AS they leap gracefully out of the water to perform their acrobatic airshows, it is truly a majestic sight to see.
Now the results of the latest National Whale and Dolphin Watch (NWDW) survey show that to witness such a dazzling display, Scotland is the ultimate location.
During the 2017 event - which took place from July 29 to August 6 - it has been revealed that the cool coastal waters of Scotland were a hotspot, offering the most glimpses of the sleek marine mammals.
The country once again held the highest number of sightings in the UK at 608 - 43 per cent of all the records taken.
Last year was the 16th annual survey and it saw a record-breaking 1,529 hours of dedicated watches occur - 300 more hours than in previous years.
North and East Scotland were among the best spots for sightings UK-wide, clocking up between 1 and 5 animals per hour on average.
Orkney and the north of Scotland as well as parts of Grampian saw the highest species diversity, with eight recorded in each. Shetland and the North-east of Scotland also recorded high species diversity, with seven species reported in each area.
The event involved the efforts of 2,500 volunteers keeping watch on Britain’s whale and dolphin species. The reports received amounted to around 6,500 individual animals being noted, including 1,410 records of cetaceans - the collective term for whales, dolphins and porpoises.
More than half of these cetacean reports were from land-based volunteers, with harbour porpoises - common in most parts of the UK - once again the most popular sighting. During the survey, 697 were noted, making up half of all records taken (49.43 per cent).
Again in line with previous years, bottlenose dolphins were the second most frequently reported species, with 224 sightings (15.89 per cent), while the most frequently reported whale species was the minke whale, accounting for just over 8 per cent of the entire sightings total.
Two large semi-resident populations of bottlenose dolphins can be found in UK waters, one occupying Cardigan Bay, West Wales; the other largely in the Moray Firth.
Killer whales were reported 39 times during the event, in the waters around Shetland, Orkney, North Scotland and the West coast of Scotland. The largest group consisted of 7 animals around Shetland.
Kathy James, Sightings Officer for the Sea Watch Foundation which organises the survey, said: “2017 was the sixteenth year that this huge citizen science scheme had taken place and clearly the event is building on popularity year on year. It’s so important for people to join in helping us to track whales, dolphins and porpoises in UK waters. The Sea Watch Foundation database holds hundreds of thousands of records which are used by scientists and governments to inform research and policy on these wonderful animals. By taking part, people are directly contributing to their conservation. The wonderful thing about watching for whales and dolphins in the UK is that you don’t necessarily have to get on a boat to see them.”
In all, 11 different cetacean species were seen in UK waters during NWDW and overall, figures show that on average around the UK, a cetacean could be seen once an hour at least.
Sea Watch Foundation is now seeking volunteers to participate in the National Whale and Dolphin Watch 2018, which will run from July 28 to August 5.
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