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Moray Firth latest
At last the days are becoming not only longer but sunnier too! April was the hottest month on records here in the north east of Scotland with temperatures of 20°C+ on most days - a real bonus for all, the sea state varied however with calm waters in the morning, turning more turbulent as the fresh winds came in the afternoon .
The coastline is now coming alive with fulmars dancing on the winds and sea pinks and other wild flowers meaning the cliff tops are full of colour, the scent from the gorse is amazing and the bright yellow flowers are truly stunning, is someone was able to bottle it they could make themselves a small fortune.
April was an excellent month for cetacean sightings in the Firth with bottlenose dolphins being seen along the coast, from Findochty to Banff. Daily sightings of 15+ dolphins including 2 calves were common, but as always there is no set time with wild animals, they simply please themselves on what areas they frequent and when. Some of the dolphins that spent their winter months off Aberdeen are heading back to the inner Firth, where there are several superb land-based watching sites where you can watch the animals close to shore and if you are lucky, harbour porpoise which have been seen lately off Portknockie, Burghead and also towards Fort George.
Some rare cetacean sightings this month included both common and Risso’s dolphins; but one of the best sightings we had was that of a fin whale which we viewed just off Burghead. One of my friends spotted the whale alongside three harbour porpoise, apparently he was so surprised and excited that he nearly lost his footing on the cliff top! After receiving his call, I immediately headed towards the area but the whale had gone, still with the summer months approaching I am sure there will be plenty other opportunities for whale watching.
 The seals are now being seen in large numbers, hauling them selves out at Portgordon and Strathlene. Although a few members of the public still insist on getting closer, with more information boards erected around the area now I am hoping they will appreciate the harm this can do, learn to keep their distance and leave the seals to go about their daily business. The children of Portgordon are very keen to be part of the campaign to save the seals which are very much part of their village life and are continuing with their lovely artwork and poems to help protect “their” seals.
Our workshops are busy as always, with numerous requests coming for talks or asking the charity to assist with information on cetaceans. As always the dolphin and porpoise life sized models travel with me, as I believe it is one of the methods to highlight the cruelty of keeping these large animals in captivity. When I hold talks in a small hall for example, and explain to the audience about the size of the tanks that some dolphins or whales live in, it’s amazing to watch everyone’s face change when they realise the lack of space these normally wide ranging, social animals have in a captive facility. I loved the latest issue of the Marine Connection magazine Seventh Wave and their new leaflet, which specifically relates to swimming with captive dolphins and the reason people shouldn’t. To read more click here
Having said how beautiful the weather has been this month, as I write this report the fog is rolling in - which gives me the opportunity to catch up on my paperwork and record all the sightings as when the sun is out it is always more difficult to work indoors when I know I could be out on the boat watching the marine life.
Until next month - have a good bank holiday or two!
Peter Macdonald
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