WDCS - Adopt a Dolphin Blog

Better Late Than Never, Moonlight...

nospam@example.com (Charlie Phillips) — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:04:10 +0100

Hi Everyone,

Typically, on my one day off (Monday) who eventually shows up at Chanonry with her young son but our lovely Moonlight !

I was getting a bit twitchy as she is normally around with the rest of the gang much earlier in the season and it took a chance visit to Chanonry at totally the wrong state of the tide by my pal Alan Ward to get a photo as proof that she is around - just being very sneaky.

© Alan Ward

There were some other dolphins around over near Fort George but Moonlight and her young son were close enough for Alan to get a good fin photo - good job my friend !

Now I just need to see her myself and then get out to sea to find Spirit and then I'll be a happier bunny.

Best Wishes,

Charlie.

Eye,Eye Kesslet !

nospam@example.com (Charlie Phillips) — Sat, 12 May 2012 17:05:05 +0100

Kesslet visited Chanonry briefly yesterday, all the dolphins were pretty close to the beach including Charlie, Zephyr, Rainbow and Brreze. I had a group of students from Middlesex University with me, I play host to a group every year and they were totally amazed at the dolphins...rightly so, you don't see this very often in London eh? Kesslet is looking right at me.

©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

Today was much drier than yesterday but we only had Scoopy, Zephyr and Breeze for company. It was great to see Geoff and his wife Chris on the beach beside me again, long time supporters and dolphin enthusiasts...welcome back folks !

Best Wishes,

Charlie.

Nice Lunch Rainbow !

nospam@example.com (Charlie Phillips) — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:34:59 +0100

Hi Everyone,

I had a VERY rough and windy session with the dolphins this morning at Chanonry, my colleagues Judy and Stine from head office joined me on the beach and were thrilled to see around seven dolphins hunting in the surf. Good old Rainbow had just caught a cracker of a fish and I managed to get a few sharp frames with her and the salmon hanging out of her mouth.

©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

I was very pleased at how many good shots I was able to get through all the choppy waves and spray, my new camera body is behaving itself beautifully although trying to keep the big telephoto lens steady this morning in the strong wind after three hours made my left arm feel like a bit of overcooked spaghetti !

Best Wishes,

Charlie.

Typical Bank Holiday...

nospam@example.com (Charlie Phillips) — Sun, 06 May 2012 15:27:11 +0100

Hi Everyone,

Hope that you are all well and enjoying this May bank holiday !

We had quite a lot of boat traffic this morning in the Kessock Channel, mainly the local Sea Scouts who were out training youngsters in how to handle powered craft. Kesslet and Charlie, who had suddenly appeared, both chomping on fish were getting the attention of the boat users, the Sea Scouts were great as usual but there was one little light coloured inflatable with two blokes on it that were following the two dolphins almost a wee bit too much for my liking, if they hadn't kept the safe distance away from the dolphins that they did then the Police would have been getting a little phone call...what is it about bank holidays - It's always the same !

©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

In the photo above you can see some of the boats today in the very twinkly water, and if that is you in the light coloured inflatable boat nearest my camera, then behave !

Best Wishes,

Charlie

Video Test...

nospam@example.com (Charlie Phillips) — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:39:39 +0100

Hi Everyone,

I'm just testing something so please don't complain about the video footage quality - I shall remove it shortly !

Best Wishes,

Charlie.

Lights..Camera's..

nospam@example.com (Charlie Phillips) — Thu, 03 May 2012 11:06:57 +0100

Hi Everyone,

I was out at sea doing a bit of filming about our dolphins with Timeline Films for their "Grand Tours of Scotland" programme, presented by film-maker and historian Paul Murton. It was a grey start to the day at 8am but almost right away on leaving Avoch Harbour with Dolphin Trips Avoch (whose boat was chartered for the morning) we came across Zephyr and Breeze who were chasing sprats and Scoopy was around too. We went as far as the Cromarty Firth and prepared to sit for a while at the South Sutor to do my bit to camera, just as we were slowing down a big dolphin with lots of new rake marks and scratches overtook us. You can see Paul (wearing the brown hat) and the sound recordist and cameraman in the shot below as we were waiting to see if any more dolphins were around.

©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

Nothing else showed up at the South Sutor but on the way back we had Rainbow right beside us near Chanonry and a few other dolphins in the distance came a bit closer and all caught on camera which was great. Job done !

It was a really nice mornings work and Paul and the crew were great to work with, I'm looking forward to the new series starting in October.

Best Wishes,

Charlie.

Scoopy..That Was SO Funny !

nospam@example.com (Charlie Phillips) — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:51:20 +0100

Hi Everyone,

I was round at Chanonry on Sunday and despite being a lovely, sunny day it was bitterly cold with a biting northerly wind. What made it eventually worthwhile (the dolphins took ages to arrive), apart from seeing Rainbow and about six others was Scoopy playing with a big stem of holdfast seaweed. He would balance it on his blowhole while swimming at the surface and then let it wash along his back, and then he did it again, and again...fascinating to see this huge dolphin taking "time out" to physically play with something.

