The Welsh Sea Watchers Project is gaining momentum! After networking, recruiting volunteers and raising awareness for the project since starting the project, last weekend was finally time to get out into the field- if the weather allowed it. Either way, it was a significant milestone of the project with the first Welsh Sea Watchers Project training course getting under way on Saturday, 26th October.
Over 30 keen cetacean enthusiasts of all ages braved the stormy weather and made their way up the Great Orme in Llandudno to attend the talks on cetacean surveying and cetacean species ID given by Wales Development Officer, Katrin Lohrengel, at the Great Orme Visitor Centre. While the weather outside was giving an excellent example of unsuitable surveying conditions, the course attendees learned all about the basics of land based cetacean watches. How to pick a suitable site, how to fill in the data forms and how to keep count of all those dolphins!
Unfortunately the wind speed was coming up to 40 mph by the time the theory had been covered, which –as all freshly trained volunteers knew- was far from ideal. The poor weather did little to dampen the spirit of our new Sea Watch volunteers, however, and many of them are keen to get their own watches started as part of the Welsh Sea Watchers Project as soon as the weather calms down a little bit!
Does this sound like something you would be interested in? The next training courses for potential ‘Sea Watchers’ will be held on the following dates:
Swansea: 10th November 2013
New Quay: 16th November 2013
To find out more about these courses or the Welsh Sea Watchers Project and how to get involved, contact Katrin Lohrengel on katrin.lohrengel@seawatchfoundation.org.uk
