Hello and welcome all to National Whale and Dolphin Watch Dairies 2021! Let’s take a look at the weekend highlights.
July 29th, 2021
There were 58 watches today; 20 in Scotland, 8 in Wales, 26 England, 1 in the Channel Islands, and 3 Northern Ireland. We’ve had a great start to the watch with 91 sightings reported (and more are streaming in as we speak) of 8 different marine species. Check the map below to see some of the sightings which were verified by our Sightings Team:
- Bottlenose dolphin
- Grey seal
- Harbour porpoise
- Minke whale
- Risso’s dolphin
- Common dolphin
- Sunfish
- White-beaked dolphin
We’ve had reports of many common dolphins but one in particular stood out from the rest. It was the sighting of a pod of 5 individuals feeding in association with gannets which was recorded off Capstone Point by Sharron and Chris Blackmore.
“This is the first time in the 16 years we’ve been watching from Capstone Point that we’ve seen common dolphins so close inshore!” Sharron and Chris Blackmore
Minke whales were sighted in different locations but it is Sylvia Porter’s observation that caught our attention as she sighted one whale splashing and rolling in belly up not far from the coast at Kilt Rock viewpoint, Isles of Skye. Three sightings of sunfish were recorded off Towan Headland in Cornwall, and off Capstone Point in North Devon.
To see the full list of all verified sightings recorded during National Whale and Dolphin Watch click here.
Please remember to keep submitting your sightings online via our sightings form or using the Sea Watcher App before you submit your recording forms to nwdw2021@gmail.com. Remember that records of species absence are just as important! So please send in your recording forms even if you don’t see any cetaceans.
You have until midnight on the 15th of August to return your recording forms or let us know you submitted all your data via the App, for a chance to win prizes from our amazing sponsors! Go to our competition page to find our more.
Don’t forget to join our on-site and online events during the NWDW week! For more information check this page and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact the organizers at outreach@seawatchfoundation.org.uk.
I would love to hear from you about how you’re getting on with the National Whale and Dolphin Watch 2021. If you’d like to be featured in one of the diary entries, please get in touch at nwdw2021@gmail.com and tell us all about it! Please write “NWDW 2021 Diaries” in your email subject line.
Thank you to all our official partners who are greatly contributing to the success of this year’s National Whale and Dolphin Watch.
How you can support us:
- Make a donation
- Join our Membership Scheme
- Adopt a Dolphin
See you tomorrow for Day 7!
Chiara G
SWF Sightings Officer
NWDW Lead Organizer
NWDW Feature Blogger
