Issue 18: Autumn 2014

ShorewatchShorewatch News

What’s inside this issue? Big Watch Weekend....page 2 Summer summary...... page 3 Campaign catch-up....page 4 Events & News...... page 5

©WDC/ Fiona Hill ©WDC/ Leigh Sedgley ©WDC/ Leigh

Hello Shorewatchers,

Somehow it is autumn time already and the nights are drawing in! Things have certainly calmed down here at Spey Bay, although we are still getting our bottlenose dolphin fix regularly enough. We’ve had a fantastic summer of Shorewatching, we hope you’ve enjoyed yourselves as much as we have.

This issue includes our September’s BWW summary. Why not have a cheeky compare of June’s BWW summary in our last newsletter? Turn to page 3 for an overview of this season’s watching, page 4 for a bit of campaign catch-up and page 5 for all Shorewatch’s latest news and events.

Happy watching! Sara Pearce & Fiona Hill

Supported by:

A world where every whale and dolphin is safe and free Shorewatch News Big Watch Weekend Issue 18: Autumn 2014 September 2014: Your efforts and sightings

David Haines: 17 Carol Breckenridge watches; 2 risso’s & Colin Graham: Pippa Stevens, dolphin, 25 com- 9 watches Gordon Newman, Marie mon dolphin, 8 Newman, Anne Milne, harbour porpoise Wendy Else, Peter Prince: 13 watches; Sophie Mills, Lesley Williams, Stacey Clark, Dave 2 minke, 87 harbour Jacky Haynes, Dan Ashew, Helen Clark & Graham Kidd: porpoise Watts, Murray Aitken: 17 watches; 3 Site A & B: Morag & 12 watches; 4 sightings of BND sightings of BND Richard Llewellyn, Janet Marshall, Ian Williams: Pauline & Cameron 17 watches Cranston, Judith Wood & Tristan ap Rheinallt: 36 watches; 10 common dolphin, 5 minke, 5 orca, 12 Heather Johnston & harbour porpoise Laura Howarth: 10 watches; 3 sightings of BND Liz Brooker, Julia Duncan: 37 watches; 4 sightings of BND Walter Innes, Abigail Hay, John Bowman, Susan Hall & Fiona Hill: 22 watches; 2 A sightings of BND grand total of 190 shorewatches spotting 7 different species of cetaceans! ©WDC/Charlie Phillips

1.South Uist, Kildonan Beach 10.Strathy Point 17.Fort George (Historic 2.North Uist 11.Scrabster ) 3.Berneray 12.Thurso beach 18.Nairn Leisure Centre 4.Rodel, Isle of Harris 13.Dunnet Head (West and 19.Spey Bay (WDC Scottish 5.Tiumpan Head (North and North), Dolphin Centre), East), Isle of Lewis 14.Castle of Old Wick 20. Cullen Bay, 6.Glebe, Isle of Eigg 15.Chanonry Point, 21. Macduff 7.Melvaig, 16. (WDC Dolphin 22. Torry Battery, Aberdeen, 8.Rua Reidh Lighthouse and Seal Centre) 23.St Cyrus (SNH Nature Reserve) 9.Stoer Head Lighthouse 24.East Wemyss, Fife.

t: 01343 820 339 e: [email protected] whales.org/shorewatch

A world where every whale and dolphin is safe and free Shorewatch News Summer summary Issue 18: Autumn 2014 Watch out for whales and dolphins from your local shoreline

There have been 7 different species spotted on effort around the Scottish coast;

• harbour porpoise • orca • bottlenose dolphin • minke whale • common dolphin • humpback whale • risso’s dolphin

West Coast Sightings; North Coast Sightings; East Coast Sightings; (527 hours of effort/62 active shore- (68 hours of effort/19 active shorewatchers) (22 hours of effort/ 5 active 159 harbout porpoise (inc 5 calves) shorewatchers) watchers) 16 bottlenose dolphins (inc 2 calves) 5 harbour porpoise 10 harbour porpoise 301 common dolphi n (inc 1 calf) 4 risso’s dolphin 2512 bottlenose dolphins (inc 34 risso’s dolphin 1 orca 189 calves) 4 orca 7 minke whales 4 common dolphins 43 minke whales 1 unidentified dolphin 4 minke whales 4 humpback whales 38 unidentified dolphins, 132 unidentified dolphins, 3 unidentified whales Your efforts from March - August amount to a total of 625 Shorewatch hours of Shorewatching! That’s over sites, interesting 26 days of continuous effort!* anecdotes Nairn Visit Culbin Tiumpan Sands Nature Head St Cyrus Stoer Reserve, an area of This site has nearly The nearby Nature Nearby at oustanding natural 360° of sea for you Reserve is home to a Clachtoll you can view beauty to watch! stunning wildflower meadow. some amazing Fin whales Why not brush up your bones which came from a Wick plant ID skills inbetween dead stranding of a young Take a short walk shorewatching? Spey Bay female at Raffin on 31st along the coastline and Visit the largest visit the Old Castle of October 2007 remaing icehouse in the Wick UK and experience the underwater world through Cullen the Scottish Dolphin Legend has it that Rodel, Harris Dunnet Head Centre’s Dry Dive ** three Kings (Scots, Danish You might be lucky The most Northerly and Norwegian) died in the enough to spot a Sea Eagle point of the UK, Battle of the Bauds and were on your visit, particulary an excellent photo buried within the vicinity. Visible at the North Harris Eagle today, at Cullen Bay, are three Observatory, a fantastic ©WDC/ Shorewatch opportunity next to the stone plinth isolated rock strata known hide to spend some as the ‘Three Kings’ time in

