Posts in Guest Articles

Whale Track Stories: Whales of Tobermory

Local boat operator, Lyndsey McLaren, tells us about the best month of 2024, that she will never forget.

©AJ MacLeod

Sightings, Guest ArticlesSadie Gorvett10 October 2024marine mammals, what can you see, scotland, what can i see in Scotland, hebrides, Hebrides, wildlife, wildlife watching, minke whales, whale track stories, whale track, sightings, coastguard, helicopter

Whale Track Stories: A moment we’ll never forget

Lauren, one of our residential volunteers this season, shares a moment, her and fellow volunteer, Kai, will never forget from their first day with the Trust.

©Alexa Kershaw

Sightings, Guest ArticlesSadie Gorvett10 July 2024marine mammals, what can you see, scotland, what can i see in Scotland, hebrides, Hebrides, wildlife, wildlife watching, minke whales, whale track stories, whale track, sightings, coastguard, helicopter

Harbour porpoises respond to chronic and repeated seal scarer noise from aquaculture

Data gathered during research expeditions on our research vessel, Silurian, has shown that harbour porpoise are negatively impacted by Acoustic Deterrent Devices, which are used to deter seals at aquaculture sites. Here, Dr Charlotte Findlay, details the research she led to better understand the impact on this species.

Science & Research, Silurian, Guest ArticlesLauren Hartny-Mills7 May 2024acoustic, acoustic recordings, porpoise, what is harming whales and dolphins, scotland, hebrides, ADD, fish farms, Scotland, aquaculture, impacts of fish farming, harbour porpoise, underwater noise, noise pollution, west coast of scotland

Whale Track Stories: Zoe’s unusual tip off

Zoe Stevenson, a member of the Whale Track community who reports sightings whilst working with Hebrides Cruises, shares some highlight lunge feeding minke sightings, including one, thanks to a rather unusual tip off

Coastguard exercise © Zoe Stevenson

Sightings, Guest ArticlesSadie Gorvett29 March 2024marine mammals, what can you see, scotland, what can i see in Scotland, hebrides, Hebrides, wildlife, wildlife watching, minke whales, whale track stories, whale track, sightings, coastguard, helicopter

Whale Track Stories: Lynsey's memorable day

Lynsey Bland, a member of the Whale Track community, shares a sighting from a particularly memorable autumn day.

Minke whale © Lynsey Bland

Sightings, Guest ArticlesSadie Gorvett18 December 2023marine mammals, marine education, what can you see, scotland, what can i see in Scotland, hebrides, Hebrides, wildlife, wildlife watching, minke whales

Whale Track Stories: Hannah's basking shark highlights

Hannah Mcvicar, who reports what sea creatures she’s spotted through Whale Track, shares some memorable sightings from this season, including an unexpected encounter with 8 basking sharks!

Basking shark image © Hannah Mcvicar

Sightings, Guest ArticlesSadie Gorvett26 September 2023basking shark, basking sharks, basking shark scotland, marine mammals, marine education, what can you see, scotland, what can i see in Scotland, where to see basking sharks, hebrides, Hebrides, responsible tourism, wildlife, wildlife watching, good behaviour

Our 2023 Volunteer Team

Each year HWDT’s core team is joined by a group of volunteers who help out with all things whale and dolphin over the summer. They are integral to the charity and are an invaluable part of the team. This year, our volunteers have come from a diverse range of backgrounds, all bringing different skills and aspirations to the charity, but what have been their highlights so far?

Guest Articles, Events & Outreach, The Hebridean Whale TrailMorven Summers22 August 2023volunteering, volunteer, scotland, tobermory, things to do Mull, Things to do Tobermory, wildlife

Gaels and whales: exploring the connection

This week the Royal National Mòd is underway; a wonderful celebration of the Gaelic culture here in Scotland. Below, Coinneach MacFhraing explores the connection between the Gaels and the sea creatures which inhabit our waters, by sharing his knowledge of the place names associated with whales and dolphins.

Guest ArticlesMorven Summers19 October 2022Gaelic, Gaelic Development, gaelic place names, Gaels, whales, dolphins, Scottish place names, Island place names, scotland, Scotland, Hebrides, Hebridean place names, Locations in the Hebrides

'Whale Song' by Rachel Horsburgh

In October 2018, Rachel Horsburgh joined a research expedition, this inspired her to write ‘Whale Song’. ‘Whale Song’ has recently been showcased as part of The Nature Library exhibition of writings at the Ullapool Ferry Terminal last weekend, curated by Christina Riley, as part of the Climate Fringe Festival.

