Moray Firth latest

Thank goodness May has now passed - over the past few years it has always been very pleasant month weather wise - sadly this year it was far from that!

For us it meant we had to turn up the heating and get all our woolly garments out - and that was only to go down to the shops! To say it was a freezing month up here in the Firth would be an understatement, with the wind forever coming from the North bringing a taste of the Arctic with it. However the cold weather didn't seem to put the dolphins off and sightings were just as good.

This month was mostly based around shore watching, as it is good to wander along the cliffs at this time of year. Despite the cold the cliffs have been alive with the cry of various sea birds calling to their mates and fighting for the right to have their nest in a set location. The Sea Pinks are coming out and the other wild flowers are helping to create a blaze of colour with the yellow broom or gorse surely the best it has been for years, the rich smell of its distinct perfume makes you feel like you are walking in a field of coconut trees.

The first couple of weeks we had good sightings of harbour porpoise in and around Cullen Bay - sometimes as many as 10+ animals over to the east at Port Soy and to the west at Lossiemouth they were also seen in good numbers. Bottlenose dolphins were seen in various areas but were on the whole still over towards the east coast, with a few sightings in the inner Moray Firth at Fort George and Chanonry Point. Common and Risso's dolphins and also a minke whale were all recorded in the firth off Golspie whilst over at Lossiemouth, Portknockie and Port Soy a minke whale was also sighted within a 3 day period - perhaps the same animal - nice to see it in the firth so early in the season.

Despite the cold a few adopters braved the weather and headed up north to try to see Swanee - sadly no sightings but they had a good time. Living here by the ocean I always think that It must be amazing coming from a city, with all the traffic and chaos that cities bring, to find yourself standing on a cliff top watching for dolphins with only the sound of the wind ringing in your ears - such a fantastic experience. I also visited a couple of local groups and a school further along the coast with the educational road show and an abundance of fun was had by all!

For me the highlight of the month had to be my trip to Shetland, as I am taking part in a series of surveys, after 3 days at sea when I return home I feel that I have been away for at least a week! Setting sail from Aberdeen to Lerwick the trip took 13 hours; on the way north we encountered bottlenose dolphins, harbour porpoise and a solitary minke whale. Sadly after getting up at 03.30 one morning we were met by a thick bank of fog that stayed with us until we tied up. The run into Shetland is usually amazing - passing Fair Isle and Sumburgh Head with Mossa and Noss to see, but sadly this time all we could see was fog! However as I had 14 hours on the island I thought I would hire a car and head down to Sumburgh to watch the puffins and look out for humpback whales. I also visited Mossa and St Ninians Isle - surely the most amazing place in the world! The return trip gave us a good sightings, with porpoise and white-beaked and bottlenose dolphins at Aberdeen harbour.

I would like to say hello to two supporters, Mrs Armstrong and Amy, who came up to visit for a few hours and saw dolphins twice - not a bad result. So that's it for now, May has come and gone - the sea is nice and calm and the weather is at last warming up (gone are the days of 3-4 degrees), so until next time ….

Bye for now,

Peter Macdonald