©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

I'm out filming with Timeline Films early in the morning tomorrow so fingers crossed we see some dolphins !

Best Wishes,

Charlie.

Eye Eye Rainbow...

nospam@example.com (Charlie Phillips) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:50:59 +0100

Hi Everyone,

It was a bit grey and rainy at Chanonry yesterday, however Rainbow took me by surprise and popped her head up SO close to the shore that I could not get all her head into the frame !

©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

She was looking right at me, I wonder what she thought of this big hairy bloke pointing a big white tube at her while smiling from ear to ear?

Best Wishes,

Charlie.

Some Activity...

nospam@example.com (Charlie Phillips) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 13:40:03 +0100

A few very grey, wet days at Chanonry recently, my pal Alan texted me about some dolphins yesterday over at the Fort and I was on my way to the Point anyway. After I arrived I saw big Scoopy over at the Fort and then Zephyr and her young son Breeze came past and pottered about in the last of the rising tide. Zephyr caught something small and so did Breeze, here going towards his Mum in the photo with his mouth slightly open (you can see his teeth) but I don't know what it was they were getting. There were a few Gannets about and the odd hurry of gulls too in a few locations.

©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

And today, through the monsoon rain at Kessock we had Kesslet and Charlie hunting away in great style, giving it some "tails up" dives and then some nice face shots too.

©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

I must be getting soft in my old age as there is no way that I was standing out at the exposed Point this morning with the possibility of lightning as well as getting soaked (again)

Best Wishes,

Charlie.

Rough Seas...

nospam@example.com (Charlie Phillips) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:10:34 +0100

Hi Everyone,

There have been fairly consistent sightings from Chanonry in the last week or so. Kesslet and Charlie have vanished from the Kessock Channel and joined Rainbow, Zephyr & Breeze and a few others round at Chanonry, hunting in the rough water as you can see below.

©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

The weather has gone bitterly cold and windy again and it's not much fun trying to get photos in these conditions...can we have spring back please?

Best Wishes,

Charlie.

Time For a Snack...

nospam@example.com (Charlie Phillips) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:55:08 +0100

Hi Everyone,

The sudden torrential rain that we have had over the last wee while has made photographing any dolphins that have been around a bit of a challenge. I got soaked at Chanonry yesterday but was delighted to find big "Scoopy" ID #748 pottering around in the distance on his own at North Kessock when I got back and dried off a bit.

©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

A few days before, Kesslet and her son Charlie were catching salmon in the fast flowing current and here you can see Charlie in front of his Mum with a tail of a fish sticking out of his mouth.

©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

Hopefully some dolphins will turn up in dry weather at Chanonry soon !

Best Wishes,

Charlie.

Easter Greetings...

nospam@example.com (Charlie Phillips) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:10:44 +0100

Tail Tales...

nospam@example.com (Charlie Phillips) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:40:46 +0100

Hi Everyone,

It's been a bit raw and snowy up here recently, not brilliant for getting out and about. One question that I get asked quite often is do we recognise our dolphins by their tails the same as some whales, such as Humpbacks are?

©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

As you can see in the above photo of Sundance's tail taken recently, he has some nicks in the trailing edge of the blades of his tail but these aren't nearly so easy to recognise (or to photograph) as dorsal fin markings so the answer has to be no, we do it by the dorsal fins.

Best Wishes,

Charlie.

Hello Sundance, Hello Rainbow, Hello Mischief !

nospam@example.com (Charlie Phillips) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 10:22:21 +0100

Hi Everyone,

I was nearly giving up on dolphins coming to the Point yesterday, they left it a bit late in the tide but I'm not complaining really as I ended up with Sundance nearly up on the beach beside me, Mischief around the same and Rainbow a little bit further out but stil very near to where my camera and tripod were. There were a few other dolphins around too but it was just SO good to get my first decent sighting of these three this year.

Sundance © WDCS/Charlie Phillips

Rainbow © WDCS/Charlie Phillips

Mischief © WDCS/Charlie Phillips

What I did notice was that all the dolphins, especially Rainbow, has light coloured blotches (or lesions as we call them) very visible on her skin, maybe just due to the lovely sunshine.

Best Wishes,

Charlie.

And More Dolphins...

nospam@example.com (Charlie Phillips) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 10:02:37 +0100

Hi Everyone,

Not as nice a day weather wise yesterday being very windy but we ended up seeing eight dolphins, including, very briefly, our very own Mischief! He was following a lovely female dolphin called Porridge who had her three year old calf with her, here looking right at my camera.

©WDCS/Charlie Phillips

I'll be round again to Chanonry when I finish my coffee in a wee while and see who turns up today. The sightings have really picked up in the last week or so - long may it continue.

Best Wishes,

Charlie.