Posts tagged marine wildlife
Telling the Tale of the West Coast Killer Whale

The tale of the West Coast Community of killer whales will be told in a new film by Director, George Hoagy Morris.  Over the coming weeks, George will take to the water, attempting to capture footage of the elusive West Coast Community.  Inspired by the story of this unique population of killer whales, the film will share their tragic story with new audiences.

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Paradise Found - Tales from Silurian

Vaughan, our Volunteer Outreach Assistant, reflects on his experiences during the twelve day monitoring expedition he joined on board our research vessel, Silurian.

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HWDT welcomes new Fieldwork Research Manager

Meet Jenny - our new Fieldwork Research Manager, but she’s no stranger to Silurian or HWDT. Jenny has been part of the team for a while, most recently as our Exhibitions Officer in our Discovery Centre, while providing relief cover for the Science Officer on board Silurian.

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First Research Expedition of 2022 Kicks Off!

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

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Exploring the new Whale Track app and website

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.

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Last Survey of the Winter Field Season

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…

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Exciting Upgrades Boost Conservation

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.

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Whale Track Winter Sightings Round-Up

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!

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What impact is climate change having on the whales in our waters?

COP26 started this week in Glasgow, where world leaders are meeting to discuss how best to tackle climate issues. Our Science Officer Becky explores what climate change means for our oceans, and what impacts in could be having to the whales, dolphins, and porpoises in our waters….

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Silurian battles through storms on our latest acoustic expedition

Silurian battled through strong winds and heavy showers on our latest acoustic expedition. In total, we surveyed over 330 nautical miles, collecting over 60 hours of acoustic recordings.

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Circumnavigating the Outer Hebrides on our latest expedition

On our latest expedition onboard our research vessel Silurian, we went went, surveying the waters around the Outer Hebrides and reaching some of the most remote areas of the Scottish west coast.

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From volunteer to First Mate: Bruce’s journey

After volunteering three years ago, Bruce joined us on board Silurian as First Mate for our latest acoustic expedition. Bruce talks to our Science Officer Becky about that three year journey and why that first survey made such an impact…

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Bow riding bottlenose, Lunge feeding minkes, and a selkie

Our latest expedition on board our research vessel Silurian was action packed! Not only did we have some incredible wildlife encounters, but we even managed to join James Armour for some of his incredible Selkie race.

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It was minke magic on our latest expedition

Thanks to contributions from members of the public Silurian continues to monitor Hebridean waters, in the company of some very friendly minkes whales.

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Silurian monitors Joint Warrior, Europe’s largest military exercise

Due to the amazing generosity of our supporters in our recent Big Give Green Match Fund campaign, our research vessel set out to monitor Joint Warrior, Europe’s largest military exercise, to help us understand the impact it may have on cetaceans in the Hebrides.

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Longer days bring whales to our waters

It is a vital time for marine life in Scotland as the sun begins to shine with increasing ferocity and our seas begin to warm. Seabirds have returned to breed after a long winter at sea, wildflowers have begun to bloom and whales have been spotted back in our waters!

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Protecting cetaceans in a pandemic

Last year with the help of contributions from members of the public, we were able to survey OVER 4,100 km of Hebridean seas, helping us to continue to protect cetaceans in the Hebrides in the midst of a global pandemic.

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Silurian monitors Joint Warrior on our latest acoustic survey

The final acoustic survey of the season monitored Joint warrior, Europe’s largest military exercise, to help us understand the impact these activities have on cetaceans in the Hebrides.

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Incredible biodiversity showcased on our latest acoustic survey

Five different species of cetaceans were recorded on our third acoustic survey in some spectacular encounters!

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