Moray Firth

I have been reminded again yesterday, that the thing about fieldwork is that one just cannot control all variables. After consulting various weather websites, checking out wind speeds, wind directions and swell heights and conferring with colleague Simon and skipper Davy, we had to come to the conclusion that we would not be able to use up all of our survey days after all, as we simply just could not control the weather (oh well, I’ll work on that for the future). We had planned to survey up here until the 19^th of June (tomorrow), but the weather God definitely has other ideas as the weather forecast until Saturday is winds with speeds up to 18mph from a westerly direction making spotting of small cetacean fins impossible. So I officially called the survey over last night. We did manage to do 7 survey days with between 3.5 and 10.5 hours on effort though!

Together with the fabulous Sealife volunteers, I collected the gear from the boat, got it cleaned and stored away, mouse proof, at the Wildlife Centre. That is us done!

These past two weeks went by very quickly and some days have been quite surreal with no cetacean sightings whatsoever! A friend from the west coast who runs wildlife tours there has confirmed that he too found the seas to be eerily empty of cetaceans, so we wonder where they have all gone to…

Before I conclude this blog entry, I want to use this space to profoundly thank everyone involved in the survey (in no particular order): my colleagues Nicola and Laura for all their help, advise, kind words, encouraging smiles, heartfelt laughs and shared space, my colleague Alice for training up the Centre volunteers, my other colleague Alice for giving us her excellent car (that car was a Godsend as it ferried around 7 people!), the supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Sealife volunteers Clare, Jenny, Adam and Scott who’ve already inputted ALL the bird data we collected (WOW!!!!), the fabulous Wildlife Centre volunteers Kirsty and Jonathan for giving up their days off to help us out, Jill from SNH and Hywel from RSPB for helping with our cetacean rota and birds respectively, Ian from RSPB for organising volunteers to help out with the bird watching, Simon for coming up from Aberdeen to find out what was wrong with the hydrophone and then coming back and helping out again, skipper Davy for all his advise and endless knowledge about the weather and for bringing us back safely into harbour each day, Iris (who broke her foot! Get well soon!) for all her help, her kind words and laughs and for generally looking after all of us so well! Thank you everyone, because without you it would not have been possible!

A day of rain and winds kept us indoors however as the sun was setting (approximately 2230hrs) on the horizon (more north than west given the fact we’re only days away from the longest day of the year) the clouds shifted offshore, the wind dropped and Pine and I took ourselves off for an evening stroll down to the water. As were coming up over the side of the cliff we were discussing how this was meant to be a good spot for seeing dolphins and low and behold……as we came over the rise and the sea came into view we were treated to between 4 and 6 bottlenose dolphins repeatedly leaping out the water, chasing fish and generally having fun! There was at least one younger, smaller dolphin amongst them and after 10 smile-generating minutes they were off on their way back along the coast! As it is my last evening here in this wonderful wee place, it was even more of a magical moment, with the light just fading and some of the resident avians out on their last forays of the day before settling down to sleep, and the dolphins providing an awe-inspiring farewell display. It’s been a great few weeks and I thank everyone (and the animals) for their help in making it so….! Pine will post a final Moray Firth blog tomorrow whilst I will endeavour to update from my next mission – a week in the Pelagos Sanctuary (Ligurian Sea, Mediterranean) with researchers from the Tethys Research Institute. Some great sightings await I’m sure……and I’ll be sure to let you know about them! In the meantime, I’d also like to wish good luck to our “Whaling Team” who are currently taking up residence in Madeira for the commencement of the annual International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting. Greenland want to add humpback whales to their list, Japan want approval for coastal whaling and generally the whales face a difficult time….but the whales have some passionate advocates out there so there is still hope! To celebrate my final sighting from my time up here it's now time for some gratuitous (Moray Firth!!) dolphin photos - just cos we can!!

With ginger nuts galore we were down at the boat for yet another 4am start, the sea wasn’t overly welcoming but we decided to take our chances and headed east towards Fraserburgh – not a direct route (as that would have only taken us a few hours) but following a saw-tooth transect taking us over the southern trench – a channel approximately 8 miles offshore that is 200m deep, and shaped like a tongue that comes in from the North Sea. Journey time + 10hours!!

I’ve mentioned in previous blogs how the Moray Firth has been like a vast blue desert, devoid of the abundance of cetacean life we’ve been used to over the years (apart from an abundance of rafting birds)...

…..well today it went from the sublime to the ridiculous and if it hadn’t been for a dolphin whistle being detected on the hydrophone and then us knowing where to look for the owner of the whistle, we’d have seen not a jot – nada, zip, zero, zilch, nix, rien – whatever language you say it in it all means the same…..nothing!! In fact it wasn’t until we reached Fraserburgh (where we were to spend the night) that we encountered some local wildlife - in the form of some resident grey seals who’ve made the harbour their home. They’ve got wise to the fact that there’s always a spare fish or two coming over the side of the odd vessel!










After sampling some of the local cuisine (Fish and chips for some, macaroni pie and chips for others) it was out with the sleeping bags and time to try and catch some sleep and rest the weary eyes ready for another day of dedicated searching!!

