Sightings Index
- Community Sightings Network
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- Report a Sighting Online
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- Recent Sightings Table
- Monthly Sightings Reports
- November 2016
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- 2012 Sightings Summary
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- 2011 Sightings and Strandings Summary
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- Strandings
Monthly Sightings Reports
HWDT’s Community Sightings Network encourages residents, local wildlife operators and visitors to the area to report their sightings of whales, dolphins and porpoises to HWDT. This information is important because it contributes to our understanding of where and when particular species occur. Report your sighting HERE.
Each month HWDT publishes a summary report of the sightings recorded via our Community Sightings Network. In summer we receive the greatest number of sightings while winter is a quiet time. This is partly due to the number of species present but also reflects the sea state and number of people on the water watching for whales, dolphins and porpoises. In winter, fewer people are watching and the sea state more frequently makes sightings difficult, or even impossible. Also non-resident species have migrated for the winter. At this time of year HWDT receives more strandings reports than at other time as storms can wash animals ashore. These seasonal variations will be reflected in our reports.
Select the monthly report you wish to view from the panel on the left of this page.
April 2011
April has seen the Trust getting busier and busier as the season kicks off and our research vessel Silurian sets sail and departs for her first surveys.
Sightings have increased throughout April with 12 bottlenose and 10 harbour porpoise sightings in total.
Bottlenose dolphins were mainly seen in Machrihanish (including two sightings with 10 animals) as well as on the Isle of Mull and Loch Gairloch. One sighting has been reported from the Firth of Lorne.
Harbour porpoises, a steady inhabitant of the Hebrides, have been spotted on 10 occasions, mainly in the waters around Mull. However, there have been reports from the Clyde area and Cumbrae Castle as well as Armadale and Point of Sleat (both on Skye).
Not only have sightings increased compared to the last few months, the first whales have started to come back as well.
Two killer whales have been reported on the 17th of April off the Mull of Galloway.
Additionally the first minke whale has been spotted on the 20th of April in Loch Gairloch.