00:01This is Badsey Island, three kilometres off the coast of North Wales.
00:06The island is part of the Pen Llyn a Sarnais special area of conservation.
00:12The waters around Badsey are protected as they provide vitally important habitat for the wildlife they host.
00:20We'd like to take you on a short visit to the island to show you some of the animals that we study on the Badsey Marine Mammal Project.
00:30Autumn is a busy time for grey seals on the island.
00:36More than 200 seals gather in preparation for the pupping season.
00:42This pup is just a few hours old. It's still stained yellow from the fluid in its mother's womb.
00:50Their milk is 60% fat and the pups grow quickly, gaining 10 kilograms each week.
01:00A sniff tells the mum that it's her pup.
01:09The mother won't feed herself at all during this time and she'll lose 40% of her own body weight.
01:16In just three weeks, a pup's weight more than trebles and the mother leaves them to fend for themselves.
01:27It won't be long before the pup will be heading out to sea too, independently.
01:36Grey seal numbers have been steadily increasing on the island and staff from the Badsey Bird Observatory have been monitoring them for decades.
01:44There are now more than 60 pups born each year.
01:52Despite this population increase on the island, their available habitat globally may be disappearing.
02:00Over half of the world's population of grey seals are found in the British Isles.
02:05So, protecting their habitat here is vitally important for the species.
02:11Individual seals can be identified by unique patterns on their fur.
02:15And we are cataloguing each animal and their habitat on Badsey Island to better understand what they need to thrive.
02:22Off the shores of the island, you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a dolphin's fin breaking the water's surface.
02:33A variety of species, such as harbour porpoise, common and bottlenose dolphin, can be seen passing by.
02:41But one marine mammal that really makes a splash, is the Rissos dolphin.
02:48Between May and October, they can be seen in playful pods moving through the powerful currents found in the waters surrounding the island.
03:00Their blunt-shaped heads make them easy to distinguish from other dolphins.
03:04And as they age, they gain a pattern of unique scars.
03:11Globally, the Rissos dolphin has a wide distribution.
03:15But very little is known about their behaviour because they favour deep waters.
03:19Making it very difficult to study them.
03:24Badsey Island is one of the few places where they often come close to shore.
03:28Making it an ideal location to learn more about them.
03:31This large pod has several calves in tow.
03:38Showing that the area could be important for raising young.
03:42The bird observatory staff have, for many years, been adding photographs taken from land and from boats to a growing catalogue of images.
03:51However, in 2021, we began a project using aerial photography to identify individual dolphins by the unique scarring on their dorsal fin.
04:01With the help of Welsh Government funding, we've been able to get the project in full motion with sea watches across four months of the year.
04:10By sharing data with other researchers, we're building a better understanding of the Rissos dolphins so we can learn how to protect them and the waters that they use.
04:23If you'd like to learn more about the Badsey Marine Mammal Project and Badsey Bird Observatory, follow our social media.
04:31We'll be sharing updates and information on how you can help.
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