Hi Everyone,

I'm really, really annoyed today...there I was having a not too shabby a day down at the Point, dolphins in the area (including Mischief), blue sky and blue sea, warm sun... and then this RIB type boat shows up - obviously looking for dolphins with people in it, cameras at the ready. The group of dolphins that were near the Point were then pursued by this boat and the people on board away towards Inverness.


© WDCS/Charlie Phillips

A local boat operator phoned me to let me know that he was watching the same boat harassing the dolphins heading down towards the Kessock Bridge so I had to call the local police and go through the reporting procedure, the boat operator being a witness too. This meant coming away from Chanonry and the dolphins and spend the rest of the day either giving statements to the police and trying to look out for this boat that disappeared. Grrrr ! And they want to build a 500 berth Marina near Chanonry Point? No Way...over my dead body! We have had a lot of incidents this year with people coming from the Inverness Marina targeting dolphins - what is it with some people?

Best Wishes (unless you are an irresponsible boat owner)

Charlie.

Hi Everyone,

I've been splitting my time between North Kessock and Chanonry recently, trying to keep up with Moonlight and her new baby - not easy with such a mobile animal as a dolphin. On Saturday at Chanonry there was a good bit of socialising going on with Sundance being the starter of much of the activity - as you can see in the photo below he certainly knows how to make a splash.


©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

I was round at Chanonry again this morning, meeting our heroic "Pod Plodders" who have raised loads of money for WDCS by walking 26 miles along the local coastline in just 2 days - amazing ! Well done to you all. Kesslet and Charlie were at Chanonry first thing, as was Mischief but they caught some small fish then drifted away - I later saw Kesslet and Charlie at North Kessock nearly in the harbour where Kesslet was trying to swallow an ENORMOUS salmon....greedy girl Kesslet!

Best Wishes,

Charlie.

Hi Everyone,

Today at North Kessock was fabulous for dolphins - I counted 21 different dorsal fins in my photos, including (in the distant photo below) Moonlight with her new baby at the top of the picture and Mischief to the right of them and Rainbow to the left.


©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

Sundance was also here along with Muddy and her new baby, so that was two Mum & newborn pairs and lovely old Jigsaw was here too - brilliant to see the old girl in the Kessock Channel again after many, many years. Everywhere you looked it was adult and calf dorsal fins....who needs Chanonry Point?

Best Wishes and have a great Bank Holiday weekend,

Charlie.

Hi Everyone,

Some exciting news for all you lovely Moonlight adopters out there - she has just had a new baby ! In the photo below taken earlier today at North Kessock you can see the wee beauty, maybe only a week old surfacing on the right hand side of Moonlight.


©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

I noticed Moonlight yesterday in at North Kessock which is reasonably unusual and as I was watching her this tiny calf was popping up beside her. I managed to get a few grey, distant photos (the weather was rubbish) and sent them to Barbara at the Lighthouse for a second opinion and she agreed. I was round at Chanonry this morning to see if Moonlight was there, no sign but Rainbow, Sundance and Mischief were - great to see them too and Mischief came into North Kessock later.

Can I go for a lie down now?

Best Wishes,

Charlie.

Hi Everyone,

I spent the day yesterday with some local youngsters and the BBC filming for a new CBBC series called "Live N Deadly" presented by Steve Backshall. The weather started off terrible with very high winds and really rough seas so initially the dolphin watching boat trip was cancelled but thankfully after an hour or two the wind started to drop and the boat trip was back on...phew! As the boat travelled round near Chanonry Point there was a nice big group of dolphins about 300 metres off the coast being very relaxed and they were all round the boat at one point - the film crew (seen in the photo) and the kids hardly knew where to look next. Brilliant !


©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

Mischief, Trail Scoop and Prism were among the dolphins but trying to get ID photos was a bit tricky as we were too busy with the filming. We returned to the harbour delighted at the success of the trip after so dodgy a start. Later we had our dinner delivered to us on the beach at Chanonry and were waiting for dolphins to turn up on the rising tide to do a bit more filming but the kids were so tired after a long and exciting day that we called it a day and went home very happy. Job Done. My (and the BBC's) grateful thanks to Gwyn and Paula from Dolphin Trips Avoch and to McGinty's Fish & Chip Shop, Fortrose for making it such a great day.

Best Wishes,

Charlie.

Hi Everyone,

It was a lovely evening last night round at Chanonry and there were some dolphins quite close in to the beach including Rainbows big lad Prism, here having a mad 5 minutes to himself.


©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

Sundance was there too but went shooting through and into the distance before I could get a good photo of him. It was also a case of "Am I seeing double" as Zephyr and wee Breeze were there as was ID# 440 "Sickle" (who looks very like Zephyr) and her almost identical 1 year old calf. Tall Fin and Chewbacca were there with their respective 3 year old youngsters so there was a nice bit of socialising going on too - great to watch in such lovely light.

Best Wishes,

Charlie.

