Showing posts with label Dolphins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dolphins. Show all posts

Thursday, 18 July 2013

Seals and Cetaceans ~ Bottlenose Dolphins in the Moray Firth



There are few things as majestic as a dolphin fin as it slices effortlessly through the water! We arrived at our picnic place on the Moray Firth on our journey south from Durness two weeks ago to find a dearth of dolphins. We were told that it was due to the state of the tide, so we returned later that day and our patience was rewarded!

We watched the dolphins over two days, and while they were few in numbers compared to our sightings on previous occasions, we both felt that this was one of our best dolphin watches in terms of visibility, closeness to shore (remarkably close!), views of a calf ... and reasonably good weather. 
This photo shows the narrow width of the strait, so it is not surprising that the dolphins make the most of the currents when the tide is on the turn.

It is surprisingly difficult to get a photo of a dolphin's face in the air! By the time the creature has emerged, it is almost too late for a camera click ...

... so most of my photos show fins in various poses and combinations.

You can see the blow-hole in the picture above. I had never heard the blowing noise so clearly before. Perhaps we were lucky this time because the wind was still and the dolphins were so close to the shore.



This dolphin lifted a large strand of kelp!



With the tide about to come in, it was time for cruising along - with a spot of fishing and more acrobatics!







Dolphins in tandem, swimming along together.


You can make a splash without a blow-hole ...



... but I just love those blow-holes ...



... and those strong tails!








What a lovely way to spend the last night of a holiday!

Friday, 27 July 2012

Seals, Sharks and Cetaceans (4): National Whale and Dolphin Week


Bottlenose Dolphins in Loch Carron, Scotland, 2010

Did you know that we are nearing the end of the 2012 National Whale and Dolphin Week, an initiative of the Sea Watch Foundation?

I am unlikely to see any whales or dolphins in the next couple of days, so I thought I would mark the week with a few photos of dolphins I have watched off the British Isles. Mind you, it seems as though there are Killer Whales not too far away: you can read about a recent sighting up the coast, off Bacton Beach in Norfolk. You can read about a previous sighting here. I have also been reading the Whales in Wales report of Risso and Common Dolphin sightings off West Wales.



Bottlenose Dolphins in the Moray Firth ...



Do leave a comment if you see any whales or dolphins off Britain. If your sightings are in the Scottish Hebrides, do record them on the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust site here.

Sadly, the only real whale I have ever seen in the UK was a dead one many years ago, washed up on a beach in Cornwall, so for my whale photo, I shall have to make do with this Britain in Bloom sculpture in Whitby. The wood has found a new future as a whale, and my hope is that now that our whaling days are past, these magnificent mammals will continue to inhabit our oceans.



Thursday, 4 August 2011

Seals, Sharks and Cetaceans (3): Bottlenose Dolphins in the Moray Firth

A satisfied dolphin-watcher (me!)
We recently returned from a glorious holiday in Scotland, visiting lochs, lochans and a few islands. I shall begin at the end, for one of our final stops was on the Moray Firth to watch the dolphins. We were not disappointed!



The photo above has been included to show how narrow the strait is at this point - and to show just how close to the shore the dolphins were happy to come.


One minute there was a tail flip ...


... and then a back flip.


Sometimes it was hard to tell whether we were watching one dolphin or two.


There is something very serene and submarine-like about these creatures!


It was difficult to predict where the dolphins would surface, in terms of having the camera poised, so this is a rare facial picture.


... and so is this. Could it be a mother and calf? 


There certainly seem to be two dolphins here.


I am fascinated by the four tiny peaks of water on the left hand side.


Mother and calf swimming off in tandem ...

The Moray Firth is a great place to watch dolphins because they come so close to the shore. There are boat trips for those who prefer to watch from the water. Dolphins, of course, are wild creatures and come and go as they please. They are not always around, but we have watched from this spot (with binoculars, camera and monopod to hand) on several occasions now, and have been very lucky. These are apparently the most northerly Bottlenose Dolphins in the world, and we feel very privileged to have shared in these moments of their lives.

Wednesday, 21 July 2010

Beautiful Birds (4): One of those Gulls again!


We were on our way south from Skye,
and about to go dolphin-spotting
at Chanonry Point on the Moray Firth
(of which more in a future post),
when I noticed this gull.

I had seen several others earlier
in the Kingussie area
some days before,
and was keen to learn what it was.


It is, of course, the Black-headed Gull
(Larus ridibundus)

in its brown summer plumage.


The oldest recorded age for one of these gulls,
according to the RSPB,
is 32 years.

Saturday, 10 July 2010

Seals, Sharks and Cetaceans (1): Bottlenose Dolphins at Loch Carron


My thanks to David Gill
for this great photo
of a bow-riding Bottlenose Dolphin in Loch Carron.

I love the blow-hole!


The photos below were taken by me
(with one arm in a sling!)


Our dolphin expedition began here at Plockton,
not far from Kyle and the Skye Bridge.


As we moved up the loch, two dolphins joined us,
bow-riding our vessel.


It would be fascinating to know why
the dolphins
chose to join us,
and seemed to be enjoying our company.


A truly memorable encounter!

My thanks to Calum and his crew on the 'Sula Mhor',
who steered the vessel with such care.