Community Engagement Officer Siobhan spent two weeks visiting Hebridean Whale Trail sites in the Outer Hebrides, running events, catching up with the locals, and spotting some incredible wildlife. Read on to hear about her adventures in Ullapool and on the Isles of Lewis and Harris.
Every year, we welcome aboard teams of students from St Andrew’s University Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) to discover how we collect data on board our research vessel, Silurian. Over the course of 10 days, each team spent time travelling to different areas of the west coast, collecting vital visual and acoustic data on marine mammals. Each of the teams share their experiences here
Orca Watch is running this week, a ten-day event coordinated by the Seawatch Foundation. With land based watches taking place all around Caithness, North Sutherland, Orkney and Shetland, enthusiastic citizen scientists will be keen to catch a glimpse of these apex predators. But it’s not all black and white when it comes to killer whale populations in Scottish seas
We’re well underway with our monitoring Hebridean seas this year, with Silurian, our research vessel, completing her fourth expedition of the 2023 summer field season. Some challenging conditions didn't dampen the spirits of the fantastic citizen scientists who joined us on board…the encounters with whales, dolphins and porpoises helped too!
Iona-based visual artist Mhairi Killin will open her major new collaborative multi-media exhibition On Sonorous Seas at An Tobar on Mull from 8 July to 27 August.. The installation - which mixes whale bone sculpture, video, poetry and soundscape alongside a series of podcasts - is inspired by the complex relationship between the militarisation of Scotland’s waters and its existing ecosystem.
Catching sight of killer whales in the wild is an experience people will never forget; to see a massive black dorsal fin break the surface is truly awe inspiring. Recently, excitement was at a high when west coast celebrities - John Coe and Aquarius - were reported around Mull and Skye, with the pair of old bulls staying in the area for an extended period of time.
Our third survey of the season allowed us to survey 367 miles around the Small Isles, north Minch and Inner Sound of Raasay. We had some incredible sightings, visited beautiful remote anchorages and collected over 69 hours of visual and acoustic data.
Silurian, our research vessel is a hard working boat and throughout the year is gifted some TLC. Here one of the team, Brian, updates on recent efforts to keep her shipshape.
Our second research expedition of the summer field season was exceptional - recording a total of seven marine mammal species, including killer whales, John Coe and Aquarius of the West Coast Community! Hannah, our Science Officer on board who leads the data collection programme shares her experience
What do you remember most about school? The lessons sat behind a desk, spending lunch times playing with your friends, or the excitement and anticipation of that one off school trip, getting out of the confines of the classroom, visiting somewhere new and experiencing something for the first time. In this blog we explore why hands on, outdoor experiences are important for children.
We’re off!! The summer field season (April - October) on board our research vessel, Silurian, has started. Despite battling challenging conditions, the team on board remained steadfast. Hannah, our scientist who led the data collection on board, shares the expedition update
Spring is a vital time to monitor whales, dolphins, and porpoises, collectively known as cetaceans, in the waters of western Scotland. Our seas begin to warm and whales migrate into our productive waters to feed. We explore some of the species you may encounter this spring.
Just in time for Spring, as spotting conditions improve and the wildlife begins to arrive in larger numbers around local shores, we have released a new and improved Whale Track app. Here we explore five new features of Whale Track.
The Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT) are calling on members of the public to get involved with efforts to protect Scottish whales and dolphins by reporting what they’ve spotted and carrying out surveys from both land and sea. The appeal comes as the conservation charity launches its new and improved Whale Track community sightings app and website.
Our winter survey programme on board Silurian has been running since 2019, learning more about the year-round presence of marine mammals and basking sharks in Hebridean seas. These surveys are important given that prior to the start of the programme, little winter data existed for the region. Science Officer, Jenny, gives an update on the last winter survey of this year…
This statement has been issued by the Scottish Entanglement Alliance (SEA), a collaboration between industry, researcher and conservation groups working together to better understanding entanglement in Scottish waters.
Adventure beckons as the summer field season on board our research vessel, Silurian, kicks off this weekend. But before we raise the anchor and set sail, we’d love to share some of the exciting developments we’ve made over the winter with support from the NatureScot Nature Restoration Fund.
Check out what’s been reported over the winter by our wonderful Whale Track community. Recording whale, dolphin and porpoise movements over winter months is crucial to building a year-round understanding of how these creatures use our waters and document any changes over time. A huge thank you to all our Whale Track reporters for helping undertake this vital work!
Last year, Hebridean Adventures have raised a staggering £2,244 to protect Scottish whales and dolphins. The Stornoway-based small-boat cruising company plan to run a fundraising cruise in Aug 2022 to continue their fundraising efforts.
Throughout British Science Week this year, we are offering the choice of two live education sessions for schools and home educators. Sign up now and join us online!
