Posts in Sightings

A Lockdown Sightings Summary

With a year in lockdown just passed, we look back at some of the most memorable encounters of whales and dolphins off Scotland’s west coast over this time.

Humpback whale match! From Coll to the Firth of Forth

Thanks to the extraordinary effort of citizen scientists across Scotland, a humpback whale spotted last summer off the Scottish west coast has been spotted this week in the Firth of Forth on the east coast!

SightingsLauren Hartny-Mills2 February 2021whale track, whale, Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, Hebrides, scotland, citizen science, sightings, photo ID, get involved, Sightings, report your sightings, Whale Track, Humpback whale

Protected areas for whales, dolphins and sharks designated in Scottish waters

Today we welcome the Scottish Government announcement on the designation of four new Marine Protected Areas (MPA) for minke whale, basking shark and Risso’s dolphin in Scottish waters, which will protect areas of critical habitat for these species.

Famous fins return to Hebridean seas!

Three of your most-loved minke whales have returned to the Hebrides this month, highlighting how important the region is for these wonderful whales who migrate to feed in the rich waters off Scotland’s west coast during the summer months.

Top Tips for Great Wildlife Encounters

We are amazed by all the incredible sightings you folks have been having recently. See our 10 top tips for how to have the best marine wildlife encounters, whilst keeping the welfare of these amazing animals at the forefront of our minds.

Science & Research, SightingsCaroline Willis11 August 2020Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, WiSe Scheme, Wildlife Safe, disturbance, wildlife watching, responsible tourism, best practice for watching wildlife, scottish marine wildlife watching code

Your Wow Moments from National Whale and Dolphin Watch

Explore the amazing sightings reported during this years National Whale and Dolphin Watch event.

SightingsCaroline Willis7 August 2020citizen science, get involved, sightings, whale track, National Whale and Dolphin Watch

National Whale and Dolphin Watch 2020

You are invited to take part in a national event, to watch the water for our amazing marine life. We need your help to get a snapshot of whales, dolphins, porpoise and basking sharks across the west coast of Scotland.

Sightings, The Hebridean Whale TrailCaroline Willis22 July 2020Whale Track, Hebridean Whale Trail, whale watching, land based whale watching, National Whale and Dolphin Watch, NWDW, national survey, Sea Watch Foundation, citizen science, report your sightings

*PRESS RELEASE* Public urged to report whale and dolphin sightings in Hebrides

We are calling on members of the public to record their at-sea excursions and sightings of whales, dolphins, porpoises and endangered basking sharks off Scotland’s west coast to boost monitoring efforts and strengthen understanding of the coronavirus lockdown’s impact on these animals.

In the News, Sightings, Science & ResearchLauren Hartny-Mills7 July 2020whales, dolphins, Whale Track, sightings, citizenscience, get involved, killer whale, bottlenose dolphins, John Coe killer whale, John Coe, aquarius, West Coast Community

Heading down memory lane for #Volunteerweek

As part of National Volunteers Week we'd like to give a massive THANK YOU to everyone who has helped to collect on the marine life in our waters! We celebrated by asking some of our past volunteers about their favourite moments from theirs trips over the years.

Science & Research, SightingsGuest User6 June 2020bottlenose dolphins, sightings, whale track, Tobermory, photo ID, citizen science

Bottlenose dolphins make a surprise visit to Tobermory harbour!

It was a magic start to the month as bottlenose dolphins made a surprise visit to the bay! Word quickly spread amongst the community and members of the HWDT team rushed down from our respective home offices to get a closer look.

Science & Research, SightingsGuest User3 June 2020bottlenose dolphins, sightings, whale track, Tobermory, photo ID, citizen science

John Coe and Aquarius surprise onlookers in Northern Ireland

John Coe and Aquarius were seen swimming into Strangford Lough, Co. Down in Northern Ireland on Friday. Every sighting of these individuals is crucial in advancing our understanding of the west coast community! If you’ve seen killer whales on the west coast, we’d love to hear about it.

Looking back on an incredible summer season!

It was another incredible summer season on board our research vessel Silurian. We covered an impressive 4476.3 nautical miles (8290.1 km) over fourteen surveys, with 1170 sightings of marine megafauna.

Silurian, SightingsGuest User11 December 2019silurian, survey, dolphins, volunteers, volunteernow, marine wildlife, marine conservation, HWDT, Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, scotland, killer whale

Dolphin detective work makes a match!

Citizen science is key to better understanding mobile species like bottlenose dolphins. Rian Harris, our Education and Photo-ID Volunteer, has been undertaking some dolphin detective work to uncover the movements of some of the Inner Hebrides community.

Science & Research, SightingsLauren Hartny-Mills14 August 2019bottlenose dolphins, sightings, whale track, Tobermory, photo ID, citizen science

Curious minke whales welcome Hannah to the team!

A warm welcome to one of the new members of the team, Hannah, who is part of our 2019 volunteer team. Here Hannah gives an account of her first trip out with Sea Life Surveys to collect Photo ID images

Events & Outreach, Guest Articles, SightingsMorven Summers6 August 2019volunteers, volunteering, get involved, Sea Life Surveys, photo ID, photography, 2019 placement, opportunities, common dolphin, minke whale, bottlenose dolphins

Joint Warrior Underway in the Hebrides

With the massive military exercise, Joint Warrior, underway in the Hebrides, we are asking the public to be vigilant and report their sightings

Silurian, SightingsMorven Summers2 April 2019joint warrior, Joint Warrior, Military exercises, Ministry of Defense, survey, sightings, whale, whale track, dolphin, threats, porpoise, silurian

Cuvier’s beaked whale live strands on Mull

Read the latest updates from the Cuvier’s beaked whale stranding on Mull over Hogmanay.

Science & Research, SightingsMorven Summers25 January 2019stranding, cuviers, beaked whale, SMASS, BDMLR, HWDT

Silurian Survey Round Up: July-October

Check out all the updates from the second half of our survey season this year, including the first ever sightings of pilot whales from Silurian!

Silurian, SightingsGuest User21 December 2018silurian, survey, dolphins, volunteers, volunteernow, marine wildlife, marine conservation, HWDT, Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, scotland, killer whale

Sunfish Sightings off Scottish West Coast

You may have seen in the news this weekend reports of sunfish in Scottish waters. Reports of sunfish at this time of year are not in fact unusual, with similar numbers of sightings reported last summer. Check out some cool facts about these incredible ocean wanderers here, and if you're lucky enough to spot a sunfish, don't forget to report your sightings via WhaleTrack!

Sightings, In the NewsMorven Summers3 September 2018sunfish, whale track, Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, HWDT, sightings, Scottish Waters, Scotland

Whale Track Update

Look out for our Whale Track updates, which will come into effect from today, 29th August 2018.

SightingsMorven Summers29 August 2018whale track, whales, dolphins, update, whale track update

Spotted: Kasey the Minke Whale

Kasey, one of our most-loved minke whales, was spotted this week off Ardnamurchan point by our Lighthouse volunteer Craig. What a sighting!

SightingsMorven Summers26 August 2018Kasey, Kasey the minke whale, minke whale, whale, Ardnamurchan Lighthouse, Ardnamurchan, Hebridean Whale Trail, Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, volunteer

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