National Whale and Dolphin Watch 2022

Nearly 300 Sightings So Far for National Whale and Dolphin Watch 2022!

Our 21st National Whale and Dolphin Watch event started on Saturday 23rd July with watches taking place all across the UK to help create a “snapshot” view of the distribution and status of our UK dolphins, whales, and porpoises. We have now surpassed 360 sightings as we head into our final weekend of watches.

Each year, scientists at Sea Watch Foundation offer members of the public an opportunity to act as citizen scientists and help to contribute to the scientific monitoring of cetaceans on the UK coastline. The data collected is used to better understand how we can protect and conserve these animals. This year we are running an Observers Prize Draw whereby submitting data via our website or App throughout the week you are automatically entered with an opportunity to win one of our marinethemed prizes.

“This is my first time spearheading this citizen science event and I am thrilled with the amount of people who have got involved to submit their sightings this year” says Claudia Afeltra, Sightings Officer at Sea Watch Foundation, “We’ve had an influx of data submitted via our website and the SeaWatcher App that allows us to understand not only where the animals are, but where they aren’t. It is important to recognise how we can act in the future to better protect and understand the status of our oceans.”

Cetaceans can be spotted all around the UK coastline and its fascinating to see the changes occurring each year in terms of what species are spotted. After the event, our final results are written up into a report which we publish into the public domain to show all our citizen scientists how their contributions during the 9-day event transpire into helping to highlight why we need to better protect our coastal waters.

Notable sightings so far this year include white-beaked dolphins off the coast of Sunderland and Whitley Bay, killer whales up in Orkney, fin and Sei whales in the Outer Hebrides and basking shark sightings in Caernarfonshire, Wales and south of Barra, Scotland. We are still hopeful for many more sightings to be submitted as we look forward to the record number of watches taking place this weekend.

During last year’s event more than 1,630 sightings were reported, with over 9,000 individual animals. Memorable sightings included Humpback whales off Shetland and Inverness-shire; Atlantic white-sided dolphins off Shetland; Sowerby’s white beaked whales of the Firth of Forth, Fife; and striped dolphins off Queensferry, Lothian.

To find out more about National Whale and Dolphin Watch and how you can get involved you can visit our website www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk to find your nearest watch or head to our latest sightings page to keep up to date with the latest -

The life of Di

A monthly column by Di Wade, the author of ‘A Year In Verse’

FIERCELY PROUD TO HAIL FROM BLACKPOOL

Hard to believe this is for October printing. This, I feel, means it should contain more pumpkins, bats, and ghostly presentations than a Hogwarts Halloween feast – and it WOULD but for the difficulty I’m having conjuring such things on a bona fide hot summer’s day in late August. I know: that’s a hard enough concept to grasp in itself. More to the point however, it seems staggering that, scorcher, cloud fest, or positive wash-out, the year should be sufficiently advanced there’ll soon be leaves all over the place, and the illuminations’ll be on.

I’m fiercely proud to hail from Blackpool - and have less and less patience with anyone who’d denigrate it – which however, it seems more than a few people would happily do, and as easily as sneezing. I wonder how many of them have ever even visited - but if they have, they’ve clearly never got as far as the Grand Theatre, the Tower ballroom, or any of the opulent rooms making up the Winter Gardens, most particularly the Spanish Hall, and worldfamous Empress ballroom.

They’ve also patently never seen the long list of performers who’ve appeared here, which reads like a veritable who’s who of British entertainment – with more than a few international superstar thrown in for good measure.

Then there’s our rich history, incorporating everything from bearded ladies on the golden mile, (back in the day obviously – I can’t recall seeing too many so far this year), to elephants on the beach - through Wurlitzers, and water scenes all over the place - while how many people can say they’ve had Jayne Mansfield and Red Rum switch their lights on for ‘em?

We also have parks full of flowers, for anyone interested, a perfectly acceptable zoo, and a model village, (I know, any jobs going with the Blackpool Tourist Board?), while I can highly recommend the sunsets over the former Miners’ Home, and golf course. Even in our most basic incarnation however, we’re not just a seaside town, we’re a FAMOUS seaside town – and one, moreover to which no other can hold a candle as they just haven’t got attractions like what we have got – as one of our most prominent and oft-appearing entertainment duos might’ve put it.

How much we’ve got was aptly illustrated on a simple stroll along the prom prom prom t’other day. No brass bands alas, (not averse to a bit of Brighouse and Rastrick, or Grimethorpe Colliery), but plenty else of interest, starting with the wedding chapel. Well OK so I couldn’t exactly see myself getting hitched there; I mean, I’d be thinking storm-tossed tiaras, bridesmaids blown out to sea, and the service drowned out by thundering waves. However, I’ve seen enough wedding parties before it, (thermal underwear firmly in place, and polar bear-drawn carriages waiting at the kerb), to know it certainly works for some people: And people married, single, or anywhere in-between were out in their droves today, variously splashing in the spectacular waves, screaming from atop the once tallest, steepest rollercoaster in the world, gazing down from the big wheel, bungee-jumping out over the sea, checking out the text on the comedy carpet, and painstakingly photographing each other with the tower firmly in the background. All this while a steady stream of trams, (which we were the first place in the country to run incidentally), and Cinderella coaches respectively rattled and clopped by. Typical day in Blackpool basically – except how typical is Blackpool? I mean, how many other seaside towns can boast three working piers, a world-famous Pleasure Beach, and an iconic tower, (which people can’t wait to glimpse as they approach), plus dungeons, waxworks, and a sandcastle that isn’t? More to the point, how many places are still packed in November and December? Ultimately, if we’re not pulling them in with bright lights going back to 1879, we’re attracting dancers from all corners of the globe keen to compete in prestigious competitions or just sample the acknowledged mecca of ballroom dancing.

About the only thing we don’t do brilliantly are autumn leaves, but you can’t have everything.