As I go around the coast I am hoping to encounter some fantastic wildlife. This I will try to document and share with sightings updates. It always amazes me when I tell people about the sightings I have made in British waters. The usual response is “we have whales and dolphins here? I always thought they were abroad”.
I was lucky to travel to some far off places to see some incredible species. Part of my work was in conservation and that meant detailing hunting and trade practises. I will put up some of my photos that I hope you will not find too distressing, but if we don’t highlight the problems, we will never solve them.
Rather than say too much I will let my pictures (scroll down) do the talking. I plan to take a memory stick with me of some of my photos. If it can be arranged, I’m happy to give a talk for some food and water and maybe a floor for the night.
Below is the sightings list for Britain. It would be great to encounter some of these animals, keep an eye out for updates!
V = vagrant in UK waters.
Northern Right Whale, (V) Eublaena glacial
Minke Whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata
Sei Whale, Balaenoptera borealis
Blue Whale, Balaenoptera musculus
Fin Whale, Balaenoptera physalus
Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaengliae
Sowerby’s Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon bidens,
Blainville’s Beaked Whale, (V) Mesoplodon densirostris
Gervais’ Beaked Whale, Mesolpodon europaeus
True’s Beaked Whale, (V) Mesolpodon mirus
Cuvier’s Beaked Whale, Ziphius cavirostris
Northern Bottle-nosed Whale, Hyperoodon ampullatus
Pygmy Sperm Whale, (V) Kogia breviceps
Sperm Whale, Physeter macrocephalu
Beluga Whale, (V) Delphinapterus leucas
Narwhal, (V) Monodon monoceros
Harbour Porpoise, Phocoena phocoena
White-beaked Dolphin, Lagenorhyncus albirostris
White-sided Dolphin, Lagenorhyncus acutus
Risso’s Dolphin, Grampus griseus
Bottle-nosed Dolphin, Tursiops truncatus
Striped Dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba
Common Dolphin, Delphinus delphis
False Killer Whale, Pseudorca crassidens
Killer Whale, Orcinus orca
Long-finned Pilot Whale, Globicephala melas
Below: Historical photos taken by Colin around the world.
Conservation photos. warning these are graphic and upsetting images.
They are images that reflect examples of the work I undertook to document the scale of direct hunting and trade practices.
Viewer discretion is advised, especially for younger viewers
