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Meet the 2023 Interns: Thomas Zoutis

I'm happy to introduce WDC's first Marine Mammal Conservation Intern of the year, Thomas Zoutis!...
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Double Your Impact for Marine Animal Rescue & Response

On a chilly day this past December, the WDC North America team celebrated the first...
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WDC’s Education Wishlist = Cleared!

To the WDC Community, I want to thank you so much for your support of...
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Looking forward for Southern Resident orcas in 2023

Hysazu Photography 2022 was a big year for Southern Resident orcas - 2022 brought the...
Credit: Seacoast Science Center

The Unlikely Adventure of Shoebert, a Young Grey Seal Who Visited an Industrial Park Pond

Credit: Seacoast Science Center In mid-September, our stranding partners in northern Massachusetts were inundated with...
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The power of harbour porpoise poo

We know we need to save the whale to save the world. Now we are...
Right whale - Regina WDC

Whale and Dolphin Conservation: Change Through Policy.

WDC focuses on education, research, conservation projects, and policy work to create a sustainable future...
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Clear WDC’s Amazon Wishlist for Giving Tuesday

UPDATE: We are thrilled to report that everything was donated off of our Amazon Wishlist...

HotSpots – A Round up of UK Spring Sightings

Spring seemed to take a while to arrive this year as winter kept an icy grip for much longer than normal. Once the warmer weather arrived the wildlife around the UK jumped into action including beneath the waves. As the water temperature rises with the changing of the season and more light penetrates its depths, Spring blooms of plankton make the sea an extremely productive place at this time of year.

Common dolphins have been seen a number of times, particularly during May as they bow ride boats in the Celtic Sea. John Hepburn had a group of 12 common dolphins taking it in turns to bow ride alongside his boat for 20 minutes and took these amazing photographs!

Common dolphin surfacing   Common dolphins bow riding  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other frequent visitor during Spring was the harbour porpoise with sightings sent in from all around the UK ranging from Seaford in East Sussex to Scarborough. There have been fewer bottlenose dolphin sightings reported during the Spring, however a group of 8 were seen from Sanaigmore Bay, on the Isle of Islay, in early April.

As I write this update a report of orcas have been spotted off Bardsey Island, North Wales, and photographed for the first time ever! We have been conducting research into whale and dolphin populations around the island since 1999, and we think these are members of the endangered West Coast Community (n=9), and that they appear to do a huge loop around Ireland and through the Irish Sea at the end of May/early June every year. The Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory took this grainy shot of the orcas in the distance.

There is so much to see out there so KEEP SPOTTING and sending us your sightings, photos and videos. Here’s how to tell us what you see