Hi Everyone,

The tides are in the afternoons now which means that going to Chanonry in the mornings for me is a bit pointless but you can still see dolphins passing by the Point nomatter what the tide is doing at this time of year. This recent photo shows Rainbow, Squat Fin and Happy Dragons' nosey calf having a look round to see what's going on.


©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

Sightings are pretty good everywhere with daily activity at North Kessock, Spey Bay and Chanonry. Thankfully the weather is reasonable and people are getting out and about in the countryside that I'm so lucky to live and work in.

Best Wishes,

Charlie.

Hi Everyone,

It was a very still and mild day round at Chanonry today, dolphins were all over the place but as normal were wandering past then going back out again. Rainbow and Mischief were amongst them and some of the youngsters like Prism, Yoda and ID# 1063 seen here in the photo were having a bit of a jump to themselves.


©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

Getting back to North Kessock later I had a nice group foraging in the current including Sundance who was taking a day off from winding up the younger males around the Point.

Best Wishes,

Charlie.

Hi Everyone,

A brief glimpse of Moonlight and Sailfin at Chanonry Point this morning was all we got despite there being a cracking tide, one of the best of the year and it was no great surprise when the phone went and Chris from our Dolphin & Seal Centre told me that there were quite a lot of dolphins in at North Kessock having a good old hunt to themselves like Trail Scoop here catching a nice salmon.


©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

I nipped back (along with a heap of dolphin watchers) to North Kessock and going through the photos taken and video I can count 15 dolphins in total, including Sundance and Mischief. Not a bad total, the best this year in the Channel so far.

Best Wishes,

Charlie.

Hi Everyone,

I had an early start yesterday morning, round at Chanonry for 5.20 am and low tide. As usual Nevis wandered along to say hello bang on low tide as he normally does, just like in the photo below and then did another of his "vanishing" tricks and I didn't see him again. It was flat calm and for nearly two hours I had the beach all to myself. Magic.


©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

A wee while later ID# 706 came past but left soon as there were no salmon around. Seven dolphins turned up later out in the shipping channel and kept a yacht company but then drifted away. There are mackerel around in big shoals and this is making the dolphins hunting habits at Chanonry a bit hard to predict as the groups pass the Point but don't stop for long - if at all.

Best Wishes,

Charlie.

Hi Everyone,

Last night I was filming our dolphins at North Kessock - to start with there were the usual three, Kesslet, Charlie and Trail Scoop but then looking up the Firth there were many more heading for the mid channel. Eventually I was counting about 13 dolphins with Sundance and possibly Mischief amongst them.


©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

There was a good bit of hunting going on in the gloomy light and every so often some really nice social stuff with youngsters and adults going a bit bonkers as you can see in the still capture picture above - dolphins breaching with the houses of South Kessock in the background. Wonderful to watch.

Best Wishes,

Charlie.

Hi Everyone,

I spent the day video filming from Chanonry Point yesterday. It is a completely different thing to taking ordinary photos and something that I'll have to master quickly. You can take still frames from the video and the quality is really good, almost good enough for Photo ID.


©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

You can see in the above photo some of the crowds watching dolphins swimming past. The dolphins are not stopping to hunt at the moment - there is little salmon to be had just now. I spotted Mischief yesterday heading with a big group out towards Eathie with a pair of yachts but I have not seen any other adoption dolphins since the weekend.

Best Wishes,

Charlie.

Hi Everyone,

Well, at least at Spey Bay it is...It's been years since I have sat on the amazing shingle beach near our WDCS Wildlife Centre just watching for dolphins and yippeee....dolphins turned up. They were a bit too far away for photos, but I tried all the same. After looking at them though I think I'd be better posting one of my arty beach shots.


©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

I was along at the Centre for a meeting and it was great to see all the staff and volunteers and see how busy the place is but today it's back to my own dolphins and getting some video footage.

Best Wishes,

Charlie.

Hi Everyone,

Zephyr catching this nice big fish was the highlight of the morning at Chanonry, not very many dolphins around this a.m. - same as yesterday.


©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

The light was very silvery grey and the rain eventually set in so Chris and I headed back to North Kessock. No adoption dolphins seen today, I was hoping that Sundance and Rainbow would come back again like yesterday but no joy, although Prism arrived on his own. Apparently late yesterday afternoon a huge group of dolphins came into the area when the tide was falling but then headed back out to sea again.

Best Wishes,

Charlie.

Hi Everyone,

The Moray Firth Dolphins face a new oil threat. Have we learned nothing from the BP Gulf of Mexico oil slick disaster?

Shockingly, the UK government has agreed to allow two companies to begin seismic surveys for oil and gas in the Moray Firth in September. One of these companies will be operating inside the Special Area of Conservation – a sanctuary, created by the government to protect the bottlenose dolphins. Watch our new campaign video HERE

In 2008 we asked for your help and, with backing from 25 world leading experts, 18,000 of you responded! This was enough to stop the government in its tracks and say no to all oil and gas activity in the Moray Firth for the whole of 2009.

Help us to stop them again. We will challenge their decision at the highest possible level but we need your support.


©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

Find out how you can help us fight this decision by going HERE

Best Wishes,

Charlie.