Watch: A pod of dolphins have a grand day out in Waterford City
The pod in the Suir are common dolphins. Stock Image shows the species up close.
Waterford City was treated to the sight of a pod of common dolphins travelling down the River Suir on Friday morning.
It is hard to say how many there were, but they swam toward the north quay and were followed by a very enthusiastic welcoming committee of seagulls.
Sightings Officer at the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG), Pádraig Whooley, said that these dolphins have been touring the south east for a couple of months now and may be in town for the dining.
"They've been recorded since early December in the River Suir as far upstream as Mt. Congrieve and the River Barrow way beyond New Ross towards the Carlow border.
“It seems to be something of a winter phenomenon when pelagic fish species like herring and sprat move inshore to spawn in the Waterford estuary, which draws the attention of predators like common dolphins.
“We'd ask any members of the public fortunate enough to see them, to report their observation to IWDG on www.iwdg.ie for validation," said Mr Whooley.
Check out some clips of the pod in the Suir this Friday.
According to the IWDG, the common dolphin is between 1.5 and 2.7 metres long and has a distinctive “hourglass” pattern on its side, yellow toward the head and grey at the tail.
They are one of the most sighted dolphins and the most frequently stranded cetaceans in Ireland.
There has been an increase in the number of strandings since 2011, which has only gotten worse in the 2020s, but nobody knows why.
If you see a pod or come across a stranding, you can report that to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group on their website.
Sighting reports help with tracking these beautiful animals so we can learn more about their behaviour and stranding reports help experts intervene or learn more about why it might be happening to them.
