Conservation Classrooms and ... Cetacean Sightings

Based over the water on the Isle of Mull, the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust is open all year round, delivering its education programme and conducting research into whales and dolphins around the West Coast. Exciting developments are underway, thanks to a successful Nadair bid, which will allow us to purchase a "Floating Classroom". Watch out for details in future issues of the magazine and the monthly newsletter, CIN. As part of its Operation Sightings and Education programmes, the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT) hopes to make regular bulletins on recent sightings and marine conservation issues throughout the Hebrides, bringing ashore the amazing diversity of our local waters and the issues that surround it.

HWDT also gathers sightings of whales, dolphins and porpoises and contrary to popular belief, the winter months can offer exceptional views of our resident species, which continue to ply the coastal waters of the Hebrides. With coastal paths and vantage points stripped of foliage, land-based whale watching is made much easier, especially on crisp, bright winter days when the sea state is no more than a ripple. Around the Isle of Mull, we have received sightings of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) throughout the winter. Since these species tend to almost hug the coastline, and they are resident creatures, winter months can provide some very rewarding sightings. Unusually, a minke whale and calf have been sighted repeatedly in Loch na Keal, Isle of Mull over the past weeks. Minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) are not resident and are usually sighted between April and October in Hebridean waters. Another seasonal anomaly was the sighting of a killer whale (Orcinus orca) in mid December in the same area. All this goes to show that aquatic action continues even when no one is looking and doubtless the waters around Coll can also offer up some interesting sights.

Any sightings are welcomed by the Trust, with a particular emphasis being placed on bottlenose dolphins at the moment. Working in conjunction with WWF (World Wildlife Fund), we are running a Bottlenose Dolphin Photo-Identification Project with the aim of finding out more about our resident populations and the threats they face. In the past, as Collachs well know, Gunna Sound has been a favorite hotspot for these creatures, although they are a species that can be seen all over Argyll's coastline.
 
If you would like to report any sightings, however small; find out more about our Operation Sightings Scheme; or take part in the Photo Id Project, please contact us on 01688 302620; e-mail us at hwdt@sol.co.uk or have a look at our web site on www.hwdt.org