A HARBOUR porpoise, sometimes nicknamed a 'puffing pig' has been spotted surfacing in the mouth of the River Wye as these photos show.

The pictures were taken by Lewis Thomson, new assistant warden for the RSPB's Forest reserves at Nagshead and Highnam.

He says: "I decided to visit Beachley Point on the Severn estuary to look for any early migrant birds.

"At high tide I was amazed to see a harbour porpoise lingering in the mouth of the river Wye. I watched it for several minutes but was only able to get the following photographs as it stayed distant.

"The porpoise appeared to travel up into the Wye where I finally lost sight of it, hopefully it made it back out to sea as the tide fell."

You can see Lewis's porpoise photos alongside shots of redstarts, hawfinches and dragonflies, all taken in or around the Forest at http://www.ltimages.co.uk">www.ltimages.co.uk. He also has a blog at http://www.lt-wildlife">www.lt-wildlife. blogspot.com

•Harbour porpoise, also called common porpoise or nicknamed 'puffing pigs' (because of the loud blowing noise they make when they break water) are the smallest whale known in waters off the UK. They prefer shallow waters along the coast and they often venture up estuaries like the Severn and can travel a considerable distance upriver. They feed on fish like herring and mackerel although sand-eels make up a large proportion of their diet.