Dolphin spectacle in Ballygally
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
A dozen or so Dolphins invaded Ballygally last Thursday afternoon (7th January).
They criss-crossed the bay for about two hours, watched by many local school children and their parents and grandparents.
Every so often when one of the dolphins jumped clear of the water the children shouted and cheered. Adults fumbled with their digital cameras and mobile phones in gloved hands in the sunny but freezing conditions to try and capture the event, searching the horizon for the next jump. The dolphins performed in front of the spectators and the occasional seagull, swimming in line, disappearing for seconds and then appearing again, skimming the water surface like a pebble occasionally to jump and turn in the air, their silver skin reflecting in the afternoon sun.
One small onlooker was heard to ask "when will the sharks be coming back" as he was wheeled away in his pram to the warmth and the safety of his parent's car.
Someone questioned whether the dolphins were really porpoises.
However, the conclusion, in the absence of expert opinion, was that they were dolphins because of their size and the fact that they leaped clear of the water.
Apparently porpoises are much smaller than dolphins and rarely leap clear of the water - the normal view of a porpoise is a glimpse of the back and small fin.
The pictures were kindly forwarded by a Ballygally Resident, Harry Marcus.
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