Redcar Windfarm Construction - Local Porpoise Population

[A McLee]

Chris Bielby, who has involvement with several cetacean groups, has asked me to post this request for observations.
Seismological surveying for oil at sea, involving a series of sub aqua explorations is known to damage the hearing of whales and dolphins at worst and at the very least drive them away from their preferred feeding areas.
Essentially these " explosions" are now happening off Redcar during the piling operations for the foundations of the wind turbines. The noise can be clearly heard at the Hartlepool headland , so one can only imaging how loud it is like below water for the resident porpoise population. Chris is asking for sightings or indeed absence of sightings of porpoises off the coast of Cleveland.
Please post your observations here in the Forum.
Information required
Date, time of day, time spent sea watching; Your place of watching.
Presence or absence of porpoises.
Sea conditions - or in your opinion was the sea surface suitable for seeing this unobtrusive mammal in the first place.
Could you hear pile driving at the time of observing.
Thanks

[Gordon]

Hi - Just an observation, but I could clearly hear what I assume were the pile driveing 'explosions' from Saltburn today.

[sidwemn]

Meant to post yesterday. 5 or 6 Harbour Porpoise lingering fairly close inshore off Hartlepool Headland yesterday 6th April at 11am.

Cheers
Martyn

[A McLee]

8/04/12 ; 09.30 h ; 30 mins viewing; sea ideal for sightings; 1 porpoise; no piling taking place.
Ali MmL

[A McLee]

!1/04/12 ; 10.15h; 30 mins viewing; sea excellent to scan; Headland;1 dead porpoise being picked over by G B B Gull.

[robyoung]

Dead Porpoise on the beach between Marske and Redcar on 3/5/12.

[A McLee]

The Marske animal is a second, as one had been collected earlier in the borough of Hartlepool and sent off for P M examination.

[Ted Parker]

Wednesday 9th May at Skinningrove (10.00-11.00 hrs): at least 4 Harbour Porpoises about 500-700m offshore, moving south.  Sea relatively calm and weather sunny and mild (for once!) (Ted Parker, Don Page).