Guest Articles, Events & Outreach, Climate ChangeMorven Summers5 October 2022Rachel Horsburgh, poetry, science comms, ullapool, expedition, research expedition, whale song, art, art science

Uncovering Scotland's Whaling Past

Dr Conor Ryan - HWDT alumni now Science Committee member - has published an incredibly interesting paper on the historical occurrence of whales in Scottish waters. By utilising old whaling records, Conor and his colleagues begin to shed some light on the species which used to inhabit our waters and what we might expect to see if our seas recover from past exploitation.

From Hull to Mull - My Experience Moving To Volunteer with HWDT

Jess Mather shares her experience of moving to Tobermory to volunteer with HWDT, joining the team as Outreach Assistant for the summer. Jess shares her thoughts on adjusting to island life after graduating from her Marine Conservation degree.

Guest Articles, Events & Outreach, The Hebridean Whale TrailSiobhan Moran1 August 2022volunteering, volunteer, scotland, tobermory, things to do Mull, Things to do Tobermory, wildlife

The Selkie Race: James Armour and his epic challenge

James Armour is challenging himself to do something extraordinary: be the FIRST PERSON EVER to swim, run and cycle the entire length of the Outer Hebrides in one go! Through his incredible feat of endurance, James is raising £10,000 to help protect Scottish whales and dolphins. Named The Selkie Race after the mythical seal folk who shed their skins and venture ashore in human form, James will switch between sea, road and saddle to complete this epic challenge IN ONE ATTEMPT!

Fundraising, Guest ArticlesMorven Summers26 July 2021selkie race, selkie, fundraising, donate, donation, end, test yourself, Outer Isles, outer hebrides, Outer Hebrides

Boost your mental well-being by adopting a 'blue mind'

As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, Becky - our Marine Biodiveristy Officer -shares her love of the big blue and how connecting with our seas and oceans provides tangible benefits to our mental wellbeing, outlining some simple ways you can reconnect and adopt a ‘blue mind'‘.

Guest ArticlesMorven Summers11 May 2021blue mind, Mental Health, #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek, by the sea, help, get help, its ok not to be ok, Well-being, look after yourself

Tales from the Trail: A Hebridean Cycling Adventure

Join Tierney and Katie as they undertake a cycling adventure in the west of Scotland, visiting as many Hebridean Whale Trail sites as possible

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

Volunteering with HWDT - meet Maja, Outreach and Research volunteer 2019

A warm welcome to Maja, one our incredible Outreach and Research Volunteers for 2019. Here Maja shares some her experiences so far, as well as discussing her motivation for moving out to Mull and dedicating her summer to conservation with use here at hWDT.

Guest Articles, SilurianSiobhan Moran30 July 2019volunteers, volunteer, get involved, marineconservation

HWDT joins call for a Scottish Environment Act

Today one of our Trustee’s, Denis Molison, attended the campaign launch for the #FightforScotlandsNature campaign, spearheaded by Scottish Environment LINK. HWDT are one of 35 charities backing the campaign. Read Denis’ take on this important campaign below:

Guest Articles, In the NewsMorven Summers13 November 2018Brexit, EU, Fight for Scotlands Nature, Campaign, ScotLINK, Scottish Environment LINK, whales, dolphins, Trustee

Have You Got The Bottle?

Read our first guest article from Jenni Hume at Have You Got the Bottle? - a campaign towards a deposit return system in Scotland to reduce our plastic waste, and find out how you can get involved.

Guest ArticlesMorven Summers30 August 2018Have You Got the Bottle?, plastic, stop the plastic tide, anitplastic, deposit return scheme, eco friendly, Scottish Government

Ever wondered what life on board a HWDT research survey is like?

Ever wondered what it would be like to join HWDT as a volunteer on Silurian? Well know you can find out! Read our guest piece by dedicated volunteer Rod White, who has joined us seven times monitoring whales and dolphins along Scotland’s west coast.

Silurian, Guest ArticlesMorven Summers6 August 2018whales, dolphins, killer whales, orca, volunteer, volunteers, volunteer holidays, silurian, teamwork, marine tourism, marine wildlife, marine protected areas, marine conservation, sailing

Owen's Account - Work Experience at HWDT

Last week, Owen Wild, a student from Tobermory High School, joined HWDT for his week-long work experience placement. Read on for Owen's account of his time at the Trust.

Guest ArticlesCaroline Willis14 June 2018HWDT, Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, scotland, Staffa, Basking shark, work experience, work placement, high school, Tobermory High School

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