The cold weather has stayed with us here in the Moray Firth area from March, and the wind at this time of year can be bitterly cold. However when this happens, I simply stay indoors, watch some good dolphin footage and look over the sightings database, wondering when the dolphins will be seen from my back door once again - just one of the joys of having the ocean right on my doorstep!

Over the past few weeks the sea has been very stormy, with waves good enough for surfing, but I tend to leave that to the expert surfers. In early April, not only did we have sightings of harbour porpoises and bottlenose dolphins but also Risso's dolphin and five Orca's off Golspie. Over on the east coast at Aberdeen, bottlenose dolphins have been sighted nearly every day (even in a howling gale there is always a fin seen in the harbour.) The rivers Dee and the Don are an excellent food source for the dolphins, full of salmon and trout. As they head up stream, reaching the harbour the dolphins wait for them as they arrive in shoals, giving some fantastic displays of fish tossing and breaching. The dolphins can be seen hunting for flat fish close into the harbour which gives us great viewing of these marine mammals. Over the past month I have been spending time in this area watching the dolphins, some of the pods included calves as well as sub-adults. One of the Marine Connection's adopted dolphins Black & Decker has been seen regularly here along with another favourite dolphin Goblin Seal, this particular dolphin has been around since since 1993. I am always happy to see the dolphins around the harbour in Aberdeen but I always look forward to them coming back into the Firth where I can watch them from my own back garden or from the boat.

By the way, I would like to wish a happy belated Happy Easter to everyone! Over the weekend of April 15-17 we carried out a land based watch at Hopeman but no sadly no sightings. However 32 people came to join us on the watch, including the UK's youngest MP, Jo Swinton who is now eager to support any issues regarding the Moray Firth dolphins in the House of Commons.

I am also planning a few surveys further a field this year, around the Shetland's and Orkney Isles. I am really looking forward to this opportunity as it gives me the chance to see other cetacean species, such as Orcas. I am still fairly busy with our educational talks and enquiries from the charity's adopters - all looking forward to coming up sometime over the summer to see the dolphins. If you are planning to come up to go out on a boat trip this year please call us well in advance as summer time can be busy and who knows, you might even see your own dolphin! If you wish to stay at the Rainbow Hostel (sleeps five), simply contact me or the Marine Connection direct.

Until next time - all things good.

Pete