We were up with the sun (0403hrs) and back out to sea, headed for home! Conditions were looking better but with the tide and the wind moving in opposite directions we were in for some fairly significant swell – making the bow-watch a very bracing (but hugely enjoyable) place to be! The day started well with a few harbour porpoises notched up and we were in high spirits for what the day had in store.

Approximately half way along the route we passed in front of the cliffs known as Troup Head, home to the biggest mainland UK gannet colony - did you know that over two-thirds of the world’s gannets are found in the UK? The skies were awash with these masters of the sky and sea and everywhere you looked there were flying, diving and resting gannets – with of course a fair few guillemots and razorbills thrown in for good measure. No-one wanted to be on bird shift (where you have to count and record all birds seen during your time on watch) as we passed by but that honour fell to 2 of our noble volunteers who did their best……but cried off with “there’s too many….i can’t do it anymore”!







The swell abated somewhat however the wind picked up making sighting conditions all the more difficult and sorry to say that we made it back to our safe haven of Buckie harbour with no more cetacean sightings. Where have all the minkes gone?

Unfortunately the weather isn’t looking sea-worthy for our remaining days but we’re being optimistic and holding out for some more boat time before our time is up and the survey comes to an end!

We’ll be sure to keep you updated!!

I’m sure it was the lure of more Ginger Nuts but we were successful in getting everyone out of bed and onto the boat for a 4am start – we didn’t of course tell them that we hadn’t been shopping and were now down to the bourbon creams and digestives – they’d soon find out but by then it would be too late….they’d be adrift at sea!!

The sunrise (0413hrs) was sadly unspectacular (this may have had something to do with the complete cloud cover), the sea conditions on the other hand were very pleasing indeed and would make for good survey conditions. To set the scene and help you get an idea as to exactly what we were doing out there, the plan went something like this. Each shift lasts half an hour and with 7 crew members (not including Skipper Davy and First-mate Iris) we rotate (very punctually) through the following stations: - Bow / Data Logger / Break / Port / Starboard / Acoustics / Break. When we have additional assistance we include a bird shift after the last break but when limited in people we stick to the cetaceans!

The (early) morning was a very quiet affair for both sightings and general hilarity – when not on watch everyone tried to grab 30 winks! The waters of the Moray Firth weren’t throwing up too much of interest, even the birds appeared to still be in bed and it was spookily quiet out on the moving sheet of black velvet. With the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting due to begin on the 22nd June in Madeira it is a very timely thought that one could be forgiven for thinking that the Norwegians and/or Icelanders had been out here pillaging the minkes from under our noses……and you never know, they could very well be the same ones being targeted just now by the whaling vessels parading the North Atlantic. We know so very little about the minke whale in the Moray Firth, more specifically where they go when they leave or where they’ve been when they arrive. It could be “our” minkes that are running the gauntlet of the whalers harpoon……food for thought eh?

All was not lost however and over the next few hours we logged not only a minke but several porpoises, some grey seals (including one that had obviously been dead for a while) and a variety of our feathered friends, including several young gannets, the lesser seen black guillemot, a manx shearwater and a great skua! We also have a conundrum to solve – see the image below and let us know if you know what it is…..!!






Before long we were back on dry land and it was home for a slap-up Sunday Roast (free-range of course) courtesy of our lovely volunteers! (They appear to have forgiven us for the lack of Ginger nuts!)

Tomorrow it’s another early start and the plan is to head for Fraserburgh where we’ll anchor for the evening before returning the following day! Hopefully being a bit more coastal we’ll encounter a few more of the Moray Firth bottlenose dolphins. We’re also to be joined by one of our dear ex-colleagues, the infamous Mr Simon Keith is to grace us with his presence and become crew member no. 8!!

Tune in again tomorrow, if we can find internet access (and Ginger nuts) in the far east (of Scotland) that is, to find out more!!

And now i hand over to our very capable volunteers who have compiled todays blog.......!!!

It was the third day of surveying aboard the Gemini Explorer for this years WDCS moray firth survey work. Unlike the first two days the weather wasn’t quite as cheerful as the volunteers. The rain didn’t dampen our spirits, too much. It also didn’t bother the cetaceans as we saw both minke whales and a harbour porpoise. We couldn’t stay out for the full survey period as the weather deteriorated still further, forcing us to head for home early. Probably a good thing as even the wildlife was beginning to get hostile, one of the volunteers was accosted by a kittiwake whilst on cetacean watch.

While the day lasted it was eventful with a few sightings. There weren’t many birds out and about although the weather may have accounted for that. The swell picked up and the bow watch position became a considerably wetter place to be. Dodging the waves became a more and more difficult task until at last we were forced to abandon the bow watch post. Even with all the rolling and bouncing there was still time to catch a quick nap in between shifts, probably for the best as we prepare for a sunrise start tomorrow. We’ll be braving the weather but maybe more importantly 4 am, for another chance to get on the water and make the best of the time we have.



It’s certainly been a hard first week with a number of important lessons for the sea life volunteers learned, not least the best place to feed the fishes from. Hopefully though we’ve all adapted to life on the open seas now, meaning that the fish might be hungry but the sightings have definitely been on the up. Tragically though we are running low on ginger biscuits and the team aren’t sure how we will cope without them.