t: 01343 820 339 e: [email protected] whales.org/shorewatch * All statistics are approximate based on the data we have received ** Scottish Dolphin Centre closed 31st October - Easter 2015 A world where every whale and dolphin is safe and free Shorewatch News Issue 18: Autumn 2014 Watch out for whales and dolphins from your local shoreline

Support these campaigns and others at whales.org

Some good news on our campaign to end captive cruelty!

WDC met with British Airways, handing over the almost 250,000 strong petition started by WDC supporter, Kathleen Haase on change.org, which asks British Airways to stop selling trips to SeaWorld. BA has now lined up a number of other meetings, including with SeaWorld.

Will they follow the examples already set by STA Travel, Southwest Airlines and Virgin America, and sever ties with SeaWorld?

t: 01343 820 339 e: [email protected] whales.org/shorewatch

A world where every whale and dolphin is safe and free Shorewatch News Issue 18: Autumn 2014

Events and Recent News.. The Wild Dolphins auction raised over £500,000, Risso’s & bottlenose with nearly £200,000 potential hybridisation going towards the work of WDC!

WDC’s Sarah Dolman and Nicola Hodgins have been studying a population of Risso’s dolphins around the Isle of Lewis for the past 5 years. During their time there they have photographed four rather different looking dolphins! These dolphins not only show characteristics of bottlenose dolphins but of Risso’s dolphins as well. This suggests that bottlenose dolphins in the area have been mating with the resident Risso’s. Although hybrids of other whale and dolphin species have been documented elsewhere, this is the first evidence of it happening in UK waters. The reasons behind this cross breeding remain unknown, but the occurrence of this type in one small geographical area is highly unusual. Bottlenose dolphins on the west coast of Scotland are few and far between. The “known” population is around 45 individuals off the west coast and another 10 or so off the Isle of Barra. “One species mating with another may be down to a lack of suitable ©WDC/ Nicola Hodges mates within their own individual species group”, says Nicola, WDC Head of Science and Research, “But further research is needed to un- Get Involved! derstand the implications of this unusual activity.” The findings also An Aberdeen Shorewatcher, Jane Morrison, is getting have major ramifications for the proposed marine protected area (MPA involved with the 2050 Climate Youth Group Summit. ) in the area, says Nicola. “All four of the atypical dolphins were sighted She has asked for our help on her project! She is hoping within the proposed boundaries of the MPA and therefore they would to create a visually impacting, interactive exhibition. hopefully benefit from increased protection. Not only are we looking The main aim is highlighting the value of a healthy to protect what we already know is there but also what we don’t.” environment and encouraging the viewer to think about less obvious ways in which they relate to the natural world. Either working together with your Shorewatch group or individually, come up with a message about what the environment means to you, write it on a card board cut out of a whale tail and take a picture of you and your whale tail! Then send the picture to shorewatch@whales. org. You can use as much or as little creativity as you want…… colourful card, dress up in an orca suit, the choice is yours! We’re hoping to put together a collage of Shorewatch messages to present at the summit.

A fond farewell from Sara & Fiona... We have had a fantastic 8 months volunteering for WDC. Not only have we had the experience of seeing six different species of cetacea (most for the first time)! But also travelliong around Scotland to visit the diverse and beautiful Shorewatch sites, met some really enthusiastic and motivational Shorewatch volunteers and learnt a lot on the way too. We are sad to be leaving, but couldn’t have asked for a © WDC/ Heather Johnston better experience - except perhaps some close up orcas... or a humpback... maybe next time!

t: 01343 820 339 e: [email protected] whales.org/shorewatch

A world where every whale and dolphin is safe and free