James took us through a brief introduction to WDC and Shorewatch before moving onto identification of various species of dolphins, whales and seals. The session was veryinformative and who knew just how many different species live and commute throughour Moray waters. James provided the technical knowledge (remember I said noquestion was a silly question!!) to get us all set up with the WDC App and then we wereready to start Shorewatching.

‍
After a short break we headed up to the Burghead Shorewatch point and were taken through all the practical things we needed to know before undertaking a Shorewatch. Whilst there we met one of the Burghead Shorewatch regulars who was more than happy to give us top tips on how to pin point any sightings – MarineWatch for checking boat distances is a must – and was fabulous to get a chance to use the equipment.

‍
For me, the day was a real confidence booster to know that any Shorewatches I do, whether that’s a hundred or just 1, including those where I don’t see any whales,
dolphins or seals, all adds valuable data and contributes to the important work of WDC.

‍
The support on the day was great and already we have been given lots of contact details for any follow up assistance that we need.

‍
I would definitely recommend Shorewatch as a great way to get involved in helping our marine wildlife 😊

‍