Whale and Dolphin Conservation training session on north coast

SEVERAL people from north Sutherland and beyond took part in a Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) training session at North West Sutherland Forest Trust’s log cabin in Borgie Forest.

The event, hosted by the North Sutherland Wildlife Group, was led by WDC’s Highland representative Katie Dyke, who took the group through the methodology of cetacean identification in general and the protocols used by volunteer observers at the charity’s 27 observation post around the coast of Scotland in its ongoing Shorewatch programme.

Many of the larger whales once common in the North Sea and North Atlantic were hunted almost to extinction from the 16th century on to the early years of the 20th but, with large-scale commercial exploitation now absent for almost a century, though Iceland and Norway still pursue small fisheries, some are making a comeback. Thus, despite the numerous threats from human activities which cetaceans face worldwide, a remarkable range of species may be observed locally, including the humpback en route from its breeding grounds in the Caribbean or round Cape Verde towards the rich feeding grounds of the Arctic.

WDC’s latest Shorewatch location is at the Church of Scotland car park in Melness which has a view over a swathe of the North Atlantic and some of those who attended last Wednesday night’s training had a go at putting what they had learnt in to practice on the following morning. Unfortunately, though much of the intervening night was calm, the morning proved somewhat boisterous and observing conditions were far from ideal.

North Sutherland Wildlife Group secretary Stephen Kirkup was one of those who attended Thursday morning’s practical session. He said: “Impressively, six people turned up despite the rain and strong northerly winds. Over the next month, the wildlife group will organise a group Shorewatch session and hopefully get another spotting season under way.”

Meanwhile, Katie Dyke will be continuing her mission in the far north with a further training session in Wick later this month.

Further information on North Sutherland Wildlife Group can be found at www.facebook.com/groups/northsutherlandwg

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