WWF Donor Trip
WWF has supported the research of HWDT for the last four years through their ‘adopt a dolphin’ programme. This week WWF staff and some WWF supporters have been out on the Siluiran – HWDT’s research boat working as volunteers surveying the waters around Skye and the Small Isles. WWF’s marine project officers, Sylvette Polowski and Olivia Tomlisnson joined us as we departed from Tobermory for the first three days. The early part of the week saw the building of a high pressure system meaning flat calm seas and clear blue skies, ideal survey conditions. Despite the favourable conditions for spotting cetaceans, sightings were thin on the ground. The Small Isles area is usually a prime spot for seeing feeding minke whales at this time of year, however, we were only able to sight 2 minke whales during three days of surveying.
The second group joined the Silurian crew at Mallaig on Saturday when Sarah Coombs, Mary O’Donovan, Janet Ingram and James and Pia Best were set to work in surveying and recording sightings around Glenelg. Saturday started on a high with a sighting of harbour porpoises before we had even left sight of Mallaig. Later in the day we had another sighting and by then we were geared up to record the details in the HWDT database. After a relaxing drink in the sun ashore we ventured back to the boat and ate a big pot of chilli cooked up by first mate Rob.