Moray Firth latest

With the clocks going forward it must be summer at last! I am excited at the thought as it means I can now be out on the water until at least 8pm, watching the dolphins go about their evening business. March has come and gone but it was a reasonable month for sightings, although sometimes just watching for a fin to appear can be thrilling.

This month we have been lucky to have been graced with the presence of harbour porpoise mostly towards Fort George with other sightings off Aberdeen at the harbour mouth. Bottlenose dolphins have been sighted in various parts of the Firth, mostly in the Inner Firth and at Aberdeen. However I was lucky enough to spot some dolphins off Buckie, which was a real bonus with the sea states still being unpredictable, I am never quite sure when I will be able to get the boat out on the water, but as always, it is ready and waiting in the harbour.

Sightings of minke whales have already been recorded, with one being spotted in the Moray Firth and another by Lybster. 2006 was a fantastic year for minke whale sightings - which appeared in fairly large numbers, so we are hopeful that 2007 will be just as good, if not better. There was a rare sighting of an Atlantic white-sided dolphin off Wick and also quite a few sperm whales, so early signs are that this could be an excellent year for sightings of various cetacean species in the Firth.

I received some very disturbing news from the Firth of Forth, when reports came in of a harbour porpoise found dead with gunshot wounds; rumour is that fishermen thought it was a seal after the salmon. Very sad if this was the case, especially as it was a very young animal which probably had strayed up the river Allan, some 30 miles inland. However on a more positive note, with the appearance of dolphins on a more regular basis around Broughty Ferry, the Marine Connection is now working with Dundee City Council, providing expert support when required and the charity have also recently supplied the council with relevant educational materials to raise awareness in the local community on the species they are now seeing regularly around their shoreline. We are delighted that in an effort to protect the dolphins, warning signs are soon to be displayed stating that anyone found harassing the dolphins could be fined up to £5,000 or imprisoned, this is vital to help protect the animals as the presence of dolphins usually generates publicity and it is essential that the animals are protected from the possible actions of a few irresponsible people.

Before the busy season gets underway with our educational workshops and fairs, I took the opportunity to have a short break in Ireland for a few days. I managed to visit Dingle where I sat on the cliff top and watched Fungie, the famous dolphin that has frequented this area since the early 1980s. As I sat watching him, I wondered what our 'adopted' dolphins would think of him, all by himself for a great majority of the time . I felt sure that Fungie and Black & Decker would the best of friends as they both seem to be very energetic animals, although Fungie is at least 15 years his senior and therefore, might not have quite as much energy as our young friend in the Firth.

Anyway, until the next time hope you enjoy the longer daylight hours and (hopefully) some warmer weather as the sun tries hard to reach us, preparing us for the summer days to come!

All the best,

Peter Macdonald