Lots to discover with Bella and Celia
This summer we were absolutely delighted to welcome back volunteers to join the team… que Celia and Bella! Supporting our public engagement work in a variety of ways, you’ll find Celia and Bella either in our Discovery Centre, leading guided walks from local Hebridean Whale Trail sites, or chatting to the public at events like the Tobermory Producers Market.
Here they share why they decided to join the team and what they’ve enjoyed the most…
I had the most amazing time sailing with HWDT on Silurian in 2016 on a teen team survey. This survey made me fall in love with marine life and conserving the marine environment, so I volunteered on Silurian again in 2017. Since then, I have been studying Marine Biology at university with a passion for marine conservation. I am also fascinated by seabirds, so I worked at the Scottish Seabird Centre for a couple summers. At the Seabird Centre I realised how much I enjoyed talking to members of the public about marine animals and how to protect them, so I was so excited when I saw a summer volunteer placement focusing on public engagement at HWDT that fit perfectly within my university holidays!
So far, I have had the most incredible time volunteering with HWDT. Every week we have guided walks out to Tobermory Lighthouse and headland watches from Glengorm. From these two beautiful locations we are always looking out for marine life, and we tell members of the public about the species found in the area, how to spot them and their main behaviours and feeding mechanisms. From both locations we have seen so many bird species, porpoises, and seals, which have definitely been the highlight for me!
Bella
I'm thrilled to be volunteering with HWDT this summer. I’ve always loved whales and dolphins, however a pivotal moment for me was seeing John Coe in 2016 off the coast of Skye. I had learned of the west coast community a few years earlier and absolutely adored them. I had never seen killer whales before so when it came to picking the family holiday I begged to go to the Hebrides knowing there was a chance, albeit very slim, they would be about. Of course I didn't get my hopes up but I was always looking at the shore either way. On the first day we went to Neist Point and spent a few hours there. Five minutes before we left we saw a huge two meter dorsal fin cutting through the waves and I burst out crying. It was John Coe. Even though I was ecstatic the moment was tinged with sadness. As there are only eight individuals in this unique pod it's very likely that within my lifetime we will no longer have resident killer whales. It was then that I decided I wanted to dedicate my life to these animals and hopefully contribute to education and awareness so events like this won’t happen again.
So far I have really enjoyed my placement and love talking to all kinds of people about whales and dolphins. My favourite thing about the placement is taking people out for guided walks and so far we’ve seen harbour porpoises at both Glengorm and Tobermory lighthouse which is incredible and I hope for many more sightings to come.
Celia