly Steamship Company, 01208 77900, [email protected]
Photographs:
Gannet spotted from the Scillonian III, photo by Paul Semmens
Editors Notes:
Cornwall Wildlife Trust:
Isles of Scilly Steamship Co.:
Isles of Scilly Steamship Company Ltd was formed on 26 March 1920 and the first Scillonian Ship began regular trips to the Isles of Scilly on Thursday 2 February 1926. Since then the company has continually operated the shipping service which is a life line for the Isles of Scilly.
This year will be Scillonian III�s 33rd year of service. The ship was commissioned and built for the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company by Appledore Shipbuilders Ltd in Devon with work starting in 1973. She sailed her maiden voyage on 19th May 1977 and since then has become a signature sight of the Islands and a preferred method of travel for many visitors and islanders alike.
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