Wildlife photographer Simon Stirrup captured pictures of an adult and juvenile dolphin – believed to be a mother and her calf - swimming in the River Great Ouse at Earith. It is believed to be the first time common dolphins have been seen swimming in a Cambridgeshire river and comes after they were first spotted in the river near Downham Market in Norfolk earlier in the week.
A combination of particularly high tides at this time of year and the full moon is thought to have brought them inland from The Wash. To get to Earith, they would have travelled along the New Bedford River across the Fens through Welney and Mepal.
Simon, who was on a narrow boat at Brownshill Staunch in Bluntisham when he saw the dolphins, said: “I have photographed dolphins in various places in the world, but I have never seen any in this setting before. It is highly, highly unusual for them to be in semi-fresh water. It looks like they are a mother and her well grown calf. They were moving around in the river and as the water is very clear, I could also see their markings and features.”
The situation at Earith is now being closely monitored by a marine wildlife charity. Carl Chapman, a marine mammal medic who runs the Norfolk Cetaceans website, posted on Friday Sept 1:
“The two common dolphins previously reported here have gone so far south in the River Great Ouse they are now in Cambridgeshire to the South of Earith. I believe this may be a county first. I would have thought being that far south, some 35 miles from the sea as the crow flies, the time for a rescue is fast becoming appropriate. Given herding the animals with a boat back north would involve stress for a long period I would have thought catching and transporting both animals together, although still stressful, would be a better and quicker option.”
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