Saturnine weather meant the first day of the fourth annual Dolphinwatch project in Aberdeen had only a handful of visitors yesterday.
But those who did turn up were treated to “nonstop” sightings of the playful mammals.
Staff from RSPB Scotland will be at Torry Battery every Thursday to Sunday between 11am and 6pm throughout the summer to help wildlife enthusiasts, tourists and residents observe Aberdeen’s thriving bottlenose dolphins.
Last year was the most successful yet for the free initiative, attracting more than 5,000 visitors, who spotted the marine creatures on 95% of the days the RSPB team were on the site.
Catherine Leatherland, one of the charity’s staff members who will be assisting the public this year, said yesterday: “We had some pretty bad weather, so unfortunately not too many people came by.
“But we did have at least one family join us to spot the aquatic animals.
“And the dolphins have been here all day, nonstop from 11am when we first arrived.
“They put on a great show for us, they have been breaching and leaping out of the water, and we think they have probably been feeding as well because they have come into the harbour.
“We think, quite possibly, there were about 15 to 20 individuals in total, so it was a great day to see the dolphins.
“We’ve got everything people need to come and see these animals.
“We’ve got sets of binoculars, two scopes, and we’re here to help people to use them, so everyone is welcome to come along and get a really good, close-up view of the dolphins.
“We can’t make any solid predictions, but the sighting rate is very good in Aberdeen.
“We saw them last year about 95% of the time we were on the site, so there’s a very good chance of seeing them during the day – and, of course, if the weather is nice, it can help out with watching conditions.
“But they are usually visible, no matter the weather.”
To follow the team’s observations, search for “RSPB Aberdeen and North East Scotland” on Facebook.
