Dolphin Daze.....
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!! 
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But kudos to the people who did their best to save him.