Dolphins galore – a different kind of summer on Scotland’s Moray Firth
We’ve spotted so many bottlenose dolphins here at the WDC Scottish Dolphin Centre over the past few months. WDC staff get just as excited as our visitors as the resident dolphins surface and leap, and we’ve been thrilled to spot youngsters swimming alongside the bigger group.
Our visitor centre is in Spey Bay, near Inverness in northeast Scotland, where the beautiful River Spey meets the sea. We’ve seen plenty of osprey fishing on the Spey estuary too and WDC guide Simon’s record is watching five of these amazing hunters at once!
Visit our Scottish Dolphin Centre if you are in the area
Arctic terns are rearing young a few hundred metres from the Centre on the shingle beach. Also known as the sea swallow, these beautiful birds have one of the longest migrations on the planet. Don’t get too close though, terns will ferociously defend their young so please help by keeping your distance.
After so many anxious months of lockdowns and restrictions, it’s fantastic to see people enjoying the outdoors, relaxing and feeling safe – it’s easy to spread out in all the space Spey Bay has to offer!
It has not been an easy time to run a visitor centre. As the Centre buildings are small, we can’t open fully yet as we need to ensure we are following all guidelines and keeping our visitors safe. However, people have been really enjoying our private tours this summer – if you are in the area why not book an Icehouse Tour or Explore the Bones Box activity, just for your family?
Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of emerging from lockdown is the amount of litter dropped all over the UK’s countryside. Sadly Spey Bay has been no different, and we have needed to step up our daily litter picks to ensure none of the plastic, takeaway containers and other rubbish ends up in the river or sea. But whenever we hold a beach clean we are always delighted with volunteers’ passion to help us remove these dangers and keep our environment safe for wildlife.
Meanwhile, WDC’s guides and café staff are doing an amazing job welcoming visitors in challenging circumstances – they are still smiling under those masks! As restrictions lift later in the summer, we hope to open up more of the Centre so please keep an eye on our website for updates. We’d love to see you.
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