Over 1,000 wildlife enthusiast gathered at various vantage points, when news spread about a pair of humpback whales had been sighted in the Moray Firth (north and east of Inverness) during January. Owing to the increasing surge of interest in these fascinating sea creatures, a whale-watching lesson has been organised to capitalise on it. A new tutorial on how to spot these whales and dolphins have now been organised. The training season is to be held on 25th February (Saturday), running from 10:30am to 2:30pm, at a workshop in Burghead, at the Harbour Master’s office.
Attendees to the workshop will be taught to differentiate between a minke whale, a porpoise and a bottlenose dolphin. The colony of sea creatures include, besides these mammals, basking sharks and orca whales. The trainees, after lessons from the experts, will be given binoculars to spot them across the Moray Firth. Attendees will be encouraged to join the WDC’s shore-watcher scheme as spotters, which collates the sightings across Scotland.
Policy Officer Katie Dyke at the Scottish Dolphin Centre in Spey Bay, of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation, said they get the humpbacks in the Moray Firth regularly. She remarked it was special to get them so close, in good weather for a couple of days, to spot so easily. The information helps to understand where they are and to protect them, she added. Although this is a free session, places to the workshop have to be booked by calling on phone- 01343 820339 to Katie Dykes. Or send an email to – shorewatch@whale.org.
