Posts Tagged ‘shorewatch’
Dolphin scientists look like you and me – citizen science in action
Our amazing volunteers have looked out for dolphins from the shores of Scotland more than 75,000 times. That’s 75,000 dolphin watches carried out as part of our citizen science Shorewatch programme! I tried to process that huge number in a bunch of different ways. A ‘Shorewatch’ is a 10-minute land-based survey for whales and dolphins.…
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Our volunteer citizen scientists are making waves in Scotland
I’m lucky enough to do a job that I love. For the last seven years I have been managing Shorewatch, our incredible citizen science project in Scotland. The world of whales, dolphins and porpoises is elusive. Some species live at great depths, spending only brief moments at the surface of the water to allow a…
Read More50 shades of grey – watching orcas in Scotland
Every year, people gather on cliff tops in the north of Scotland to watch out for orcas, some of whom come down from their winter herring-hunting grounds in Iceland on the look out for seals in the early Scottish summer. Run by the Sea Watch Foundation and supported by WDC, we call this event Orca…
Read MoreCitizen Science really matters
The WDC Shorewatch team have been recording some really exciting sightings: pygmy sperm whales from the Western Isles, sperm whales from the Moray Coast and orca from the North coast; but why does all this data matter? The term ‘citizen science’ is most often used to describe schemes which data is collected by community volunteers…
Read MoreThe Life of Riley, A Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) Shorewatch dog
It all started on the sofa. There we were, enjoying the sea view when suddenly there was an almighty splash out in the Firth. A whale then launched out of the water several times. My human, Steve, who is a WDC Shorewatcher, was beside himself. He grabbed his binoculars and witnessed a humpback whale pirouetting…
Read MoreWDC Shorewatch volunteer films humpback whales in Moray Firth
Following sightings of humpback whales off Shetland in recent weeks, there have been sightings of two of the creatures in the Moray Firth. It is believed that they may be the same two whales sighted off Aberdeen over several weeks during the autumn. It is thought the pair may be a mother and calf. WDC Shorewatch…
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