A ‘dolphin’ which was seen in the sea at Burnham on Saturday evening (April 7th) was probably one of several porpoises spotted in the River Parrett earlier in the day.
A group of residents on the South Esplanade saw the animal splashing around in the shallow water near the beach during the early evening.
A contributor to Burnham’s discussion forums said: “Just back from my evening walk and there was a lot of interest in what looked to be a dolphin swimming in the channel between the South Esplanade and Stert Island.”
But earlier on Saturday afternoon, a Sailing Club member had told Burnham-On-Sea.com he’d seen several porpoises swimming further up the River Parrett estuary, near Combwich.
Porpoises tend to be smaller than dolphins and their dorsal fins are generally triangular, rather than curved like that of many dolphins and large whales.
Dolphins have been seen in the sea at Burnham before, though. We reported in February 2005 how two creatures had been seen near Stert Island.
Did you take photos of Saturday’s sightings? Contact us here
